Dio

In the build up to the 16th of May, the anniversary of the day heavy metal lost one of its finest, if not thee finest vocalist, we remember the achievements of this incredible frontman who fronted some of the finest heavy metal bands of all time, including Rainbow, Dio, Heaven and hell, and Black Sabbath. Born Ronald James Padavona, but commonly known to heavy metal fans as Ronnie James Dio, or Just Dio, was an incredible heavy metal front man with a rare and incredible singing ability. Dio’s work has inspired countless heavy metal front men and is the most celebrated of all heavy metal front men. He may have lost his life to stomach cancer, but his contribution to heavy metal and rock music will never be forgotten.

There is but no pure heavy metal fan that doesn’t know of the Holy diver, the man on the silver mountain or as he's commonly known, Dio. His soaring vocals were a thing of heavy metal greatness, and lets not forget that he brought to the forefront the “Devil horns” hand sign, yes this incredible man is the reason it's so popular among the heavy metal community and rock community as whole. Dio kept flashing this hand sign during his live performances and it soon stuck and became the go to symbol for heavy metal fans around the world.

The number of times of Dio’s songs have been covered by famous heavy metal bands is unbelievable. Great artists like slipknot’s Corey Taylor, Anthrax, Killswitch engage, Motorhead, Halestorm, Gamma ray, Metallica, Yngwie Malmasteen, the scorpions, Doro, Rob Halford, Kiss, and many others have paid tribute to this heavy metal icon, many tribute albums were made to celebrate Dio's life and musical achievements, albums like “Ronnie James Dio-This is your life,” “Holy Dio - tribute to Ronnie James Dio.” 

Heavy metal has had many incredible vocalists, from Iron maiden’s Bruce Dickinson, Judas priest’s Rob Halford,and the overly eccentric  Ozzy Osbourne, but none of the a fore mentioned heavy metal icons have Dio’s singing ability. Dio could sing as beautifully as an opera singer but also as beastly and as wildly as he wants, just listen to him sing on Rainbow’s “Rainbow eyes,” its just incredible. Dio’s singing ability gave us numerous heavy metal anthems, such as “Heaven and hell,” “Holy Diver,” "we rock,” and countless others. For those of you heavy metal fans who haven’t had the chance to give your ears the pleasure of listening to the incredible Dio, you haven’t yet found heavy metal enlightenment.
 With an Arsenal of incredible solo albums like Holy Diver and The last line, Dio proved to the heavy metal world that he could do it on his own with out big names like Toni Iommi or Ritchie Blackmore and as such cemented his immortality in the heavy metal community as one of its finest artists. 

Whatever band Dio  fronted, he stood out because of his incredible singing and energy during live performances, a clear example of how good he was, is when he was called in by black sabbath to replace the Prince of darkness, OZZY Osbourne, he made Sabbaths fans forget Ozzy.  Dio  gave sabbath a new lease on their music. I’m sure that if Dio had been present during the time Toni Iommi made incredible riffs for songs like paranoid, Iron man, War pigs, Sabbra Cadabra, Sabbath Bloody sabbath and others, Dio wouldve made those songs slightly better. Don’t get me wrong, Ozzy did an incredible Job on all those songs, but i’m sure Dio would’ve done better.

These are my Top 10 Dio songs

10. Mob rules-Black sabbath

This is one from Dio’s time with black sabbath, from Sabbath’s album titled “Mob rules.” its starts with Tonni Iommi’s incredible riffing, before Dio comes in and owns the song with his immense vocals.

9. We rock-Dio

Now this is one off his own album, "The last in line," where he had the incredible Vivian Campbell on guitar, and yes Campbell did good with this song's riff, but the song’s anthemic nature is mainly due to Dio’s lyrics and vocals. How can you listen to it and  not want to shout along to the chorus like, “ we’ll sail on, sing our song, carry on,  coz we rock, we rock, we rock.”

