HEAVEN AND HELL's VINNY APPICE: 'Drums Don't Have To Be Played Safely All The Time'

David Iozzia of Dave's On Tour recently conducted an interview with legendary heavy metal drummer Vinny Appice (BLACK SABBATH, HEAVEN AND HELL, DIO). A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

Dave's On Tour: After BLACK SABBATH drummer Bill Ward decided not to tour [with HEAVEN AND HELL], were you handed the job or did you have to audition?

Vinny: I don't audition for nobody, not after all these years! They were working with Bill but something didn't work out. I don't know exactly what all the details were. Obviously, I'm the next choice in the family. Plus, I played on most of the SABBATH-Dio records anyway. I know the band and you never know what can happen. Sure enough, I got the phone call. They said, "It's not working with Bill. If you want to do it, get on the plane to England tomorrow." We all know each other so well and there was no auditioning involved. We knew what it would sound like.

Dave's On Tour: You drummed on BLACK SABBATH's "Dehumanizer" tour with Ronnie James Dio on vocals, and you also drummed at a series of gigs in 1992 when Rob Halford sang with BLACK SABBATH. Did Ronnie or Rob interpret and deliver any of the classic SABBATH material differently than Ozzy?

Vinny: Ronnie sings it his way, and there's a whole lot of power going on. It's a style within its own and the songs change a bit. To defend Rob, we only had one rehearsal and then Rob had to sing right away. Rob sounded better singing the Ozzy material because their vocal ranges are similar. The simplest way to say it is Rob sounded like Ozzy and Ronnie sounded like Ronnie.

Dave's On Tour: You had two stints in BLACK SABBATH, two with DIO, and now you're joining up again with Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Ronnie James Dio in HEAVEN AND HELL. Two important lessons you're reinforcing for other musicians is not to burn bridges when you depart bands and to always leave the door open for other possibilities down the road.

Vinny: You just never know! Don't burn your bridges is an important lesson at any job, especially when you're a musician. Some people depart bands, and they fight their way out the door. They stop talking to each other. I never thought BLACK SABBATH would ever have gotten back together again, but everybody had a lot of music still inside of them. Everybody still wants to play and for me, the HEAVEN AND HELL version becomes the icing on the cake. I never thought it would happen but here we go.

Dave's On Tour: Because BLACK SABBATH and DIO were such influential bands, you as a musician made an impact on an entire generation of metal drummers with your powerful style. What's the number-one drumming lesson that you've tried to teach by example that should forever be a part of your musical legacy?

Vinny: I just tried to lead by example like many of the great drummers who influenced me. Listening to LED ZEPPELIN growing up, there were a lot of drums and Bonzo did some incredible things that paved the way for future generations of drummers. His triplets on "Good Times Bad Times" was the first rock recording to have that, and it was so tasteful how he worked in it there. Some of the insane drumming Billy Cobham did with MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA inspired me the same way. I tried to be flashy, without crossing the line of overplaying and being tasteful. I play the songs before we record them so that I can feel them in my heart. Then I have a feel for where I can put some crazy stuff in the songs for the drummers, making sure it fits the song and that it's not overplayed. I want the things that I add to the record to stand out to drummers and music fans. Drums don't have to be played safely all the time. You can play them aggressively and kick the band in the ass.

Read the entire interview at www.davesontour.com.