R.I.P. Ronnie James Dio

    
     It has now been confirmed by Wendy Dio, wife of Ronnie James Dio, that Ronnie has lost his battle with cancer.  Metal has suffered a great loss with the passing of Ronnie.  You can bet Ronnie is teaching little headbangers in the afterlife how to do a proper metal horns salute.  Thanks for the music and legacy you left us.  Your spirit lives on Ronnie.

Straight Through the Heart

     Respectable sources are now reporting that legendary Black Sabbath, Rainbow, Elf, and Dio frontman Ronnie James Dio has lost his fight to stomach cancer.  I've been trying to swallow this for about an hour now and although nothing is 100% confirmed from the Dio camp, you can bet this rumor is true.  Metal has lost one of the greatest frontmen of all time.  To even begin to describe his impact on heavy metal and even pop culture requires much more space than I have time to write at this time.  Dio was one of the nicest guys in metal that you will ever meet and to think that he lost a battle in his life is staggering.  The man may have only been 5'4" but he had the heart that lasted for miles.  Dio will be greatly missed but his raw prowess will forever be felt.  Thank you Dio for your contributions to metal.

Please, No Flash Photography Allowed

    
     You ever go to a concert and see the asshole in front of you doing this?  How about multiple assholes with their cameras and camera phones being held up to record the show?  It's a bit distracting isn't it?  In this day and age with technology the way it is, the concert you just witnessed has the potential to be uploaded and online by the time you get home.  Bootleg footage of a concert you couldn't attend is no longer a rare commodity when venues allow phones and cameras into shows.  This is going to sound a bit communist and completely old-fashioned but I wish venues would act like movie theaters do and not allow for either to enter the doors. 

Not Cracked on the Skye

    

     The Mastodon/Between the Buried and Me/Baroness/Valient Thorr tour rolled through Pomona last night and I was anxious for this show, being that it had been four years since I last saw Mastodon and BTBAM.  Mastodon was on the "Unholy Alliance Tour" with Slayer and BTBAM was playing Ozzfest in 2006, neither of which allowed for a long set.  Between the Buried and Me flat out is amazing live and definitely a band that is to be experienced but what's weighing on my head now is Mastodon.  Since 2006, the band has blown up with their last two releases, Blood Mountain and 2009's critically acclaimed Crack the Skye.    Mastodon is more popular now than ever before and with that comes a price.