Ten years ago on this day we lost one of the all-time greats of heavy metal.

Here on DMR blog we extol Ronnie James Dio (1942-2010) for many reasons. First, we’re all metal fans. Real metal aficionados respect and honor Ronnie James Dio, even if his music is not to their taste. But we also praise him because the website of a heroic fantasy publisher couldn’t be more apropos. Dio was, in fact, a sword-and-sorcery hero. He wielded swords on stage, lived in a home resembling a medieval English castle, and wrote and sang about heroic quests and dreamlands and better places, of

Circles and rings, dragons and kings
Weaving a charm, and a spell
Blessed by the night, holy and bright
Called by the toll of the bell
(From “Neon Knights”)

Needless to say I love Dio. To the annoyance of my wife and children I occasionally insert various Dio lyrics into routine conversations (sometimes relevant to the topic at hand, sometimes utterly non sequitur). “Well, the best steel goes through the fire, babe.” “Do your demons, do they ever let you go?” This brings me great joy, and to them great consternation.

Dio’s lyrics empower. Weaved in and amongst the fantastic imagery are themes of being true to yourself, thinking critically about the world, and the importance of myth, magic, and dream in a modern age stripped of wonder. For example, from “Sacred Heart”:

Whenever you dream, you’re holding the key. It opens the door, to let you be free

A little about his singing prowess.

I had the incredible fortune of seeing Dio in concert twice. The first was in March of 2000 at The Palladium in Worcester with Doro Pesch and Yngwie Malmsteen on the Magica tour. The second was July 2003 at the Worcester Centrum with Iron Maiden and Motorhead.

That first time… I still get chills thinking about it. The Palladium is a small venue, and I and a friend arrived early and managed to get down close, probably 40-50 feet from the stage. If my memory serves me correctly Dio came out wearing a purple velour vest and some type of wispy cloak. He was short, smaller in stature than I anticipated, but the presence and power he projected were otherworldly. I was mesmerized and awestruck, when I wasn’t thrusting one hand in the air with the famous “sign of the horns” he popularized.

Dio could sing rings around just about anyone you’d dare to trot out there. Any discussions about who the best metal singer of all time are subjective, and inevitably come down to individual taste, but if Dio hasn’t made your short list then you’re probably doing something wrong. Even the great Bruce Dickinson admitted that RJD was another level vocally from just about everyone, including himself. The Iron Maiden frontman described Dio as a mentor and dedicated the song “Blood Brothers” to him on their 2010 Rock in Rio tour. “He was the world’s shortest singer apart from me, but he sang his ass off, and sang rings around me, and always will.” Pretty high praise coming from a man known as the human air raid siren.

I intended to make this post solely about how great Ronnie was, and I’m tempted to leave it at that. But I can’t resist a little sermonizing, directed at those who think Black Sabbath ended with Ozzy Osbourne’s forced departure.

Frankly, if you feel this way, I’m very comfortable telling you that you’re dead wrong.

I will tell you, you missed a great era of the band, with Dio at the helm.

But the good news is you can still rectify that error, and discover the Dio years.

Before you leave this post, I would humbly ask that you give a listen to any of these three Dio-era Sabbath songs:

Neon Knights

Falling off the Edge of the World

Bible Black

The first is from the album Heaven and Hell (1980), the next from Mob Rules (1981), the last from The Devil You Know (2009). The latter is actually from a band called Heaven and Hell, but for all intents and purposes they are Black Sabbath, the Dio years.

“Neon Knights” might be Dio’s most energetic song of the Sabbath era, a killer opening track that gets the blood roaring. It makes you want to ride out on a horse (of flesh, or iron) and kick some ass.

“Falling off the Edge of the World” might be my favorite Dio song. It’s so good, I’m not even going to bother to try to describe it in words.

Dio was 65—sixty five years old!—when the band recorded The Devil You Know, but age barely seemed to touch his voice. He sounds awesome on “Bible Black”, even though that same year he was diagnosed with stomach cancer and began treatment at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. It was a battle he did not win.

Ten years ago Dio was called by the toll of the bell to another world, and we miss him, dearly, back here on earth. So today, toast him with mead or wine or beer, preferably from a goblet of dragons and skulls. And pick a song, any of his, and enjoy the spell it weaves.

Dio may be gone, but through his music and his words, and his majestic voice, he has achieved metal immortality.

Brian Murphy is the author of Flame and Crimson: A History of Sword-and-Sorcery (Pulp Hero Press). Learn more about his life and work on his website, The Silver Key.