From the WTF file: Viv Campbell reboots original Dio lineup

[Met-Al]

Campbell has been admitting in recent interviews that his experience within the last year of being in Dio left a bad taste in his mouth, which resulted in his slagging of that material and the genre of metal as a whole. Though I'm sure it can be agreed that extending one's vitriol across an entire genre of music due to a bad personal experience is far too extreme, I think there are plenty of musicians who have written off some of their previous material for similar reasons. We all know how stubborn musicians can be! The point is that we're all human, and sometimes our emotions get the best of us. I think that sums up what happened on both sides of the Dio/Campbell split.


Stay metal. Never rust.
Albert

 

[TribunalRecords]

having seen this line-up in 84 they sound good, look happy and more power to them. how Viv got the boot from Dio sounds like typical music industry affairs and i can completely see why he hated Ronnie and Wendy for it. i can also understand a bond he had with the rest of the band back then that he wishes to rekindle once again now that Ronnie is gone. I hate to say it, being the huge Ronnie fan I am, but it wasn't just a solo project on those first three albums. they were a band. they sound good and i would go see them if they came to NC (but they won't.) also remember Viv is a member of Def Lep who still sell out around the world these days. he isn't in this for the money and judging from the size of that stage in my opinion it's pretty apparent this is for the love of good tunes they all wrote.

 

[TwizstedJesus]

I have absolutely no problem with this. I personally don't care for Campbells playing since the 1st three discs, and they do sound pretty good here.
RJD was not the most popular leader amongst bandmates...we don't know the stories, so I'm ok with a tribute. Could be that Vivian is just making peace with his past.
No harm, no foul

 

[roa71]

As someone who was also diagnosed with cancer this year and has been fighting it, I admire Vivian for trying to pull this off while dealing with his personal issues.

I thought the first 3 Dio albums were amazing, especially the lead work from Vivian. As a kid, I listened to these cassettes over and over again.

Would love to see one of these shows, but, don't think he will make it to Atl.

Rick

 

[KingsGene]

Frontiers Signs LAST IN LINE For 2015 Debut

Frontiers Music Srl is pleased to announce the signing of LAST IN LINE featuring original Dio members, Vivian Campbell, Vinny Appice, Jimmy Bain and Claude Schnell, along with vocalist Andrew Freeman.
When he left Black Sabbath in early 1982 to form his own band, the late, great Ronnie James Dio took powerhouse Black Sabbath drummer, Vinny Appice with him.

Ronnie knew that he wanted a European flavor to balance-out the band, so he asked his former Rainbow bandmate and Scottish native, bassist Jimmy Bain to join him. In turn, Jimmy recommended a young Irish guitarist, Vivian Campbell to complete the line-up. When the four of them met and played for the first time in a North London rehearsal room in September 1982, the magic was evident and the classic Dio band line-up was born.

Between 1983 and 1985, in quick succession, that line-up wrote, recorded and toured the first three Dio albums. Widely considered to be the crown jewels of the Dio catalogue, Holy Diver, Last In Line and Sacred Heart went on to sell millions as the band, now reinforced by keyboard player, Claude Schnell, played to audiences worldwide.

By 1985, however, trouble was brewing and the fabric of the band had started to unravel. Beginning with Vivian Campbell's firing during the Sacred Heart tour, one by one the other original band members left the fold and slowly the magic was lost.

30 years after the recording of Holy Diver, and without trying to replace the singular sound that was Ronnie's voice, the original band have started playing the songs they created together again. Joined by the passionate, powerful and unique voice of vocalist Andrew Freeman, Vivian Campbell, Vinny Appice, Jimmy Bain and Claude Schnell have united under the name of their classic album, Last In Line, to perform and tour their original songs again.

When any group of musicians write and record together, they create a sound that becomes uniquely theirs. Last In Line brings to life those early, classic Dio albums in a way that only they know how. In a way that only they can.

Frontiers plans to release the new recording in the spring of 2015.

 

[MeTuLHeD]

And you successfully just made me feel fucking old. Ha ha.

That's because you ARE old.

To be honest, I don't think there would be so much objection to this happy little reunion IF Viv hadn't said soooo much crap about his days in Dio specifically and heavy metal in general over the years. Basically it's "metal sucks man...I'm past all that" before and now suddenly I'm all maudlin and missing Dio and the best way I can get over my soul crushing despair is to get out there and cash in on the man's memory. I could care less if all of the original band members want to get together and do a "tribute tour". What bugs me is that the man hates heavy metal...at least if we are to believe his own words.

Which once again points up one of the oddities of the 'internet generation'. For some odd reason they seem to forget that once in print, words live forever.

 

[roa71]

Are we people not allowed to change their minds? Perhaps he was fed up with metal at that point in his life. As a fan of Viv, i picked up his first major release after leaving Dio. It was the Riverdogs. a big change from Dio with more of a folk rock appeal. i loved it, but it was very different.

Ronnie said a lot of negative things about Viv as well. So, this was not one sided. I remember one comment was that Ronnie claimed Viv only played 5 strings on the guitar! As if he did not really know how to play fully.

Regardless, I could care less about their past relationships now. I just want to hear Viv do something inspiring in the vein of those old records. Was disappointed when he joined Whitesnake and then Def Leppard. I always saw him as pretty much a hired hand. So, to build off the past and hopefully inject something new into it, sounds very interesting to me.