8.children of the sea-Black sabbath

Another one from Dio’s exploits with Black sabbath, is Children of the sea, i love this song just because of Dio’s singing. His voice and opening guitar give this song that medieval times feel. His soaring voice on the verses and chorus is just beautiful. And lets not forget that Toni Iommi solo in the middle, it may not be his finest but its really nice.

7. The man on the silver mountain-Rainbow

This is one from Dio’s earlier time with Rainbow. This monstrous hit starts off with an incredible Ritchie Blackmore riff, and i have to say, i've come to expect nothing less from such an accomplished guitarist. The riff sets the stage, and when Dio delivers the first lines, the song kicks into gear and boy does it rock! Every time i listen to it i can’t hold my self back from singing along to its surrealist lyrics, i always break out into song like, “Im the man on the silver mountain...” in short, this song always get me going.

6.  Neon Nights-Black sabbath

This one starts off with a Toni Iommi riff, and then Dio’s  takes over. From there on, i just become a witness to how great singing and great guitar work combine to produce heavy metal gold. I can not stress how much Dio’s singing ability complimented black sabbath’s sound. This song here is a good example of that.

5. The last in line-Dio

This song is from Dio’s album with the same name, and Yes Tencious D may have ruined this song for me, and won grammy for doing so but the original song is still a heavy metal classic. Some Dio songs dont need to be talked up, one just needs to listen to them to experience their greatness. 

4. Heaven and hell-black sabbath

If you were looking for a go to Sabbath song from the Dio era song, this one should do the trick. If the title and opening don’t tell you what’s about to happen, then surely Dio’s opening lines will show you. Dio's voice brings out the apocalyptic nature of the song, and my oh my did Dio know how to use his voice to set the scene for an apocalypse.

3. Rainbow in the dark-Dio

The vocals on this one speak volumes about Dio’s ability, i personally can’t think of another Dio song that has better vocals. On this song, Dio is just simply incredible.

2. Stargazer-Rainbow

This is the ultimate rainbow song, its showcases Dio’s vocal prowess better than any other rainbow song, the way Dio’s voice soars as he deliver the chorus is nothing short of incredible. The song is littered with great vocals. Its one really great song. 

1. Holy diver - Dio

If you really love heavy metal, then yes you’ve listened to this song. Holy Diver, the song’s riff by itself is a thing of beauty, and yes, that riff is probably Vivian Campbell's finest piece of guitar work. The riff coupled with Dio’s incredible singing makes this song my finest Ronnie James Dio song and also one of my finest heavy metal songs of all time.

You can share with us your favorite Dio songs and facts below in the comments area.

Creed

Writing a piece on Creed with some of their songs playing in the background is giving me a certain high , one you are likely to get if you read this with some of their songs playing. Back to business, Creed is an American band formed in 1994 with a line-up of lead vocalist Scott Stapp, guitarist and vocalist Mark Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips. This is the best known line-up, after a few changes like originally it was a band of five following the recruitment of a rhythm guitarist, Brian Brasher back then when they were going by the name Naked Toddler (this name gets me every time - naked toddler) they later changed the name to Creed at Marshall’s suggestion after a band he had previously played for called Mattox Creed.

For all the history I could come up with, I will go with the summarized version of it; three albums, My Own Prison (1997-1998), Human Clay (1999-2000) and Weathered (2001-2004) with powerful songs like ‘My Sacrifice' ‘One’ ‘Higher’ ‘One Last Breath’ and Grammy award winner, ‘With Arms Wide Open’. Full Circle (2009-2010) came with a few hits like ‘Time’ and ‘Overcome’, which was followed by a concert film, Creed Live. The band has a shit load of drama starting with Brian Marshall’s alcoholism and addiction and his departure in 2000 followed by Scott Stapp’s addiction to alcohol and later pain medication after the gruesome car accident which ultimately led to the band’s disunion in 2002. They later reunited in 2009, recorded an album and went on tour. I could dig up more dirt, but we’re not here for that. 

