MANOWAR Director Releases 2002 Interview To 'Clear Up' Any FEINSTEIN 'Misunderstandings'

June 18, 2010

MANOWAR director Neil Johnson — who is responsible for overseeing all of the band's DVDs and music videos — has posted an excerpt from a 2002 interview with THE RODS frontman/ex-ELF guitarist David "Rock" Feinstein which, according to Johnson, appears to contradict Feinstein's claim that Rock's track on MANOWAR's "Magic - A Tribute to Ronnie James Dio" was not written with Ronnie James Dio in mind. Watch the clip below.

Commented Johnson: "Rock Feinstein made this interview prior to having his album released by Magic Circle Music and is referring to the songs on the FEINSTEIN 'Third Wish' album, one track of which is included on the 'Magic - A Tribute to Ronnie James Dio' album.

"This 2002/2003 interview is unedited, as you can see. The first part of Feinstein's 2010 press release statement appears beside him.

"We understand people can often make errors in their memories, which is why we had this interview archived to clear up any misunderstandings.

"We offer this interview with respect to Feinstein to help clarify our feelings in this situation."

Feinstein, who is also Ronnie James Dio's cousin, released the following statement yesterday regarding his appearance on "Magic - A Tribute to Ronnie James Dio":

"I just found out that [the MANOWAR-owned company] Magic Circle Music stated on their site that I was contributing a song to their proposed tribute album to [Ronnie James] Dio. It also states that I specifically wrote this song for Ronnie. This is totally UNTRUE!

"The song is called 'Far Beyond' and was a cut on the FEINSTEIN 'Third Wish' album, released by Magic Circle Music (SPV) in 2004. The song was co-written by myself and John West eight years ago.

"I am NOT a part of this Magic Circle tribute album, and will ONLY be a part of any tribute to Ronnie that is sanctioned by Niji Entertainment Group and Wendy Dio."

MANOWAR and Magic Circle Entertainment recently announced that they decided to honor one of metal's greatest legends with "Magic - A Tribute to Ronnie James Dio", a new CD featuring Magic Circle Music artists and friends performing some of Dio's most inspired work.

"Magic - A Tribute to Ronnie James Dio" is described in a press release as "especially poignant because Dio hails from the same fertile upstate New York soil as MANOWAR."

"Heavy metal has lost a great artist and a true gentleman," MANOWAR bassist Joey DeMaio said in a statement. "I had the privilege of being his friend and, along with other friends and admirers, we wish to honor him."

In tribute to Dio's legacy, famous fantasy painter and illustrator Ken Kelly, the man behind many of heavy metal's most classic album covers (including some by MANOWAR) has reworked his iconic RAINBOW "Rising" artwork for "Magic".

"Magic - A Tribute To Ronnie James Dio" will be released on Magic Circle Music's online store Kingdom of Steel on June 18, in Germany on July 16, in the U.S. and Canada on July 20 and further international territories in the forthcoming weeks. The album will also be available at the merchandise booth of all upcoming MANOWAR live appearances, starting at the Sonisphere festival in Sofia, Bulgaria on June 23.

"Magic - A Tribute To Ronnie James Dio" track listing:

01. MANOWAR - Heaven And Hell
02. HOLYHELL - Holy Diver (Live In Norway)
03. METALFORCE - The Last In Line
04. MAGIC CIRCLE ALL STAR BAND - Long Live Rock'n Roll
05. AWAKEN - I Speed At Night
06. CROSSWIND - A Light In The Black
07. DEAN CASCIONE - Never More
08. FEINSTEIN - Far Beyond
09. HARLET - Straight Through The Heart
10. JACK STARR'S BURNING STARR - Catch The Rainbow

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