Hear Bob Daisley, Chris Adler, Rick Wakeman Rock Rainbow's 'Kill The King'

Official Announcement | Published: May 19, 2026 5:23 PM EDT

(Cleopatra Records) Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow were one of the most multi-faceted bands ever to walk the Heavy Metal highway, not only swooping from devastating power chords to delightful power ballads, but also venturing far from those waters when the mood hit them.

All of these facets are laid bare on Ride The Rainbow, the much-anticipated all star Rainbow tribute album that hits the stores on June 19, on CD and across three differently colored 2 LP vinyl sets - choose between red, yellow and violet, or buy all three and you'll be almost halfway to completing a rainbow of your own.

Two singles have already peeled off the album, "Long Live Rock'n'Roll," featuring the timeless vocals of one-time Rainbow frontman Graham Bonnet, and "Temple Of The King" with Ronnie Romero (best known from a later incarnation of the band), Steve Morse (Ritchie's successor in Deep Purple) and more.

Now comes the mighty "Kill The King," originally heard, again, on the band's third LP, Long Live Rock'n'Roll, and truly one of the most thunderous of all their excursions. And the line-up, once more, is going to blow you away. Written by Blackmore with bandmates Ronnie James Dio and Cozy Powell, it features Bob Daisley - bassist with Rainbow between 1977-1979; Vinnie Moore (UFO), Marc Lopes (Metal Church), Chris Adler (Megadeth) and Rick Wakeman - who needs absolutely no introduction here, so let's just say he was a crucial part of some of the best albums ever recorded by David Bowie, the Strawbs and Yes. Plus, the first man ever to stage a full rock concert on ice. Complete with ice-skating knights riding pantomime horses. It was fantastic.

Chris Adler was certainly thrilled to be a part of the line-up. "The story behind how my name got thrown into this hat would likely cause a generational war, so let's stick to the facts - Rick Wakeman, Bob Daisley, Vinnie Moore. These aren't people paying tribute to Rainbow, they ARE Rainbow."

He remembers, too, how he and Marc Lopes ("who f***ing kills it on this track") "showed up like two guys who somehow got handed green jackets at Augusta. I did my best to honor what the late and very great Cozy Powell built and make sure the track hits as hard as it deserves. Pretty sure we pulled it off - and it was an honor to be asked."

He was excited, too, to be performing on "Kill The King." "Rainbow's legacy IS the DNA of everything heavy and epic in rock - and it's not just my opinion that 'Kill the King' is one of the tunes that built that foundation. I remember someone describing it as the prototype of speed metal and always thought that was well put."

And yes, this new version lives up to that reputation with a vengeance. So be patient... the full album is still a month away. But from what you've heard from it already, you know what a landmark Ride The Rainbow is going to be. As the subtitle says, it truly is "The Ultimate Tribute To Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow."