Slipknot’s Corey Taylor Sings Ronnie James Dio’s ‘Rainbow in the Dark’

Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor recorded a version of Ronnie James Dio’s soaring metal anthem “Rainbow in the Dark” for the tribute compilation Ronnie James Dio: This Is Your Life, due out April 1st. The singer is joined by guitarist Christian Martucci and drummer Roy Mayorga of Taylor’s other band Stone Sour, bassist Jason Christopher and Steel Panther guitarist Satchel. Appropriately, Taylor ditches his Slipknot vomit-growl in favor of a howl approximating the over-the-top dramatic operatics Dio was known for, as his bandmates play the song’s iconic synth riff on guitar. Listen to the cover on Revolver’s website.

Watch Slash Pay His Respects to Ronnie James Dio

“‘Rainbow in the Dark’ was the first Dio song I really loved to death – just a powerful, high-energy hard rock song that was so good I wished I’d written it,” Taylor told Revolver. “When I was asked to be a part of this album, I knew there was only one track I wanted to record and luckily I got it. I only hope I did it justice.”

As for Dio’s impact on him as a performer, he said, “Ronnie was the most natural singer I have ever witnessed. He could do anything, hit any note, make any audience lose their minds. . . . He was one of the greatest, and I’m so happy I got to see him live.”

Earlier this week, Rolling Stone premiered Metallica’s contribution to the comp, “Ronnie Rising Medley,” which combines four songs Dio recorded with his mid-Seventies band Rainbow. “[Dio’s] music is so much a part of what’s in Metallica’s DNA, the harder, edgier, blues-based hard rock from the Seventies,” drummer Lars Ulrich said. “It was fairly effortless to put this together, because it’s something that we were all reared on.”