Scott Stapp’s voice is so deep and powerful; it takes me to spiritual heights so great I could compare them to an orgasm. Mark Tremonti was good when he was with Creed and he sounded good, but when he went to Alter Bridge he got so much better as a guitarist, he is by far one of the best guitarist out there. If you listen to him now on Full Circle, you’ll realize that he has matured as a guitarist.

Coming up with a list of my top songs by Creed was quite hard but hey, a list had to be made. Here it goes;

My Sacrifice (From Weathered)

The riffing is pretty generic, but it has a strong melody. A bit corny lyrically, but that’s ignorable with Scott’s powerful voice. I loved it. 

One Last Breath (From Weathered)

This is one of the songs you listen to over the years and still can’t get enough of it. I think it was the first song I listened to by Creed. I don’t think I will ever delete this song from my play list and it has been five years. When Scott says, “Hold me now, I’m 6 feet from the edge” Powerful!!!!

Higher (From Human Clay)

The great guitar riffs, Mark Tremonti nailed this one. It’s a classic beauty; some say it put Creed on the map. It spent a record-breaking 17 weeks on the top of rock radio charts. Years later we’re still talking about it. 

My Own Prison (From My Own Prison)

There’s a way this particular one stood out from the rest, it’s haunting. Strong lyrics; it portrays a lot of things that make you sit back and take time to think about yourself in your life. It is one of my favorites.

With Arms Wide Open (From Human Clay)

One of their best I must say. The deep and moving meaning about the life changing event of having a child, and becoming a father for the first time, moved many.  

Time (From Full Circle)

The lyrics are on point, this is the song - an absolute keeper! Some don't love Creed, but they know this song. It's powerful, the energy in the song is amazing. How can you not like Time? A friend joked, "How can you have all the time in the world and not listen to Time by Creed?"

"Who will be there

To catch me, to catch me when I stumble

When I fall, when I fall

Its so very clear

You left me with no one at all

No one at all"

For Your Consideration

On My Sleeve

Can You Take Me Higher

Say I

What’s This Life For?

Rain

Torn

Weathered

 written by Joheath@joabyxnx

Stevie Ray Vaughan

Its been a little over a week since the induction of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double trouble into the Rock n Roll hall of fame. I believe that Stevie Ray Vuaghan along with Lou Reed and Joan Jett are clearly the most notable and most influential of this year’s inductees. Taking nothing away from Green Day, they are an incredible punk band and have tried to keep Punk rock from dying out and for that i respect them deeply. But that's not what today’s feature is about, the star of today's feature is legendary Texas blues Guitarist Stevie ray Vaughan, a guitarist like no other, a man who’s bluesy guitar playing left legendary Guitarists like the great “Slow Hand,” Eric Clapton, BB king, Buddy Guy in awe, yes he was so good that if being a good guitarist was a crime, he’d have been wanted dead or alive.

Stevie Ray Vaughan wasn’t just great, his guitar playing was what you’d call, exquisite, that many consider him the greatest blues guitarist ever.  His guitar sound was unique that hitherto, no guitarist has been able to recreate his Texas Blues sound. Stevie’s lead guitar playing was nothing short of phenomenal, and i personally believe that his lead guitar playing was second only to that of the great Jimi Hendrix.  Personally speaking, i can’t really think up a random list of the top 10 greatest guitarists of all time that doesn’t have this Texas blues man.

Like all great musicians, Stevie Ray Vaughan had a vice, a drug addiction, but unlike many Rock stars who have tango-ed with Mr Brownstone, Stevie beat the addiction which in itself was a great achievement for the blues man.

Stevie Ray Vaughan was influenced by Jimi Hendrix and a host of other incredible blues guitarists. Speaking of Jimi Hendrix, Stevie ray Vaughan has what are literally the greatest covers of Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo child,” and “Little wing.” His rendition of Voodoo child immortalized the song as a blues classic, and im not saying Jimi Hendrix's version wasn’t as good, because believe me, Jimi’s guitar solos on both Voodoo child and little wing are some of the finest solos I've ever listened to. But then again Stevie's take on both songs was just magical.

