Metal Express Radio has conducted exclusive interview with legendary, Ronnie James Dio about his music direction with DIO and 'Heaven and Hell'. Few excerpts are followed:

Metal Express Radio : How's your upcoming studio album shaping up?

Dio : We've been writing three or four things at the moment and preparing to do this after we tour. So, we're trying to get some ideas together at the moment, so that we can have something to work on when we do have the long break to properly do the album. So, it's started already, but it's in very beginning form. I have no idea about the release date, but it's probably going to come out sometime next year.

Metal Express Radio : Do you have any idea of where the album's direction will go?

Dio : Well, we want to make this a faster album as far as tempos go. The last album was a bit more medium tempo. Of course, there will be some songs like that, because that's what we do, but I'd like to make it a faster album with more faster songs.

Metal Express Radio : Have you ever tried any musical directions that you were unhappy with in the end?

Dio : Well, probably when we were doing "Angry Machines" , I think that was starting to go some place that I didn't want to go to, but it was kinda forced too, because of those of us who were writing. With that band it was a little bit more difficult and it was at a very strange time, so the songs became a little bit more modern. That would be the time I would think I was the least happy with the material that I was partly writing. It's not that I'm blaming it on anyone else, because I was there too.

Metal Express Radio : Now you have Craig [ Goldy ] back in the band. How much did you miss him?

Dio : I didn't miss him terribly when Doug [ Aldrich ] was playing, because he's so damn good. It's like changing out two good parts. It's not that I didn't miss him as a person, of course I did, but talking strictly musically, it was very easy to do it with Doug , because he's so good and he knew all the material, because he played with us before. But yeah, I missed Craig from a personal standpoint and it's always nice to have him back knowing just how confident that he is and just how easily we work together.

Metal Express Radio : What was the reason he left in the first place? There were rumours about being ill and also personal reasons...

Dio : No, no, it wasn't personal at all. He hurt his arm, I guess, and he just couldn't play anymore, so he had to get that rehabbed ... and now that Doug is back with WHITESNAKE , luckily for us Craig is back with us.

Metal Express Radio : Was it obvious for you that Doug was to continue with WHITESNAKE ?

Dio : It was pretty obvious to me that Doug wouldn't be coming back. He had committed himself, I believe, to WHITESNAKE . We never really talked directly about it. A lot of times when someone joins the band and they're having a good time, you talk about the future, but I never really counted upon that happening. I assumed that he would be playing with WHITESNAKE again and that the WHITESNAKE schedule would, of course, get in the way of ours, and I'm not about to work around someone else's schedules. I'm just glad that Craig is back.

Metal Express Radio : Journalists are always asking you about BLACK SABBATH and RAINBOW reunions. When will you get fed up with these questions?

Dio : Well, you know, it's easy enough to say it's not going to happen. (Laughs) I don't have to explain that. I think it shows that people remember something that happened so long ago and consider it to be good enough to hear it again. It doesn't bother me. I mean I think people will eventually get the idea that it's not going to happen with me in the band anyway. It may happen with someone else. It's very possible that Ritchie [ Blackmore ] would get that band together and who knows who he will choose. It's not gonna be me. As far as SABBATH goes, they're releasing a box set called BLACK SABBATH "The Dio Years" , and Tony [ Iommi ] and I are going to write a couple of songs for that project. But, that's it. I've created a different life for myself and I'm not about to leave this band for anything else. What comes along comes along, but at this moment it's just DIO that I'm concerned about.

Metal Express Radio : Would you see yourself writing a solo album together with Tony ?

Dio : I don't know, I don't know. I've never given that any thought. I'm not sure. That's interesting. As long as it doesn't get in the way of what I'm doing here, then I would consider it. But, there's an overriding concern for me as I don't want this band to slip away, and that's a very easy thing that could happen when you get tempted by these things. I've played for enough people in my life, I don't really have to worry about that. I don't have to be tempted by those kind of things when I know what usually happens: it breaks up the good things that you have, because you can't keep a band on the sidelines and you can't keep good players from not playing. So, for those reasons I would only consider doing something that would not harm this band.

Metal Express Radio : How does it feel when people call you the greatest voice ever in heavy metal?

Dio : I've heard compliments a lot, and that's wonderful. I'm very glad that people compliment. I know what I am, I know what I can do and I know what I can't do. Knowing what you can't do sometimes doesn't allow you to say, “Yes, I am the greatest.” You can't be the best if you can't do everything. But anyway, I know what I do and I think I've been lucky enough to kept creating a sound that has been copied by some other really good singers, and I helped to bring their careers along just by what I've done with other great bands like RAINBOW , SABBATH , and DIO . So, I'm very pleased with the compliments. It's very very nice. Usually those are things they say about you after you die, so I guess it's even better that I'm still alive and I can enjoy the compliments. I'm very happy that people think I'm that good and I always try to be that good for them because if they think I am that good, then I should be.

Read the entire interview at www.metalexpressradio.com