Dio’s “Holy Diver” has officially been certified double platinum by the RIAA. The album reached the milestone after moving 2,000,000 units in the U.S.
Dio’s “Holy Diver” has officially been certified double platinum by the RIAA. The album reached the milestone after moving 2,000,000 units in the U.S.
During the ongoing ShipRocked cruise, Anthrax’s Joey Belladonna joined members of Drowning Pool onstage for a cover of Dio’s “Holy Diver.” You can find some footage of that performance below:
The full list of special releases for this year’s Black Friday Record Store Day event (November 26) has officially been revealed. You can find that HERE. A list of various rock/metal releases can also be found below.
Rock/Metal Releases:
[via Loudwire]
Killswitch Engage’s single “My Curse“ off their gold-certified 2006 album “As Daylight Dies“ has officially been certified gold and platinum by the RIAA. On top of that, the band’s cover of Dio‘s “Holy Diver“ and the title track of their 2004 album “The End Of Heartache” have both gone gold as well.
A new comic book based on the cover art for Ronnie James Dio’s “Holy Diver” is tentatively set to be released in summer 2021 via Z2 Comics. The book is being written by Steve Niles and it can be pre-ordered HERE.
The following description of the comic was shared on z2comics.com:
“Behold: the Holy Diver graphic novel – an original storyline inspired by one of heavy metal’s most iconic album covers. Penned by acclaimed horror comics writer Steve Niles (30 Days of Night), the book will tell the tale behind the events leading to the powerful moment captured on the cover of Dio’s debut album—definitively addressing 30 years of fan speculation. Why is the priest being thrown into the ocean? Who is truly the villain in this scenario?
All of these questions are exclusively answered for the first time within the 120 pages of this graphic novel.
The Deluxe Edition of the graphic novel includes:
* Hardcover Graphic Novel
* Exclusive Vinyl Picture Disc Reissue of the classic album ‘Holy Diver’
* 3 never before seen ‘Holy Diver’ inspired Art Prints
* Limited edition hardcover slipcase for graphic novelThe Standard Edition of the graphic novel includes:
* Softcover graphic novel
Writer & Artist Credits:
* Written by Steve Niles
* Interiors illustrated by Scott Hampton
* Cover (pictured) illustrated by Bill Sienkiewicz
* Alt. Cover (not yet revealed) illustrated by Becky Cloonan”
Ronnie’s widow Wendy Dio said the following:
“Steve Niles tells the story behind the album cover ‘Holy Diver’, a story about how you can’t judge a picture by the way it appears, which is what Ronnie wrote many times in his songs; that you have to see inside the person and not judge them by the way they look or by what they wear. Together with Scott Hampton’s amazing artwork, they tell the story of ‘Holy Diver’, and I know Ronnie would have given his stamp of approval on this great graphic novel.”
Z2 publisher Josh Frankel also commented:
“We have managed to work with some of the greatest legends in both comics and music, and a Dio graphic novel with a cover by the great Bill Sienkiewicz perhaps sums that up best. This is one of the most iconic heavy metal album covers in history.
We are honored to pay tribute to the originator of the universal sign of the music that he has inspired since he first took the stage with Black Sabbath 40 years ago. Working with Wendy Dio directly to ensure it is true to his vision is the next best thing to working with Ronnie James Dio himself, and we have hit a new high note with this one!”
Niles added:
“I’m so excited to be writing this book. I hope I do Ronnie James Dio justice.”
During the June 26 edition of his “Acoustic Happy Hour” series, Machine Head’s Robb Flynn performed covers of Slipknot‘s “Snuff,“ “Deftones‘ “Change (In The House Of Flies),“ System Of A Down‘s “Aerials,” Dio‘s “Holy Diver,“ Staind‘s “Outside,“ and more. You can watch that set below:
During some of their recent shows together, Anthrax’s Joey Belladonna joined Killswitch Engage onstage for a cover of Dio’s “Holy Diver.” Check out footage of that below:
Remastered versions of Dio’s first six studio albums, “Holy Diver,” “The Last In Line,” “Sacred Heart,” “Dream Evil,” “Lock Up The Wolves,” and “Strange Highways,” are set to be released as a new box set titled “A Decade of Dio: 1983-1993.” The set will be available on CD on July 22, and will be available on vinyl on October 4. The vinyl set will also include a 7″ single with “Evil Eyes” on Side A and “Time To Burn” on Side B.
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