 I may sound a bit eccentric but I'm sure that if Stevie hadn’t been robbed from us by a fatal helicopter crash, and had continued to grace us with his immaculate guitar playing, we would have achieved world peace by now, because we’d be too busy listening to his great work to be out there fighting one another. 

Stevie didn't just play guitar, he also sang lead, his voice may not have been among finest voices around, but for the blues it was just right. Stevie was also quite the showman, he did some guitar spinning and could also play the guitar behind his head or his back.

These are my top 10 Stevie Ray Vaughan songs

10. couldn’t stand the weather

Awesome rhythm, one of those that get me humming along as the song progresses. once the first few notes go through my ears, i get ready to do a note by note air guitar session with Stevie ray Vaughan.

9. crossfire

A fine display of great guitar playing, Stevie ray Vaughan playing lead like its no body’s business. And that guitar solo at the end is a thing beauty, always has me wondering what would have been if he hadn’t died too soon.

8.Voodoo child

He may not have written the original, but he did justice to it, he totally nailed the riff, i mean for a moment there as you listen to it, you get the impression that maybe his cover is better than Jimi Hendrix's original. It may not be as psychedelic as the original but it’s one awesome blues song.

7.look at little sister

Whenever i think about the term the Texas blues, this song comes to mind. Great rhythm and the overall feel of it has me feeling like i’m in one those Classic cowboy movies, preferably Clint Eastwood's "The unforgiven."

6.little wing

Another cover of a Jimi Hendrix song, and another example of Stevie’s guitar prowess. The guitar playing on this one is nothing short of breath taking. The solo by itself is just beautiful

5. The sky is crying

Like is said if playing the guitar was a sport, stevie would be quite the athlete, probably an MVP on many occasions. This songs gives you a picture of how he could set the mood of a song by using his guitar to compliment the lyrics of the song. In this song, his guitar mourns and cries for the man who’s lost the love of their lover.

 

4.cold shot

The lyrics may depict the situation that precede’s breaking up with a lover, but the mellow and laid back feel of this song is very satisfying, its almost like being in an open field on a sunny day with the wind blowing  your way in a soft and lazy embrace.

3.Change it

Some stevie ray vaughan songs are good not just because of his solos, but because of how the songs are set up and because of how they feel, this one has quite the rythm, makes you wanna break out into song like, “Get away from the blind side of life, honey i want you by my side.” Classic stuff  just.

2. Texas floods

this is one has one of the finest ever guitar solos i’ve ever had the pleasure of  listening to, it still sends chills down my spine. If you have any doubts about his ability, this song will set you on your way to appreciating his greatness and pretty soon you’ll be looking for more and more of his works.

1. Pride and Joy

In the immortal words of the Queen of rock n roll, Tina Turner, this is “Simply the best.”it’s a master piece, with incredible riff and that incredible solo. This one tops my list of the best stevie Ray Vaughan songs. It just doesn’t get better than this.

Those are my favorite Stevie Ray Vaughan songs, you can put your comments below or you could tweet me CortezTheKiller@instantiate2roy

The greatest Frontmen in Rock history

Every band has a face, a voice and persona, and the band member who embodies all of these is usually the front man. The first unique identifier of any band is their front man, that’s if the band actually has a front man and isn’t solely focused on making instrumental music. But let’s not get carried away with this, the front man isn’t always the most important band member, though ideally a band needs to have a good front man. Great front men aren’t always the best vocalists, but having good vocals is a big plus when it comes to creating the band’s sound. For a front man to be considered great they must also be articulate, charismatic, spontaneous, provocative, mysterious, daring, and being a little wild wouldn’t hurt either.  Some great front men are easy on the eyes, others, not so much, but let that not deter us from appreciating their contribution to the genre, because lord knows how many singers and vocalists past and present have been influenced by these great men of rock. 

