This is, without a shadow of a doubt, the best tribute album released to date and comes highly recommended.

It is only fitting that a tribute to the timeless music of RJD is delivered by some of the biggest names in Rock/Metal including members of Deep Purple, Rainbow, Judas Priest, Metallica, Scorpions, Saxon, Anthrax and Motorhead; a symbol of the high esteem that he is held in by his peers.

Overall the standard of covers is uniformly high, with Klaus Meine's wonderfully moving take on 'Temple Of The King' arguably taking top spot while Metallica's rampaging 'Ronnie Rising Medley' (which takes in 'A Light In The Black'/'Tarot Woman'/'Stargazer'/ 'Kill The King') sees them delivering their finest performance years. Anthrax hammer home a thunderous 'Neon Knights' with Joey Belladonna giving the performance of his life and Biff Byford and Lemmy Kilmister deliver a lively 'Starstruck'.

The ladies of Rock come to pay their homage too as Lzzy Hale roars through 'Straight Through The Heart' and Doro Pesch performs a dramatic 'Egypt (The Chains Are On)'; impressive stuff!

Even Jack Black, a devoted long time RJD fan, pays tribute with a fine 'The Last In Line' and who would have expected him to put on such a convincing performance? Maybe Glenn Hughes over-eggs his take on 'Catch The Rainbow' a little too much and perhaps this is one occasion where less really is more. Rob Halford's 'Man On The Silver Mountain' too lacks a little edge, leaving a feeling that possibly he should have cut loose and just gone for it. Having said that though, they are still well worth a listen.

Closing the album with a Dio original, 'This Is Your Life' from Angry Machines, is a fitting and poignant way to finish, leaving us sadness mixed with an overwhelming happiness at the legacy of great music that RJD has left us with.

Most tribute albums tend to suffer from an uninspiring cast producing, inferior cover versions and sure, no-one surpasses RJD's originals (and how could they?) but this is one highly enjoyable album with some exceptionally impressive songs. This is, without a shadow of a doubt, the best tribute album released to date and comes highly recommended. What's even better is that all proceeds go towards RJD's Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund so there's a great cause to support while enjoying a worthy tribute to the greatest Rock singer of them all, Ronnie James Dio.

Mick Burgess