Ronnie James Dio

The 10 Metal Bands Most Beloved By Geeks

By Adam Steininger Geeks love metal more than the computers on which they listen to it. They yearn for heavy metal that was forged by Orcs in the mountains of Mordor, smuggled halfway across the universe on Serenity and then discovered by Silver Surfer while scouting for delicious planets. The te ... More >>

Five More Iconic Key Club Shows

The Key Club's last day is today! Ever since West Coast Sound broke the story of its impending closure, local music fans have been mourning the place. Personally, we've been to the venue hundreds of times, and worked there as a DJ during Metal Skool's heyday for about two years. We believe the venue ... More >>

The 20 Greatest Metal Albums in History: 20-11

If you count Black Sabbath's 1970 self-titled debut as heavy metal's birth, the genre is now over 40. It can no longer be called a fad. It can have adult children, and it can run for president. (Insert "presidental metal of freedom" joke here). See also: Top 20 L.A. Metal Albums: The Complete List ... More >>

It's a Black, Gass Gas

Marilyn Manson, Slash, Evanescence - Club Nokia - 4/11/12

Revolver Golden Gods Club Nokia 4-11-12 Better than ... Any hard rock show you'd see on the Sunset Strip nowadays. Music awards shows generally suck. They are most often excuses for industry people to slap themselves on the back and perform crappy performances of songs you don't want to hear anywa ... More >>

Top Ten Best Replacement Singers in Rock and Metal

Dio-era Black Sabbath​See also: *Top Ten Worst Replacement Singers in Rock and Metal *Ozzy Osbourne vs. Ronnie James Dio: Who's Better? One of the biggest stories in metal this year is the revolving door for vocalists. Jesse Leach has returned to Killswitch Engage. Iced Earth played their fi ... More >>

Top 10 Lies of the Music Industry

Jeffrey Weber is the author of the recently-released You've Got A Deal: The Biggest Lies Of The Music Business. Based in Beverly Hills, Weber is a longtime industry producer known for his work with Luther Vandross and Ronnie James Dio, and two of his projects won Grammys. But after 30 years he's ... More >>

Ozzy Osbourne vs. Ronnie James Dio: Who's Better?

​[Editor's note: Deathmatch pairs two artists who have something in common, and determines who is better. It's a concept we sort-of ripped off from MTV, except that instead of claymation it's the printed word!] A singer's voice impacts a band's sound so much that a replacement basically creates a ... More >>

New Year's Eve: Ten Mystical Songs For Making Out With Your Hippie Boyfriend

From the film Zabriskie Point​See also: What To Do This New Year's Eve With a galactic alignment and Mayan prophecy fulfillment on the horizon -- not to mention the Aquarian dawning -- 2012 is poised to be a pretty cosmic year. So as you embrace your turquoised-out, biker hippie wizard love ... More >>

Opeth - The Mayan - October 19, 2011

Diamond Bodine-Fischer​Opeth The Mayan October 19, 2011 Better than... your buddy's band who tries to do the same thing but should really stop trying. When you put the needle down on an Opeth record you get the urge to sit down in an oversized chair with a bottle of red wine. The Swedish pro ... More >>

Big 4 Recap: Backstage, Onstage and Caught in a Mosh at Metal's Biggest Event

Paul HebertDesert Thrashers: Metallica's Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield​Thrash has become the music of brotherly love. Backstage at the Big 4 fest on Saturday, all four of the day's speedy metal acts gathered for a quick group portrait with photographer Ross Halfin. And standing tall at the c ... More >>

Music Picks: Prince, Amanda Jo Williams, Kendrick Lamar, Xzibit, Civet,

Also, Miguel, L.A. Bluegrass Situation, Heidecker and Wood, the Ditty Bops and others

Top Ten LA Musician Mansions For Sale (Sorry Millionaires: Jack Black Just Snapped Flea's Los Feliz Pad)

Jack Black Buys Flea's House More Musicians Insane Mansions For Sale

20 Musicians We Will Miss: 2010, the Year in R.I.P.

20 Musicians We Will Miss R.I.P.

News Haiku: Buy Ronnie James Dio's House, Bad Religion Turns 30, Far East Movement Goes National

News Haiku: Buy Ronnie James Dio's House, Bad Religion Turns 30, Far East Movement Goes National

City Declares May 30 'Ronnie James Dio Day'

Dio and the devil horns.​The Los Angeles City Council has officially declared May 30 Ronnie James Dio Day. The announcement was made at Sunday's public memorial service for the recently deceased, eternally awesome metal singer. Event MC Eddie Trunk, the host of VH1 Classic's That Metal Show, ... More >>

Ronnie James Dio, Dead at 67

RJD, RIP​ Breaking: Heavy-metal icon Ronnie James Dio died today. He was 67 years old. After rumors started leaking last night of bad news concerning Dio's latest struggle with stomach (some sources say throat) cancer, his wife and manager Wendy released the following statement today: Today ... More >>

Dios Announce New Album, Leak Lotsa Free Music [MP3s]

Dios, 'We Are Dios'​The Hawthorne-hailing psychedelically inclined indie-pop outfit known as Dios has just announced the due date of its third LP (and first in 5 years), We Are Dios. Due out February 16 on the recently revived Buddyhead label, the album is currently tracklist-less but a crypti ... More >>

10 Great Heavy Metal Albums of 2009 (Or, Well, Make That 14)

Over the Top Eyes open and ears bleeding, Phil Freeman loads up on the year's best metal. This year was such a good one for heavy music, we wound up having to cheat when putting this list together. We just couldn't settle on ten albums that kicked my ass the hardest in 2009; there were dozens of ca ... More >>

Buddyhead Redux

L.A.'s most loved and feared music Web site is back, leading the never-ending quest for music that doesn't suck

Heaven and Hell, and Dio, Geezer, Iommi and Appice

There are many reasons why this legendary band is not calling itself Black Sabbath — even though it could

Exhuming Nostradamus: Judas Priest's Lead Singer on UFOs, Concept Albums, Motörhead and Dio

There is only one Metal God, and his name is Rob Halford

Film Reviews

Including this week's pick, Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny

Film Reviews

For the week of April 14 - 20

¡Ay, Dios Mío!

South Bay smart-asses Dios (Malos) change their name and their game

Nether Bound

Danzig

Fish Fry 2002

The Intangibles

Music To Kill By

War with Iraq? It's in the bag, dad

Frozen Entrée

Hope Sandoval wants to make you cry

The Steamy Muse

Rhapsodies of light and heat and hope

Heroes

Dio, AC/DC: Sagas, cycles and shit-goddamn

Music Reviews

Victor Lewis Trios, Pell Mell, C4AM95