Various Artists – Ronnie James Dio – “This Is Your Life” [Album Review]

This Is Your Life, is a brand new compilation album that celebrates the life and career of one of the most iconic figures in hard and heavy metal, Ronnie James Dio. The list of contributors to this project reads like a veritable who’s who in the metal world with the proceeds from the record going to the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund (diocancerfund.org).

Anthrax kicks off the celebration in true metal style with a rousing, head banging version of “Neon Knights”, and from there it just gets better. The very next song is a surprisingly good rendition of one of my favorite Dio songs of all time, “The Last In Line.” Tenacious D knocks it out of the park with their take on this Dio classic that even includes a killer flute solo. In all honesty this is a terrific disc and while there is not one bad track, highlights for me are “The Last In Line,” Adrenaline Mob’s version of “The Mob Rules,” and the Motorhead/Biff Byfford rendition of “Starstruck.”

I highly suggest picking this up; at the end of the day you can’t go wrong with a lineup like this plus you will also be helping out a great charity.

Track Listing:

01. “Neon Knights” – Anthrax*
02. “The Last In Line” – Tenacious D*
03. “The Mob Rules” – Adrenaline Mob
04. “Rainbow In The Dark” – Corey Taylor, Roy Mayorga, Satchel, Christian Martucci, Jason Christopher*
05. “Straight Through The Heart” – Halestorm*
06. “Starstruck” – Motörhead with Biff Byford*
07. “The Temple Of The King” – Scorpions*
08. “Egypt (The Chains Are On)” – Doro
09. “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

Run Time: 71:33
Release Date: April 1, 2014

Check out the song “Holy Diver”