METALLICA To Appear On DIO, DEEP PURPLE Tribute Albums

METALLICA has confirmed that it has signed on to be part of the upcoming Ronnie James Dio tribute album which is being assembled by the singer’s widow and longtime manager Wendy Dio.

“We reached out to Wendy Dio about wanting to be a part of the Dio tribute that’s getting put together,” METALLICA singer James Hetfield tells U.K.’s Metal Hammer magazine. “We’re very honoured to be a part of that, and to be a part of a celebration of Ronnie’s life and his great contribution, man.”

“We’re definitely looking to do the record Wendy’s putting together for Ronnie,” adds Lars. “We were asked if we’d contribute to the anniversary of [classic DEEP PURPLE album] ‘Machine Head’, too — we can’t turn that down. We’re circling the Dio and PURPLE catalogues and hopefully we’ll come up with something that is worthy of these wonderful men.”

Other artists that will appear on the Dio tribute album include ANTHRAX, JUDAS PRIEST’s Rob Halford, MOTÖRHEAD’s Lemmy Kilmister, DEEP PURPLE’s Ian Gillan, Alice Cooper, Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, BLACK SABBATH), Sebastian Bach (SKID ROW), Chris Jericho (FOZZY) and Dave Grohl (NIRVANA, FOO FIGHTERS).

“I’m letting them pick what songs they wanna do in the way they wanna do it,” Wendy told Artisan News at this past December’s Dimebash event in Hollywood, California.

Tentatively due before the end of the year, the Dio tribute album will see Grohl covering BLACK SABBATH’s “The Mob Rules” and Halford contributing a version of RAINBOW’s “Long Live Rock ‘N’ Roll”.

Ronnie James Dio, best known for his work with BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW and his own band DIO, died of stomach cancer on May 16, 2010 at the age of 67.

Source: Rock n Rolla