Jon Schaffer of Iced Earth Talks Ronnie James Dio, Politics, and New Album [AUDIO]

Iced Earth mainman Jon Schaffer recently sat down with Metal Shock Finland for an interview. During which, Schaffer reveals that an Iced Earth and Ronnie James Dio project was discussed before his passing in 2010.

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When asked about his thoughts about Ronnie James Dio and whether they had plans to work together, Schaffer said:

Ronnie and I were good friends, actually, and I miss him very much. We did have plans to work together. We were on tour with Heaven & Hell in the U.K. back in 2007, and even before that, Ronnie and I had talked about doing a project together, but it was difficult to get our schedules to line up. And then when we were on that tour, we got more serious about it. Unfortunately, it wasn't long after that that we found out that Ronnie had cancer. And, obviously, that changed everything. But yeah, I love Ronnie as a human being, certainly as a heavy metal legend, but to me, he was much more than that because he was such a genuine person. It didn't matter who he was talking to, he was always down to earth, he always was listening to the person; he would look you in the eyes. He was just a very genuine, very special guy, and this world is gonna miss Ronnie Dio.

Take a listen to the entire interview below, where Schaffer talks about the difference between Iced Earth and traditional power metal, the changing lineup over the years, politics and the economy, a new album, and his numerous side projects.

Catch Iced Earth with Volbeat and Hellyeah at the Toyota Center in Kennewick on Thursday July 5th.

[Via Blabbermouth]