In a new interview with IndeOnline.com, former Judas Priest frontman Tim "Ripper" Owens discusses his numerous projects including Spirits Of Fire, Charred Walls Of The Damned, A New Revenge, Dio Disciples, Dio Returns (featuring a hologram/live vocal track of late metal legend Ronnie James Dio), Killing Machine and a new project with fellow singers Harry Conklin of Jag Panzer and Shawn Peck of Cage. An excerpt follows:

Q. How did the Dio Returns show come about? It’s really the first show of its kind in the metal world.

A. “Wendy and the hologram people both asked if I would be interested in singing. I love doing the Dio Disciples stuff, and this is definitely done for the love. I’ll hear people say, ‘Oh, someone’s making money.’ No, someone - (Ronnie James Dio’s wife) Wendy Dio — is spending tons of money to try to make fans happy. We don’t do it for the money. I get paid more doing solo stuff, but I love it. I love Wendy and Ronnie was a friend, so we just love doing it and celebrating Ronnie’s life and music.”

Q. Was there any trepidation on your part to take part in it?

A. “At first, I wasn’t sure about the hologram. But I thought, ’I would love to at least see a David Bowie/Ziggy Stardust hologram or a Bon Scott hologram. Maybe I wouldn’t like it, I don’t know. But with us, it’s a live band playing to Ronnie’s vocals. I think it would be really cool to see those other artists in the same way, so that’s the way I kind of looked at it. I thought, ‘Let me try this.’ I get some people might not want to see it, but the strangest thing is that a lot of those people would go watch a movie with a digitally created person that has passed away and be fine with it. Not liking it is one thing, but to attack Wendy Dio, who is doing it to try to make fans happy, that’s the problem.”

Read more at IndeOnline.com.