 

My greatest front men in rock history are:

10. Jim Morrison, The doors

 A Rebel and probably the most rebellious man in rock history, with the number of provocative things he said and did; he was no stranger to the inside of a jail cell. There are rumors of him flashing his penis at fans which of course got him arrested. And of course some people say he was an overrated attention seeker, but Jim Morrison was a great singer and performer, he could sing it soft and slow, but also knew when to turn on the style like a real showman. Jim was a great front man but the sad part is that he died too young.

Check out his vocals on these The doors songs

·         Light my fire

·         Break on through to the other side

·         Riders of the storm

·         Love her madly

9. Roger Daltrey, The who

 .When it comes to hard rocking vocals, this guy is your man, he can sing, scream, and even incorporate the some stuttering where need be, when you read the lyrics of most of the songs by” The who,” you will instantly realize that there is a big difference between just reading them and listening to Roger Daltrey sing them. Yes, he may not have written a lot of the band’s lyrics, but his vocal interpretation of Pete Townsend’s lyrics and the way he articulates the words is what make him a unique specimen. Take for example how he sings the song “my generation,” where he puts a little stutter in the words to make them unique and catchy, he literally turned the song into something anthemic and let’s not forget his vocal delivery on “Baba O’riley.” it’s like his voice captured the struggles of being a teenager back in the day, it’s just captivating. And then there's the thing with his outrageous attire and microphone swinging antics  

Check out his vocals on these The who songs

·         Won’t get fooled again

·         Baba O’riley

·         Behind blue eyes

·         Going mobile

8. David Lee Roth, Van Halen

No 80’s hard rock fan doesn’t know “Diamond Dave,” his musical footprint is littered all over the late 70’s and early 80’s with the band “Van Halen.” Diamond Dave had the voice, the stunts and dance moves to go. Dave’s swagger and style complimented his lyrics, he was a real entertainer. If you don’t believe me, just checkout his legendary live performances with van Halen, you will be astonished at how great he is.

 Check out his vocals on these Van Halen songs

·         Jump

·         Ain’t talking bout love

·         Hot for teacher

·         Panama

 

7. Bono, U2

Talk about captivating voices, listening to Bono sometimes puts me in a trance, I feel like I’m in a place of infinite bliss, i guess it's what the Irish called finding my pot of gold, or so i think. I sort of feel like I’m everywhere and nowhere at the same time. It may not really make sense, but his singing can suck you into the song to the point of feeling like you are one with the lyrics. It’s incredible just like the man himself. Putting his singing qualities aside, Bono knows how to really get the crowd going, he effortlessly gets the fans to participate and singing along to the lyrics, it’s just magical. 

Check out his vocals on these U2 songs

·         Sunday Bloody Sunday

·         Pride (In the name of love)

·         With or without you

·         Where the streets have no name

6.  David Bowie

Forget  lady gaga, Madonna and others, David Bowie was the first and original fame Monster, his visage, character, dressing and ego were ahead of his time and lets not forget, the man can sing, he can really really sing. The level of controversy around him and his career is unlike anything this world has ever seen. I mean from the fact that he created an alter ego called “Ziggy stardust,” went on to make an Album titled 

“ Ziggy stardust and the spiders from Mars,” played guitar on tracks and performing live as Ziggy stardust wearing the most audacious costumes. He literally invented Glam Rock. Now lets not forget  the rumor that he had a gay fling with rolling stones front man Mick Jagger. There’s so much mystery around the name David Bowie but lets leave that for another time. All that aside he turned down being Knighted by Her Royal Highness the Queen of England in act of rebellion, I mean, which is so rockstar-ish because he has a hit song called “rebel rebel,” 

