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(Credits: Far Out \/ Alamy)<\/p>\n
Fri 15 August 2025 16:40, UK <\/p>\n
Ronnie James Dio<\/a> was handed one of the most unenviable tasks in rock when he stepped into Ozzy Osbourne\u2019s shoes in Black Sabbath, but he somehow managed to replace the irreplaceable.<\/p>\n Before he joined Sabbath, Dio already had a vast reputation as one of Britain\u2019s most commanding frontmen, and he also had 20 years of experience to draw from. While most singers would have been overawed by joining a behemoth like Sabbath, Dio acted as if he belonged there, and his presence revitalised the group.<\/p>\n Although he was only with Sabbath for three albums, his impact is revered by some among the group\u2019s best work. Following his departure due to creative differences in 1992, Dio went solo, and his wings soared when he didn\u2019t have bandmates to restrict him.<\/p>\n The late Dio remains a God-like figure in the metal world, and his words were treated as gospel. Despite his frosty exit from the group, when Dio named his five favourite songs of all time to Blabbermouth in 2009, he did include \u2018War Pigs\u2019 by his former outfit.<\/p>\n Explaining why he picked the song from the Osbourne-era, he said: \u201cThat was Geezer\u2019s lyrics. They stand up because that was a protest about people who were creating war, and they\u2019ve never heard that before. That\u2019s a strange title, isn\u2019t it? You just put that together, and it\u2019s so clever. Musically, it was just written so well.\u201d<\/p>\n The track is powerhouse entry into the annals of heavy metal, in fact, it may well have been the foundational stone upon which the whole genre was built. Another foundational moment came from Deep Purple and their enigmatic classic about a burning casino. <\/p>\n