ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPT. 24, 1992 By Steve Newton When Def Leppard guitarist/co-founder Steve Clark died of a drug overdose in 1991—six years after drummer Rick Allen lost his left arm in a New Year’s Eve car accident—rumours were rampant as to who would replace him in one of the world’s most successful and least … Continue reading Def Leppard’s Vivian Campbell never wanted to be Joe Guitar Hero
Tag: Ronnie James Dio
Dio-era Rules of Hell box proves Sabbath thrived after Ozzy
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, DEC. 3, 2008 By Steve Newton Just as there are many who feel that Van Halen turned to crap when David Lee Roth left the fold, there are scads of metalheads who believe that Black Sabbath wasn’t worth shite without Ozzy Osbourne at the mike. Screw them. There’s no denying that … Continue reading Dio-era Rules of Hell box proves Sabbath thrived after Ozzy
The Sabbath Time Machine
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, AUG. 18, 2013 By Steve Newton Black Sabbath (without Bill Ward) isn't giving any interviews in advance of its show at Rogers Arena this Thursday (Aug. 22), but that's okay with me. It just gives me an excuse to crawl back into my '70s time machine and reminisce, home movie-style, about what … Continue reading The Sabbath Time Machine
Tony Iommi on Heaven and Hell and how Frank Zappa always loved his “Supernaut” riff
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 7, 2007 By Steve Newton It's somewhat ironic that Black Sabbath's 1978 album was titled Never Say Die, because that disc actually signaled the end of the group's original lineup. After eight albums with Ozzy Osbourne on vocals, the metal pioneers gave him the boot, replacing him with Ronnie James Dio. … Continue reading Tony Iommi on Heaven and Hell and how Frank Zappa always loved his “Supernaut” riff
Megadeth blows Black Sabbath (“Heaven and Hell”) off the stage with its unbridled energy
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, MARCH 14, 2007 By Steve Newton When Black Sabbath came to town last Sunday (March 11)—calling itself Heaven and Hell, I guess, to make sure no one expected Ozzy Osbourne to dodder onto the stage—it was the quartet's first public performance in 14 years. More importantly, it was the group's first … Continue reading Megadeth blows Black Sabbath (“Heaven and Hell”) off the stage with its unbridled energy
Metal legend Ronnie James Dio dead at 67
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, MAY 16, 2010 Heavy metal vocalist Ronnie James Dio, best known for his work with Rainbow and Black Sabbath, passed away today at the age of 67. He had been battling stomach cancer. His wife Wendy posted the following message on his web site. "Today my heart is broken, Ronnie passed … Continue reading Metal legend Ronnie James Dio dead at 67
Iron Maiden shows off the all-mighty power of metal in Vancouver
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 25, 2010 By Steve Newton Just over two years ago Iron Maiden touched down at the Pacific Coliseum on the whirlwind Somewhere Back in Time world tour—during which it played 23 concerts on five continents in 45 days—and tore the roof off the place. They started that show with guns a-blazin’ via the … Continue reading Iron Maiden shows off the all-mighty power of metal in Vancouver
Ozzy Osbourne shows Vancouver he’s “still fucking crazy”
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, NOV. 15, 2010 The most entertaining part of Sunday night’s (November 14) Ozzy Osbourne concert may well have occurred before the 61-year-old metal legend actually hit the stage. In the lead-up to his appearance a clip was shown in which Osbourne’s mischievous countenance was comically transposed onto the faces of various characters from … Continue reading Ozzy Osbourne shows Vancouver he’s “still fucking crazy”