Metal Shock Finland (World Assault )

Today (Wednesday, May 16th) marks the secondary anniversary of the passing of legendary singer RONNIE JAMES DIO (BLACK SABBATH, DIO, HEAVEN & HELL, RAINBOW, ELF) who lost his battle with stomach cancer at the age of 67.

His bandmate Tony Iommi remembers the fallen hero: “I’ve been thinking of you old friend while dealing with my own health issues over the last six months and remembering the good times.”

When asked about being regarded as a legend in 2005, Dio told BW&BK: “It always seemed very strange to me, to be thought of as this legendary figure, because legends are usually people who’ve died. Sure, there’s some who haven’t died and they deserve that accolade, but I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I don’t think of myself that way. I don’t think of myself as a star or a superstar or a legend. To me, it’s my work. It’s what I do, and my job is always to be as good as I can be. If you start to listen to what people say about you, a lot of people start to backslide and think that they don’t have to work so hard anymore. For me, it’s hard work that gets you where you want to be. I was always brought up that way by my folks. Work hard at what you do, try to be the best you can be, don’t think so much of yourself because once you start believing what people say about you, you really do start to tread water. I’m very grateful for the things that people say about me, but in the end the only thing matters to me is the presentation that you get tomorrow, not what you get yesterday, because I’m only as good as what I’m gonna do tomorrow.”

Iommi – who has been diagnosed with the early stages of lymphoma – endured his last dose of chemotherapy in late March and recently completed three weeks of radiotherapy. Meanwhile, the three original members of Sabbath, Iommi, singer Ozzy Osbourne and bassist Geezer Butler are currently working on their first studio album in thirty three years and first since 1978’s Never Say Die! In a statement found here, drummer Bill Ward is officially out of the picture for the following reunion shows: the band’s hometown return to the O2 Academy in Birmingham on May 19th, UK’s Download Festival on June 10th and the Lollapalooza Festival in Chicago which runs from August 3rd-5th.