Watch Never-Before-Seen Footage of Ronnie James Dio Interview

If you're a metal fan, chances are you've seen the acclaimed documentary Metal: A Headbanger's Journey. Thanks to the film's creator and central figure, Sam Dunn, archived footage of his interview with the great Ronnie James Dio has been released online.

For the last few years, Sam Dunn has run BangerTV, a channel focused on further interviews with some of metal's most revered musicians. Among these videos is one that was released today (Dec. 15), showing 12 extra minutes of Sam Dunn's visit to Dio's Los Angeles home.

“The legendary singer welcomed Sam (Dunn) into his dragon's den in L.A. to talk about the meaning of heavy metal and the role of religion in this music," BangerTV writes. "Their conversation became a highlight of our first documentary, Metal: A Headbanger's Journey but there was much more from that interview that we couldn't fit into the film. We're excited we can now share with you all Ronnie talking about his personal relationship with religion, and with the dark side, and how we all have a choice between good and evil.”

The interview revolves heavily around the subject of religion in metal. Dio goes into the meaning of his classic track "Holy Diver" before delving deeper into religion in modern times as a whole. "In my mind, we live in heaven and we live in hell," Dio says. "God and the Devil and inherent in each of us. It's our choice to make; you can take the road to good, you can take the road to bad. Well, we have a choice. The optimum way to go, of course, is to do the good thing, I totally agree with that, but again [it's] because religion is taught so badly, I think, that I've used it as an example of humanity."

Check out all the newly released footage of Ronnie James Dio's Metal: A Headbanger's Journey interview in the clip above!

See Where Ronnie James Dio Ranks Among Our Top 50 Hard Rock + Metal Frontmen of All Time

10 Unforgettable Ronnie James Dio Moments