Ronnie James Dio dies at 67

Metalheads worldwide shed a tear today.

Ronnie James Dio, the iconic metal singer/pioneer/godfather, lost his battle with stomach cancer and passed away at 7:45 a.m. this morning, according to his official web site.

From his wife Wendy Dio:

Today my heart is broken, Ronnie passed away 7:45 am 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.

The death comes as somewhat of a surprise as the announcement that he had stomach cancer came not even six months ago.

Besides his semi-operatic vocal style and diminutive stature, Dio was best known for helping to bring heavy metal to a mainstream audience. Dio replaced Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath and was also the lead singer for Rainbow and DIO.

R.I.P. Dio. Truly One of the saddest days in metal history.

Top 5 reggae artists you might have never heard of

When most people think of reggae, Bob Marley is probably the first name that comes to mind. For some people it might be the only name that comes to mind. The fact is, there are literally hundreds of reggae artists, both living and dead, that have been putting out great music since the 1960s.

So here they are, in no particular order, the top five unsung heroes of reggae:


1) Jimmy Cliff
Jimmy Cliff best known among mainstream audiences for songs such as "Sitting in Limbo", "You Can Get It If You Really Want", "We all are one" and "Many Rivers to Cross" from the soundtrack to The Harder They Come which helped popularize reggae across the world and his covers of Cat Stevens' "Wild World" and Johnny Nash's "I Can See Clearly Now" from the film Cool Runnings.
Standout track: "They Harder They Come"




2) Jacob Miller
Jacob Miller was a Jamaican reggae artist who first recorded with Clement Dodd. While pursuing a prolific solo career, he became the lead singer for reggae group Inner Circle with whom he recorded until his death. His success was cut short when he was killed in a car accident at the age of 27.
Standout track: "Baby I love You So"



3) Gregory Isaacs
AKA the "Cool Ruler" or the "Lonely Lover," Gregory Isaacs is a Jamaican reggae musician, described as "the most exquisite vocalist in reggae" according to Milo Miles of the New York Times.
Standout track: "Night Nurse"



4) Eek-a-Mouse
Ripton Joseph Hylton, better known as Eek-A-Mouse, is known for his trademark high-pitched voiced, comedic song lyrics as well as his use of Patois and gibberish syllables in his song.
Standout track: "Ganja Smuggling"


5) Alton Ellis
Alton Ellis was a Jamaican musician best known as one of the innovators of rocksteady music and was often referred to as the "Godfather of Rocksteady." His Mr. Soul of Jamaica album is regarded as one of the definitive rocksteady albums.
Standout track: "You Make Me So Very Happy"

Info courtesy of Wikipedia

Mastodon's Bill Kelliher hospitalized

Atlantan sludge-rockers, Mastodon, were forced to cancel their sold-out concert April 27th at the Water Street Music Hall in Rochester, New York due to the hospitalization of guitarist Bill Kelliher. The show was originally going to be moved to the April 28th, according to the official Mastodon website, but according to the venue website the show has now been rescheduled to sometime in May due to "ongoing illness with Mastodon guitarist Bill Kelliher."

Though no other information is available, the hospitalization may be linked to Kelliher's alcohol-related illness that forced the band to sit out some European dates on the Unholy Alliance Tour in 2008 - but again there is no evidence that supports or denies these rumors.

Here's wishing Bill a full and speedy recovery.

In other news, the newly-reformed Soundgarden played their first show in almost thirteen years on April 16th in Seattle under the name "Nudedragons" (anagram? pretty clever, guys).

Needless to say the guys can still play and Cornell can still belt it out like the good old days.

Here's some footage from the sold-out show:

Option Paralysis: anarchic innovation

Dillinger Escape Plan’s music might seem like pure chaotic noise to any first-time listener. Upon further examination, however, one discovers the complexity, technicality and sheer aggression that makes the band so appealing.

“We’re bringing a sense of unpredictability back to music. We want you to feel uncomfortable, to challenge you,” said guitarist, Ben Weinman in a 2008 interview.

The band’s latest release, Option Paralysis, definitely stays true to that unpredictability that fans have come to love. Though it features some of the band’s heaviest material to date, there’s also a good amount of slow songs – a style the band began experimenting with on their 2004 album, Miss Machine. It’s on these softer songs that vocalist Greg Puciato really gets to show his chops with a clean vocal style that’s equal parts Mike Patton and Trent Reznor. The song “Parasitic Twins” sounds like it could have been taken off of a Nine Inch Nails album.

The standout track on the album, “Widower,” is essentially a heartfelt piano ballad featuring guest pianist Mike Garson. The song builds up to a super heavy climax, as if to remind the listener “Yeah, we can write slow songs, but don’t think we’ve gone soft on you.”

All in all, Option Paralysis further proves that Dillinger Escape Plan continues to be one of the freshest and most exciting bands in the underground metal scene today.

Third time's a charm for the Gorillaz

Damon Albarn and co. are back with another epic installment in the Gorillaz saga. Plastic Beach has all the components that made the Gorillaz so famous: wild experimentation and genre mashing packaged in an easily accessible, digestible format.

Gorillaz albums have always been known for their guest spots, and Plastic Beach has them in spades. Some of the artists to make an appearance include Snoop Dogg, Mos Def, De La Soul, Bobby Womack, Lou Reed, Mick Jones and Paul Simonon from the Clash.

Plastic Beach isn’t as hip hop heavy as its predecessors, instead taking a more mellow, pop-oriented route. Songs like “Rhinestone Eyes” and “Empire Ants” take on a dreamy, hazy, beach-y atmosphere, well suited considering the title of the album. Then there’s songs like “On the Cloud of Unknowing” that have a gospel/blues vibe that fits well with the melancholy tone of the album. All the songs on Plastic Beach flow cohesively and no single song seems to try to dominate the album.

There’s enough going on in the album that it won’t fall off the radar any time soon, and it already seems to be earning as many accolades as their previous works, and so it should.

Check out the video for “Stylo” the first single from the album, featuring a cameo from Mr. Die Hard himself, Bruce Willis. (It’s interesting how the video premiered around the same time as Willis’ buddy-cop comedy Cop Out, but that’s neither here nor there.)


If you like what you hear, you can stream the whole album on the band's official MySpace.