About this Artist

• Biography

Editorial Reviews

There was a period of time in the '90s when "sword and sorcery" metal had definitely hit upon hard times. The crowds dried up, labels were disinterested, and veteran metal acts were considered by many to be obsolete. But towards the wrap up of the 20th century, vintage metal sounds began to become embraced once more by up-and-coming bands, and suddenly, the metal masses began to blossom yet again. And one gentleman who benefited greatly from this metal resurgence was certainly Ronnie James Dio, whose heightened profile resulted in an association with Tenacious D, a reunion with his former Black Sabbath mates (billed as "Heaven and Hell"), and a rejuvenated solo career -- resulting in such releases as 2000s Magica and 2002's Killing the Dragon, which were packaged together as a two-fer in 2007. Magica is considered by many fans as a return to form for Dio, as the singer was re-joined by three former bandmates -- guitarist Craig Goldy, bassist Jimmy Bain, and drummer Simon Wright -- while the album is conceptual, and sounds like vintage Dio (including an epic spoken word narrative!). The follow-up, Killing the Dragon, saw Goldy replaced by Doug Aldrich, which nonetheless turned out to be another solid Dio release. If you lost track of the diminutive man with a mighty voice after his mid-'80s commercial peak, Magica/Killing the Dragon will prove that Dio is back on track. Dragons beware! Greg Prato, All Music Guide

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