Ex-DIO Guitarist DOUG ALDRICH Weighs In On LAST IN LINE And DIO DISCIPLES

March 28, 2021

On a recent episode of the "Loaded Radio" podcast, former DIO guitarist Doug Aldrich spoke to Scott Penfold about the two bands that were formed by other ex-DIO members in the years after singer Ronnie James Dio's death: LAST IN LINE and DIO DISCIPLES. Asked if he thinks both those acts are "cool," Doug replied (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah. I think it was really cool when [LAST IN LINE] had [bassist] Jimmy Bain. Jimmy was one of those great players like Glenn [Hughes] in his own sense. Jimmy was a much simpler player — great songwriter, great guy. And him and Vivian [Campbell, guitar] together, with Vinny [Appice, drums], that was really cool. Especially when they played that [early DIO] stuff, it sounded really legit — as much as you can without having Ronnie. And then DIO DISCIPLES is great. They had been in the [DIO] band longer than anybody — Craig [Goldy, guitar] and Scott [Warren, keyboards] and Simon [Wright, drums]. So I support those guys, what they're doing, too."

Aldrich also spoke about the Ronnie James Dio hologram, which has played a number of shows in the U.S. and Europe in the last five years after being created by a company called Eyellusion.

"The hologram thing, there's a good side to it, but there's also a side where nothing's gonna compare to the real thing," Doug said. "And I know Ronnie was one of those guys that would be, like, 'If it's not me, then just don't do it.'"

He continued: "I just know [Ronnie]. Anything that you're doing, he would be, like, 'Why do it if it's not gonna be the best it can be?' That's just how he was."

The Dio hologram production uses audio of Ronnie's live performances from throughout his career, with the DIO band playing live, consisting of Goldy on guitar, Wright on drums and Warren on keyboards, along with Bjorn Englen on bass. Also appearing with them are former JUDAS PRIEST singer Tim "Ripper" Owens and ex-LYNCH MOB frontman Oni Logan.

After the tour's initial seven-date run was completed in December 2017, Ronnie's hologram is undergoing "some changes" before the launch of the next leg of the "Dio Returns" world tour.

In a 2015 interview with CrypticRock.com, Aldrich said that he was "only really in [DIO] for about a year, but in that year, we did do the 'Killing The Dragon' record. I got to contribute to that record with a couple of songs also, which was nice," he said. "We did a lot in that first year. We did that record, a bunch of touring, and a live DVD called 'Evil Or Divine - Live In New York City' [2005]. Then I joined WHITESNAKE, but I kept coming back to DIO. There was a couple of tours in 2005. Ronnie said, 'Would you come on tour with me?' I said, 'Absolutely, I just have to speak to David about it.' David said, 'Cool, just make sure you come back,' because we had talked about some new music and he did not want me to split."

Having also played with LION, HOUSE OF LORDS, BAD MOON RISING, HURRICANE and Glenn Hughes, Aldrich joined THE DEAD DAISIES in 2016 and can be heard on that band's last three albums, 2016's "Make Some Noise", 2018's "Burn It Down" and 2021's "Holy Ground".

Ronnie James Dio, best known for his work with BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW and DIO, died of stomach cancer in May 2010 at the age of 67.

Find more on Ronnie james dio
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).