Inferno

Release Date: 1998	Record Label: Mayhem
Musicians: Vocals: Ronnie James Dio, Guitar: Tracey G, Drums: Vinny Appice, Bass: Larry Dennison, Keyboards: Scott Warren.	Produced By: Ronnie James Dio

I was never very fond of live albums, in fact I stayed away from most of them. The first 3 or 4 songs were usually decent, but the further you got through the cd, the worse the songs became, mostly because of the lack of vocal talent from the singer. In a live setting, where they are forced to sing stripped down, just their voice in a microphone, the vocalist usually just cannot cut it. You usually have excellent guitar work, super drums, killer bass, and crappy vocals, which in my opinion ruins the whole affair unless its a live album for a great guitarist, like Yngwie Malmsteen or John Norum, vocals don't count, guitar does. There have been many great live versions of songs, but the overall live release usually falls short by a few miles.

"Living in a world of make believe
I can hide behind what's real
But wearing your emotions on your sleeve
And they all know what you feel"

Cautiously I began listening to the first cd in the Dio's Inferno live cd set. I just KNEW Ronnie James Dio's voice could not hold up through 15 songs at that kind of pace and the difficulty they had to be pulled off. All of my doubts were not needed and most shattered within minutes. When Jesus, Mary and the Holy Ghost kicked off, it took my breath away. The sheer unholy power and force and majesty and wonder of one of the greatest vocalists ever, just swept me away. Dio sounds just as good live as he does on the record NO JOKE . He has NOT lost it. Jesus, Mary and the Holy Ghost was performed perfectly, from the first note to the last, and all inbetween. A very impressive performance. Tracey G's guitar work wasn't that bad either, he managed to pin down most of the solos in concert, but some of the Blackmore and Campbell riffs were lacking.

"We pray to someone
But when it's said and done
It's really all the same
With just a different name"

Don't Talk to Strangers is one of my ultimate favorites from the ones on here, I adored it through and through from the first note to the last and Tracey G managed to give the song the sound it needed to have in a concert setting. Ronnie James Dio's voice was absolutely fantastic on this one, in fact throughout the entire cd note for note it was perfect. The Mistreated solo was a bit excrutiating to listen to, Tracey G completely went off into another state, and the entire thing was highly irritating until he wandered back around into the basic rhythm of Catch the Rainbow. Everything else sounded spectacular that he played. My least favorite tracks were Double Monday and Hunter of the Heart which were off of Angry Machines which I did not really like too much in the first place.

"We're all born upon the cross
The throw before the toss
You can release yourself But the only way is down"

The song Holy Diver never sounded like anything else ever released, it was a completely original song, and on Inferno it is performed faithfully, complete with thunder and the appropriate synthesizer here and there, and Tracey G, again does a great job, but the main point of interest is Dio's voice, the voice you would imagine God to have. Purely powerful and belting each song out with passion. I am sure many people will be pleasantly surprised to hear how great their old favorite classic Dio, Rainbow and Black Sabbath songs sound performed live. Mistreated, I had always wanted to hear Dio perform that, and even without Ritchie Blackmore playing the solos, Dio still manages to give it a very soulful sound. Unlike David Coverdale, who sounds quite mistreated and miserable about it, Dio sounds mistreated, oh yes, but he sounds angry as hell about it! Very nice touch.

Straight Through the Heart, has always been one of my favorites, mostly because of the way Ronnie James delivers the vocals. He creates the same magic on here as he did 15 years ago on the Holy Diver album. Rainbow In The Dark sounded spectacular too, even though near the end of the set. I loved the acoustic put down at the end of Vinny Appice's drum solo (to hear it wait until my index page loads and it will kick in)...which leads into....a spectacular version of Heaven and Hell. I heard that and fell in love all over again with that song!!!! He starts it off by getting the crowd involved, and then barrels right into this classic. This song has the Dio magic and majesty stamped all throughout it, Tracey does a decent job sounding like Iommi but again, Dio is the main point of it all. The middle guitar solo that was in the original song has been carved out and replaced by some new lyrics inserted. The new lyrical part sounds so good that it could have easily always been there. He kind of tones it down and puts a bluesy spin on this middle section, before exploding into the end of the song. The way he sings this section he sounds truly evil.

"And I, I'm darkness, I'm anger, I'm pain
I am master
The evil song you sing inside your brain
Drive you insane
Don't talk"

The Last In Line sounds superb too, as does the Mob Rules and the Man On The Silver Mountain/Long Live Rock and Roll songs. Ronnie James Dio holds it together and injects a shot of passion into each song. A very worthy live cd and a must have for any Dio fan's collection. My only complaint is that there are no songs from Sacret Heart, Dream Evil, or Lock Up The Wolves, and he does practically the entire Holy Diver album on here. Stargazer is also not performed and that is one of the all time classics, yes its a long song, but live it would have brought the house down. Would have also liked to have heard Sign of the Southern Cross by Black Sabbath, but the songs he did choose were performed excellently and flawlessly. Maybe they should have expanded it to a 3 cd set?

"Shiny diamonds
Like the eyes of a cat in the black and blue
Something is coming for you"

So kick back, throw both cd's in the cd changer and play them one after the other track by track just like you were at the concert, close your eyes and be taken to the far away lands and places of Ronnie James Dio. Long live rock and roll!

"Well if it seems to be real, it's illusion
For every moment of truth, there's confusion in life
Love can be seen as the answer, but nobody bleeds for the dancer"

Rating=10/10 a live album cannot be performed any better than this, this is as good as it gets. Just listen to that voice and get swept away on the wings of wonder.