Check out his vocals on these songs

·         changes

·         Space Oddity

·         Rebel Rebel

·         Suffragette City

5. Axl Rose, Guns N Roses

 Fronting a band once termed as the most dangerous band on earth is no easy feat, but if you’re Axl Rose, then yeah it’s a piece of cake. He may have a lot of haters now, probably one of the most hated rock stars in rock history, but Axl had charisma and incredible on stage presence. Axl lived life in the fast lane, like most rock stars, he was no stranger Drugs, alcohol and controversy, from showing up late for gigs, racist lyrics, to inciting violence from fans. I personally think he was more dangerous than Sid Vicious, only that he didn’t kill anyone.  His talent is unquestioned; he has talent by the boat loads. Axl has what is considered the highest vocal range in rock music. Let’s not forget his signature move, “the snake dance.” No one will ever forget how awesome his singing and performances were. 

 Check out his vocals on these Guns n Roses songs

·         Paradise city

·         Sweet child O mine

·         Welcome to the jungle

·         Night train

 4. Steven Tyler, Aerosmith

Not the easiest on the eyes, but he is a great front man. His screaming earned him the name “The Demon of screaming,” his vocals make you want to test out your own scream, though I wouldn’t advise trying to emulate his scream. Steven Tyler’s Stage presence is so immense that his energy is projected onto the audience; his stunts always leave you wanting more and more. Watching him perform live is a thing of rock n roll beauty. Let’s also not forget his flashy attire and wildly colored clothing. 

Check out his vocals on these Aerosmith songs

·         Dream on

·         Sweet emotion

·         You seem crying

·         Don’t wanna miss a thing

3. Freddie Mercury, Queen

He may have died too soon, but Freddie left a legacy unlike any other, a body of work so inspirational that traces of his work still echo in the works of musicians today, he really was rock n roll royalty. Putting all the sentiments aside, Freddie was a fine vocalist with a voice to die for, and if it was only about being able to sing, then yes Freddie would be the greatest front man of all time. Freddie had vocals that could send you to heaven and back. And not to mention he was quite the entertainer. His live performances are still revered to this day.

Check out his vocals on these Queen songs

·         Bohemian rhapsody

·         Love of my life

·         Crazy little thing called love

·         We are champions

2. Mick Jagger, The rolling stones

It’s hard to even come up with words to describe Mick Jagger, he has great vocals, stage presence, energy and aggression, plus he has “The moves like Jagger.” He is above 70 years now but performs with the energy of a teenager, I mean the world is researching alternative energy sources and that stuff, why don’t they just ask Mick Jagger where he gets his energy, I’m sure that energy source could last us a lifetime. Sir Mick Jagger is an honorary knight of England. Yes, knighted by the Queen for his musical achievements and no he didn’t turn it down, he accepted the honor. His singing style maybe unconventional but it’s effective. In short, his performances are nothing short of electric. 

Check out his singing on these rolling stones songs

·         (i can't get no)Satisfaction

·         Wild horses

·         Heart breaker (doo doo doo)

·         You can’t always get what you want

1. Robert Plant, Led Zeppelin

Rock music’s ultimate front man, is a man referred to as a rock god. He sings, whispers, wails and mourns his way into your heart. If at all there was a handbook on how to become the greatest front man ever, I’m sure it would have to be written by Robert plant. His singing and stage presence oozes sex and charisma. I don't want to get carried away here, but then again, this is Robert plant, a man who could probably sing his way into the heart of a deaf person. He can sing the blues, he can sing soft and he can sing heavy. His voice doesn’t just get your attention; it intends to grip onto your soul, not for ever, but at least until the end of the song.  And oh did I mention that Robert Plant was also Knighted, yes he is called Sir Robert Plant.

Some front men have singing talent, some nice dance moves, others acrobatic stunts, but then there’s Robert plant. He just had “it.”

Checkout his singing on these Led zeppelin Songs

·         Immigrant song

·         Stairway to heaven

·         Ramble on

·         Over the hills and far away