Ever since the genre’s inception, heavy metal and mainstream recognition have gone together like oil and water. The gatekeepers that handle most of the music industry’s accolades regularly shun some of our biggest heroes in favor of propping up acts like fuckin’ Imagine Dragons and U2.
Well, that lack of respect has finally gotten to drummer Vinny Appice, who vented his anger and frustration over their continued snubbing of legendary vocalist Ronnie James Dio during an interview on the Talkin’ ‘Bout Rock podcast.
“‘Cause they’re a bunch of fuckin’ assholes. I mean, Sabbath wasn’t in it for how long? They [finally] got in it [16 years ago]. I’ve been to that place, and there wasn’t really much of Ronnie in there either. It’s, like, Ronnie? C’mon! Rainbow, ‘Man On The Silver Mountain,’ ‘Long Live Rock ‘N’ Roll.’ And then Sabbath, the Heaven And Hell album and the rest of the albums we did, and then Dio, and he’s only [featured in the museum with] this 12-inch square placemat or something. They don’t mention me. Hey, you know what? I’ve been around… I’m still around from all these years. I guess it doesn’t count for anything.”
Appice is one of metal’s more prolific drummers, having played for Black Sabbath, Dio, Heaven and Hell, Kill Devil Hill, and a whole lot more. You’ll note that a good chunk of his career was spent providing part of the rhythm section for Ronnie James Dio’s projects.
It should be noted that even though Dio recorded with Black Sabbath from 1979 to 1992, he was not included as part of the band during its induction. who was inducted into the hall of fame in 2006.
“I meet people, like, ‘Oh, man. Holy Diver!’ Dave Grohl, he was totally influenced by that album. He even went to Sound City [studios] to record (Nirvana’s Nevermind], because there was a platinum Holy Diver on the wall, and they said, ‘That’s it. We’ve gotta record here. This album was done here.’ It was a great influence on so many people.”
Having been fortunate enough to watch Dio perform live, I have to agree with Appice. Dio should already be in the hall of fame. You can catch Appice’s full interview below.