 

[Justin G]

What kind of new music are we going to get from a Dio cover band formed by a guy who hates metal?

 

[Harvester]

I'm just glad we get Claude's hair back in the spotlight.

 

[MeTuLHeD]

Are we people not allowed to change their minds? Perhaps he was fed up with metal at that point in his life.

Ok. You win. I'm wrong. As I almost always am. Just ask my wife if you don't believe me. Viv's motives are pure-as-the-driven-snow and he along with his band mates will together create The Second Coming of Dio. Perhaps we could even call it 'Dio Redux'.

 

[MeTuLHeD]

I'm just glad we get Claude's hair back in the spotlight.

Heheheh...

Someone should make it their avatar.

 

[PromisedLand]

I don't know what his motives are, but I do find it hard to believe that it's just a cash grab, though. I find it kind of hard to believe that there's a huge audience for this - many Dio fans will hate it without even listening because they feel it's disrespectful to RJD's legacy.

Vivian's a rich man many times over because of the last 2 decades with Def Leppard... maybe he just wants to play the old songs again and relive the glory days.

 

[KingsGene]

VIVIAN CAMPBELL'S LAST IN LINE DEBUT ALBUM PUSHED BACK TO 2016

 

[sccaldwell]

I don't know. Read the article. And on the assumption that Def Leppard pays his bills, this really can't be just for the money. These aren't going to be stadium dates or anything from what we can read between the lines, this is strictly clubs. Maybe he and the REST of the band got along just fine.

And that's entirely possible, which would explain a lot.

In any event, there are two facts that are unquestionable:

1) Ronnie James Dio is dead. No one will ever hear him sing "live" in a concert again.
2) His music is NOT dead, and I'd guess there are tons of fans would LOVE to be able to see it performed...if not with RJD, then at least with even most (never mind all) of the band who played with him.

Even if Vivian, et al are "cashing in," that is their right as original band members (and presumably co-songwriters). Heck, I went to an Aerosmith tribute band show a couple of weeks ago and had a blast. Many here saw "Mindcrime" do an incredible set or two of Queensryche songs, but no complaints that there were original members missing, right?

TONS of bands continue touring or have reunion tours with the original lead singer and/or other original members absent, for whatever reason. How is this any different? Sure, "Dio" was named after their iconic singer, but c'mon...DGM was named after their initials of their 3 original members, NONE of whom are still in the band. Bands can continue after members move or pass on.

As much as I would have loved to have seen Boston with Brad Delp on vocals, sadly I never was able to make it happen, so I was *thrilled* to finally see them last year with Tommy DeCarlo on vocals. Tommy did a great job, and it was a great show. Happy fan here.

With that, I have absolutely zero objection to this, though I understand some do and that's fine. If you don't like it, then don't go to the show. It's really that simple. Some others, at least will be thrilled to attend.

Craig

 

[The Colorado Kid]

I'd like to see this. Vivian has stated that Dio owed him millions, and Dio has stated that this was the price Vivian payed to play. Dio took advantage of the situation, and it's one of the reasons I lost interest in Dio for decades. It wasn't until H & H formed that I cared again....

Vivian is fortunate - he doesn't need the money, not that there's a lot to be made. It doesn't look like he's doing this for the money, but for the music... and isn't that what it's all about?

 

[Bryant]

Though this could certainly be a cash grab on Vivian's part, I wonder if it's just his conscience getting the best of him. After all, he may have never reached the level of success that he's had in life without Dio. Besides, Def Leppard has his bills covered for the rest of his life.


Stay metal. Never rust.
Albert

I don't know Viv personally, but he was still a pretty young guy when he left Dio. I think it is quite likely he has matured and has had time to think over his time with Dio. The big question is, was he simply young and said foolish things he would regret later, or is he simply an asshole ? I will give him the benefit of the doubt. I love ALL of Dio's stuff, but the Viv era Dio simply had some magic to it that was lost when he left.

 

[KingsGene]

LAST IN LINE Debut 'Heavy Crown' out February 19

"...The debut album will be titled Heavy Crown and released on February 19, 2016 via Frontiers Music Srl. The CD was recorded at a Southern California studio with producer Jeff Pilson...."

 

[labrekk]

I'm looking forward to hearing this.

 

[Sumeet]

Interesting. I wonder what exactly went down with Claude Schnell. Reading between the lines, it sounds like maybe his participation in the songwriting was pushing the material in a more keyboardy, less guitar-driven direction than Campbell wanted. Meh, whatever. If it delivers the vibe of the first couple Dio albums, I'll give it a shot.

 

[KingsGene]

VIVIAN CAMPBELL'S LAST IN LINE PARTS WAYS WITH KEYBOARDIST; “DEVIL IN ME” TRACK TO DEBUT NEXT WEEK

"...Meanwhile, Frontiers has issued the following: “It is with immense excitement that we let you know that the first song, "Devil In Me", from Last In Line's upcoming album will be debuted next week!

“In the US, tune in to Eddie Trunk's Trunk Nation show on SiriusXM Radio Channel 39 starting at 6 PM, EST to hear the premiere and in the UK, tune in to Planet Rock to hear Paul Anthony premiere the song at 8:10 AM, UTC! Rest of the world will get the song (and music video) on Tuesday!

“You. Will. Be. Blown. Away....."