DIO DISCIPLES - "We are not attempting to replace Ronnie or to run off with his music"

The Gauntlet caught up with DIO DISCIPLES yesterday as they rehearsed for some upcoming European Summer festival dates. When asked about picking a singer to fill Ronnie James Dio's spot, keyboardist Scott Warren stated "We are not attempting to replace Ronnie [James Dio] or to run off with his music with a new singer as if we are trying to replace the legend of this band. It was a very difficult decision. We thought about a lot of big names and singers that have tried to emulate Ronnie. Ripper [Tim Owens] is his own singer and has his own style. We took a lot of care in not treading on sacred ground. Ronnie wrote these songs to be sung a certain way but then if you imitate Ronnie it becomes a tribute band and we are not a tribute band." You can watch the entire chat below.

Photos of the band rehearsing can be viewed here.

DIO DISCIPLES tour dates:
June 08 - Moscow, Russia - A2 Club
June 09 - St. Petersburg, Russia - Kosmonayt
June 10 - Tampere, Finland - Sauna Open Air
June 11 - East Midlands, UK - Download Festival
June 12 - Newcastle, UK - Academy
June 14 - Glasgow, Scotland - Garage
June 15 - Wolverhampton, UK - Sleigh Rooms
June 16 - Manchester, UK - Academy 2
June 17 - London, UK - Islington Academy
June 19 - Uden, Netherlands - De Pul
June 20 - Aschafensburg, Germany - Colos Saal
June 21 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
June 22 - Berlin, Germany - C Club
June 24 - Dessel, Belgium - Graspop Metal Meeting
June 25 - Bochum, Germany - Matrix
June 27 - Vienna, Austria - Szene Wien
June 28 - Lucerne, Switzerland - Konzerthaus Schuur

Dio Disciples is the new project featuring former Dio members Simon Wright (drums), Craig Goldy (guitar) and Scott Warren (keyboards) alongside bassist James Lomenzo (MEGADETH, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, WHITE LION) and singers Tim "Ripper" Owens (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, BEYOND FEAR, JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH) and Toby Jepson (LITTLE ANGELS, GUN).

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Tags:  Dio Disciples, Dio, Ronnie James Dio, Tim Owens 

Jason Fisher    June 03, 2011