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 DIO – Shifting gears
By Adrian ‘The Energizer' Bromley
Since that fateful day in early September, the world as we know it changed forever. Now known throughout the world as 9/11, the events that unfolded that day have scarred, shifted and affected us all in some way or another.
Ronnie James Dio knows this all too well, as his once extravagant tales of fantasy, dragons and magic have taken the backseat with his latest album Master Of The Moon (SPV) and taken a much more serious tone. The master storyteller explains…
"So much has changed in this world. What I tend to write about is what is around me and what is affecting me right now and on this particular album where we have the war on terrorism, the war in Iraq and 100,000 of people dying in Africa and global warming so there is no good news right now. All of these things have to colour your world and they do mine. I could easily go out and write about swords, rainbows, dragons, Arthur and Gueneviere but how can I with all of this horrible mess going on around me? I am a citizen of this world and I must be affected by it and I am.”
"There is a lot of cynicism on this record and a lot of paranoia because I think that is what we are experiencing these days, especially paranoia,” he says. "Who knows when the next bomb will go off or where it will go off? Who are your friends that are going to die or when will the next plane crash into a building? This whole election coming up is something else we have to deal with and how it will change things. Being a citizen of the world you take in a lot of things and it does affect you. I just felt that this was the reality I needed to talk about in 2004.”
You know what record this album reminds me of? Your 1996 release, Angry Machines. I just get the same kind if vibe/feeling from it as I do this one.
"Strange,” he comments. "I get a lot of people saying to them it reminds them of the Dehumanizer album [1991; Black Sabbath]. Everyone has a different take on this album that is for sure. I agree with it because it is very dark and heavy like that Sabbath album was. I can see your point with Angry Machines as well, because it was a lot more realistic, straight to the point and pissed off. This record is not as fast though, it has a real slowed down approach to it circa the style we did with Lock Up The Wolves [1990].”
Obviously you knew this was going to be a different kind of Dio record considering the topics influencing the songwriting, etc. How did you react to Master Of The Moon after a few initial listens?
"I am so involved with the making of every album from the initial songwriting and ideas and right up to the mastering of the album and production. I am so hands on that I know everything that is going on, inside and out. I rarely play back a record, unless of course someone in the band is playing it and we can talk about it. To be honest the last three records I have done—Magica [2000], Killing The Dragon [2002] and the new one—have been only the few ones that I really enjoyed and did play back more than a few times. This album is very different lyrically and that intrigued me as well. Other than that, I always tend to divorce myself from each new release once they are done because at this point in time I am excited about them and want to take the music out on the road and tour in support of the album.”
I think it is safe to say that you've always been consistent with each and every album, even if some of your releases outshine the others. Am I right?
"Yeah., I agree. The most important thing for me with this band has always been to deliver good quality music or least a really good attempt at good quality music, whether it be the music, the sound of it or just what we have to say” he responds. "There are times where I go through this business and experience a whole bad patch of things that I have to deal with but you know what? Those precious hours on stage rockin' out and giving it all makes it all worth it. Even after all these years, it is still a high for me. Being able to see the rainbow and the pot of the gold at the end and just getting satisfaction out of playing and having a good time. I'm sure I said the same thing thirty years ago that I was tired of all of this and look at me now. Thirty years later and I am still rockin' onstage.”
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