Ronnie James Dio: A Tribute To - This Is Your Life RONNIE JAMES DIO: A TRIBUTE TO - THIS IS YOUR LIFE

Tributee: Ronnie James Dio .
Tributee: Ronnie James Dio .
Liner Note Authors: Eddie Trunk; Koh Sakai; Malcolm Dome.
Recording information: Crownhill Studios, Germany (02/2012-03/2012); HQ, San Rafael, CA (02/2012-03/2012); Maple Studios (02/2012-03/2012); NRG Studios (02/2012-03/2012); OfficeStudios, Van Nuys, CA (02/2012-03/2012); Scorpio Sound Studio (02/2012-03/2012); Sonic Stomp Studios (02/2012-03/2012); Sparky Dark Studio, Calabasas, CA (02/2012-03/2012); The Chanty Shack (02/2012-03/2012); The Loft, Los Angeles, CA (02/2012-03/2012); Total Access Recording, Redondo Beach, CA (02/2012-03/2012); West Valley Studios, Woodland Hills, CA (02/2012-03/2012); Zing Studios, Westfield, MA (02/2012-03/2012); Crownhill Studios, Germany (1999); HQ, San Rafael, CA (1999); Maple Studios (1999); NRG Studios (1999); OfficeStudios, Van Nuys, CA (1999); Scorpio Sound Studio (1999); Sonic Stomp Studios (1999); Sparky Dark Studio, Calabasas, CA (1999); The Chanty Shack (1999); The Loft, Los Angeles, CA (1999); Total Access Recording, Redondo Beach, CA (1999); West Valley Studios, Woodland Hills, CA (1999); Zing Studios, Westfield, MA (1999).
Photographers: Marc Theis; Kai Swillus; Kenny Gabor; Alex Solca; Ross Halfin; Stephanie Cabral; Vincent Hartong; Gene Kirkland; Neil Zlozower; Wendy Dio; Jeff Pilson; Jochen Rolfes; Jeff Yeager; Klaus Meine; Iana Lipnik; Giulio Arman-Roaldi; Alex Kirzhnert; Mary Arman-Roaldi; Trudy Vandenbrink; Renato Nunes; Patricia Kibby; Michele Fleischli; Robert John; Rudy Sarzo; Mike Portnoy ; Brian Tichy; Matthew Rodgers.
A diminutive yet larger than life and remarkably stalwart knight of the heavy metal round table who could silence a sold-out arena with a single note and then elicit a thunderous roar with the flash of a horned hand, the late Ronnie James Dio is as worthy of veneration as any metal god, and this 2014 tribute album, which was organized by his wife Wendy and raises money for his own Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund, offers up 14 reasons why. Tribute albums can prove problematic, especially when they forgo emotional narrative for name recognition, or when participating artists spend too much time trying (too hard) to subvert the songs, but Ronnie James Dio: This Is Your Life succeeds by remaining true to its source material. This approach can also backfire by descending into karaoke, but each cut here is delivered via the full-blooded ferocity of friends, family, and (famous) fans, so it never feels phoned in. In fact, some of the performances, like Anthrax's ferocious take on Black Sabbath's "Neon Knights" and Metallica's ambitious medley of "A Light in the Black," "Tarot Woman," "Stargazer," and "Kill the Kingare" are so dialed in that they induce whiplash -- even Tenacious D, who built a career (albeit a comedy one) out of unabashed Dio worship, spend less energy debasing "Last in Line" with a "Stairway to Heaven"-inspired recorder arrangement and more time delivering the meat of it like it was the closing song of a last chance battle of the bands set. Sure, there are some limp moments (Rob Halford and a cast of past and present Dio members, despite their best efforts, just can't seem to locate the power source on "Man on the Silver Mountain"), but for the most part, This Is Your Life rocks the fu#k out, and it's a testament to RJD's talents as a molten metal scribe that instead of sticking their necks out and screaming "hey, look at me!", everybody pretty much sticks with the program. ~ James Christopher Monger

• Format: CD
• Genre: Pop