The album will include covers of Ronnie James Dio classics by numerous artists such as Anthrax, Rob Halford, Metallica, Motörhead, Scorpions, and Corey Taylor.

Tweet

A Ronnie James Dio tribute album, This Is Your Life, will be available from Rhino on April 1, 2014 for a suggested list price of $18.98 (digital version also available). The album will include covers of Ronnie James Dio classics from Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and Dio. Artists such as Anthrax, Halestorm, Rob Halford, Metallica, Motörhead, Scorpions, Corey Taylor, and even Tenacious D, recorded their favorite tracks by the legendary singer.

This Is Your Life will raise funds for the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund (www.diocancerfund.org) and was produced by his longtime manager/wife Wendy Dio.

Although the songs featured on the This Is Your Life touch on the different eras of Dio’s career, several spotlight his time with Rainbow, including Metallica’s epic, nine-minute “Ronnie Rising Medley,” which combines the Rainbow songs “A Light In The Black,” “Tarot Woman,” “Stargazer,” and “Kill The King.” Scorpions add a take on “The Temple Of The King” while Motörhead are joined by Biff Byford from Saxon on “Starstruck.” Rob Halford teams with frequent Dio collaborators Vinny Appice, Doug Aldrich, Jeff Pilson, and Scott Warren for “The Man On The Silver Mountain.” And the final line-up of Dio’s solo band — Simon Wright, Craig Goldy, Rudy Sarzo and Scott Warren — are joined by Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Black Sabbath) for “Catch The Rainbow,” a track from Rainbow’s 1975 debut.

Anthrax and Adrenaline Mob honor Dio’s memorable stint with Black Sabbath with their takes on “Neon Knights” and “The Mob Rules” respectively, as does a group, led by Oni Logan on vocals along with Jimmy Bain, Rowan Robertson, and Brian Tichy, which performs “I” from Dehumanizer.

This Is Your Life also includes songs from Dio’s back-to-back platinum albums Holy Diver (1983) and The Last In Line (1984), with Doro’s version of “Egypt (The Chains Are On)”, Halestorm’s  take on “Straight Through The Heart,” Corey Taylor (Stone Sour, Slipknot) covering the classic “Rainbow In The Dark” and Tenacious D (Jack Black and Kyle Glass) putting their signature spin on “The Last In Line.” Killswitch Engage’s cover of “Holy Diver,” a hit in its own right when released in 2006, is also included here.

Fittingly, Ronnie James Dio provides the finale (and the album’s title) with his moving performance of “This Is Your Life.” Originally released on Angry Machines (1996), the song’s lyrics explore mortality and are backed by a stark and beautiful arrangement that features Dio accompanied only by his longtime keyboardist Scott Warren on piano. The song serves as a poignant reminder that we will never hear a voice like Dio’s again.

The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund, co-founded by Wendy Dio, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable fund dedicated to supporting cancer-prevention research, raising awareness and educating the public about the vital importance of early detection and prevention when dealing with this deadly disease.

RONNIE JAMES DIO: THIS IS YOUR LIFE

Track Listing:

1. “Neon Knights” – Anthrax*

2. “The Last In Line” – Tenacious D*

3. “The Mob Rules” – Adrenaline Mob

4. “Rainbow In The Dark” – Corey Taylor, Roy Mayorga, Satchel, Christian Martucci, Jason Christopher*

5. “Straight Through The Heart” – Halestorm*

6. “Starstruck” – Motörhead with Biff Byford*

7. “The Temple Of The King” – Scorpions*

8. “Egypt (The Chains Are On)” – Doro

9. “Holy Diver” – Killswitch Engage

10. “Catch The Rainbow” – Glenn Hughes, Simon Wright, Craig Goldy, Rudy Sarzo, Scott Warren*

11. “I” – Oni Logan, Jimmy Bain, Rowan Robertson, Brian Tichy*

12. “Man On The Silver Mountain” – Rob Halford, Vinny Appice, Doug Aldrich, Jeff Pilson, Scott Warren*

13. “Ronnie Rising Medley (Featuring A Light In The Black, Tarot Woman, Stargazer, Kill The King)” – Metallica*

14. “This Is Your Life” – Dio

* Previously unreleased