The Rods’ Long-Awaited CD “Vengeance” with Dio Vocal Track

Central NY’s longstanding classic metal band THE RODS’ long-awaited new CD, “VENGEANCE” has finally been released by Niji Entertainment, a company formed by renowned metal singer Ronnie James Dio and his wife Wendy Dio before Ronnie’s untimely death in May 2010.

What is special about this new CD, besides the fact that fans have been chomping at the bit waiting for it for several years now, you may ask?

For starters, it contains a collection of songs with the vintage 80’s hard rock/metal sound that RODS fans crave, but it also happens to contain one of the last vocal tracks ever recorded by Ronnie James Dio, who (like THE RODS) hailed from Cortland, NY. The song that Ronnie sings on the new CD is called “The Code” and it is already gaining popularity on several rock and metal stations around the world. THE RODS’ guitarist is none other than David “Rock” Feinstein, a solo artist in his own right, who is also known in Central NY for being the owner of Cortland’s Hollywood Restaurant. Recording of “The Code” came about during one of Ronnie’s visits back to his hometown to visit with family a few years ago, and of course at that time no-one realized that the song would become one of the last treasured efforts from a rock ‘n’ roll legend.

Rods’ VENGEANCE is available in a traditional hard copy CD format from several outlets, but it is also being offered online via various (mp3) retailers, including Amazon.com and iTunes. A handful of stand-out tracks include “The Code,” “I Just Wanna Rock,” “Raise Some Hell,” “Runnin’ Wild,” and “Rebel’s Highway.” You can read various articles and reviews about the CD and THE RODS at: http://www.therods.com/rodspress.html

Also making news at this time is that THE RODS are preparing a summer tour of Europe with Dio’s Disciples – which is a band comprised of Dio’s former band members, plus a handful of revolving (well-known) rock vocalists filling in on lead vocals in tribute to Ronnie. The possibility of a US tour is being discussed as well, but dates have not been announced yet. For Central NY fans, a special hometown concert is being planned for July 10th (Ronnie’s birthday) in Cortland NY – it will be called STAND UP AND SHOUT CORTLAND and will be held at the J.M. McDonald Sports Complex. THE RODS are scheduled to headline the concert, which will also feature several other local musicians and bands. Tickets are available at various outlets in the area, but are also being offered on THE RODS’ official online store: http://www.therods.com/RodsOnlineStore.html – donations to the Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund and the Ronnie James Dio Music Scholarship at Cortland High School are also welcome at this site.