Big men get teary eyed for Dio
'Marke Hard 'N' Heavy' is another reminder of the big hearts and sense of community fostered by metal fans and musicians alike. The brainchild of Sergio Ciccoli 'Marke Hard 'N' Heavy' is inspired by the recent loss of metal god Ronnie James Dio and is a tribute presented in the obvious shape of a disc crammed full of distorted guitars, crashing drums and throat shredding vocals. Ciccoli has used Dio's 80's metal counterpart to Live Aid, Hear N'Aid, as inspiration for this tribute cum charity project. This consists of a football team's worth of hairy dudes contributing their own songs to this compilation and a collective run through Hear N'Aid's charity song 'Stars' for good measure.
'Marke Hard n'Heavy' is exactly what it says on the tin - fourteen tracks of traditional heavy metal and hard rock. All the hallmarks of the genres are here: flashy guitar parts, mad lyrics and at times dubious gender politics. Overall though, the record is a success and not a bad way to honour the diminutive dragon slayer's memory. You've got to think Dio would've raised the horns in appreciation.