Black Sabbath/Deep Purple/Iron Maiden Supergroup to Record Single

Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi and Deep Purple vocalist Ian Gillan are set to record together once again - but this time they will do so with Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain and former Deep Purple pianist Jon Lord. The supergroup are set to record a single for an Armenian music school. Using the moniker Whocares, their first charity single will be titled "Out of My Mind."

In 1989, Iommi and Gillan were involved in the recording of the infamous Deep Purple track "Smoke on the Water." This song was later re-recorded in order to raise money for those affected by the Leninakan earthquake that struck Armenia in 1988. In October of 2009, the pair returned to Armenia to see how the funds raised had helped the local community. (Read More)

Dio's Holy Diver to be Reissued...in Red

Holy Diver, the classic Dio album, will be reissued on 180-gram limited edition gatefold red vinyl on July 30. The vinyl reissue will be released by Back On Black - a company whose specialty is reviving albums on vinyl for collectors and fans across the globe.

Since its release on May 25, 1983, Holy Diver has receive incredible praise from critics and is most often regarded as both Dio's best work and a classic staple in the heavy metal genre. In the U.S., the LP was certified gold on September 12, 1984 and platinum on March 21, 1989.

Following the death of front man Ronnie James Dip in late May 2010, Holy Diver re-entered the Billboard 200 chart at No. 149 and stood at No. 11 on Pop Catalog. Some time earlier, a Dio best-of compilation debuted on Catalog at No. 32. Titled The Very Best of Dio, it was certified gold by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) on March 11, 2009 and shipments on the U.S. alone were in excess of 500, 000 copies. The best-of package had been originally issued in October 2000 and marked the second greatest-hits collection to be released by Dio.

Dio's last release, Holy Diver Live, featured a start-to-finish performance of the classic album, recorded live in 2005. The performance took place before a sold-out London crowd. The album also included other songs from various eras in Ronnie James Dio's career: "Sign of the Southern Cross," "Mob Rules," and "Heaven and Hell" from the Black Sabbath era; "Long Live Rock and Roll," "Tarot Woman," and "Man on the Silver Mountain" from the Rainbow era; "We Will Rock You" from his solo career.

Osbourne and Iommi Settle Black Sabbath Trademark Lawsuit

Recently, during an interview with Pulse of Radio, Ozzy Osbourne announced that a lawsuit between him and guitarist Tony Iommi had been settled. The suit dealt with the use of the Black Sabbath name. Osbourne added that everything is now fine between him and his former band mate.

Osbourne had sued Iommi for a 50% interest in the Black Sabbath trademark. He also sued for a portion of the profits made by Iommi from the use of the name. The suit charged that Osbourne's "signature lead vocals" are largely the reason for the band's "extraordinary success" and noted that popularity declined during his absence from 1980 to 1996. Lawyer Andrew DeVore responded with the argument that Osbourne had actually signed away his rights to the Black Sabbath trademark when he left the band in 1979. However, Osbourne's lawyer - Howard Shire - called DeVore's argument a "red herring" that was "repudiated" when the singer rejoined Sabbath in 1997. Shire argued that at that point, Osbourne took over "quality control" of all merchandise, recordings, and tours associated with the band.

Following Osboune's lawsuit announcement, Pulse of Radio asked the Prince of Darkness if there would be a chance of the original Sabbath lineup reuniting. "Well, I never say never," replied Osbourne. "I mean, I've got a few ideas, but we'll see what happens, you know. We did try and do another album, but we've all changed so much and it's - if you don't do an album that blows the doors off the last one that we did together, then it's gonna be looked upon as a joke, you know."

The original Sabbath lineup - consisting of Osbourne, Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward - last toured together in 2005 and later reassembled in 2006 for their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The group made an attempt at a new album some 11 years ago (which would have been their first since 1979), but the effort was abandoned after only a handful of songs.

That is not to say the four have not been keeping busy. Both Iommi and Bulter had been touring and recording with Ronnie James Dio and Vinny Appice (both latter-day members of Black Sabbath) since 2007 under the name Heaven and Hell. They remained active until Dio's death from stomach cancer in May 2010. In addition, Osbourne is set to release a new solo album, Scream, on June 22 and will also headline Ozzfest this summer.

Horns at Half Mast: Ronnie James Dio Dies

Mere hours ago, Wendy Dio, wife and manager of heavy metal legend Ronnie James Dio, issued the following statement to Blabbermouth.net:

"Today my heart is broken, Ronnie passed away at 7:45 a.m. [on Sunday] 16th May. Many, many friends and family were able to say their private goodbyes before he peacefully passed away.

"Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all.

"We so appreciate the love and support that you have all given us.

"Please give us a few days of privacy to deal with this terrible loss.

"Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever."

Dio was diagnosed with stomach cancer in November 2009. Just last month he spoke to the Artisan News Service about his ongoing battle with the disease, describing the ups and downs of his condition and his determination to go on:

"Well, I feel good and bad at times. It's a long process. Chemotherapy is a... I never realized what a difficult thing it was to go through. It's a real cumulative effect - the more you have, the more it piles up on top and it takes longer and longer to get over it. I find it very difficult to eat. I don't like to eat anyway, so I guess that's OK. But I know I have to. But this makes it very, very hard. But if you're determined to beat it, then you have to go with what you believe is going to beat it for you, and in this case it's that. I go to a great hospital in Houston called M.D. Anderson, which I think is the best hospital in the world, I have the best doctor in the world, Dr. Ajani, who I really trust and I really believe in, so I think I've done all the right things. It makes me feel positive about my life and positive that there is a lot more of it to live."

In early May 2010, Heaven and Hell were forced to cancel all tour dates due to Dio's ongoing cancer treatments. In an official statement, the band said that Dio would not be "well enough to tour this summer. We hope that everyone understands and want to thank fans and industry colleagues for their continuing support at this time."

Ronnie James Dio, born Ronald James Padavona on July 10, 1942 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, was the only child in an Italian family. He began his foray into music playing the trumpet as a boy. Later, he began playing bass and eventually moved to singing. Perhaps best known for his immensely powerful singing voice, Dio claimed to have never taken any formal singing lessons and attributed his phenomenal ability to the breathing techniques he learned during his time playing the French horn as a child.

Dio performed with a number of groups during his career, including Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and, of course, Dio. He also worked on various projects, including the Hear 'n Aid fundraiser effort. Aside from being renowned for his vocal ability, Dio was also known for popularizing the "devil's horns" gesture in metal culture. More recently, Dio was involved with the band Heaven and Hell with former Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Vinny Appice, and Geezer Butler. The band's first and only studio album, entitled The Devil You Know, was released on April 28, 2009.

Ronnie James Dio is survived by his wife, Wendy Dio, his son, Dan Padavona, numerous family and friends, and countless fans throughout the world.

Ronnie James Dio
July 10, 1942 - May 16, 2010