Dio

Holy Diver
The Last In Line
Sacred Heart


Holy Diver (Warner Bros. ‘83) Rating: A
After successful stints in Rainbow and Black Sabbath, Ronnie James Dio recruited bassist Jimmy Bain (ex-Rainbow), drummer Vinny Appice (ex-Sabbath), and young guitar hotshot Vivian Campbell to form Dio. And for awhile there in the early-to-mid-1980's Dio was one of the best heavy metal bands around. I say band because, although Dio’s throaty, melodramatic heavy metal voice is clearly the band’s centerpiece, Campbell delivers killer riffs and blazing guitar solos throughout, while Appice and Bain formed a relentlessly galloping rhythm section. Granted, Dio’s lyrics can be silly and the keyboards can sound hopelessly dated, but I still get a big charge out of high octane rockers such as “Stand Up and Shout” and “Don’t Talk To Strangers.” “Gypsy” is another personal favorite that features a great Dio vocal, “Caught In The Middle” is atmospheric and surprisingly poppy, and “Holy Diver” and “Straight Through The Heart” both chug along on intense mid-tempo grooves. Some moody mellower sections and gothic touches round out this powerful package, which is highlighted by the classic “Rainbow In The Dark.” Even though its cheesy ‘80s keyboards haven't weathered time well, it’s powerful riffs and vocals certainly have, and the song brilliantly climaxes with a great Campbell guitar solo followed by an awesome Appice drum crescendo. Either you go for this kind of hard rocking stuff or you don’t; if you do you’ll love it.

The Last In Line (Warner Bros. ’84) Rating: A-
The great grooves and riffs of “We Rock” immediately announced that this would be more of the same high quality, high energy stuff. Next, the title track starts slowly but soon explodes, ultimately rivaling “Rainbow In The Dark” as the band’s best song. Like “Rainbow In The Dark” its keyboards have aged poorly, but the song features a powerhouse Dio vocal and arguably the underrated Campbell’s classiest guitar solo. Elsewhere, the band delivers more tough mid-tempo material on “Breathless,” “I Speed At Night” is a speed rocker set to stun, the surprising “Mystery” is a bright keyboards-led pop song, and “Egypt (The Chains Are One)” ends the album on a memorably epic note. The material is arguably a little less consistent this time out, but this was still another standout effort from a band who in their mid-80s prime could teach the current metal pack a thing or two about power and melody. Second straight cool spooky album cover, too!

Sacred Heart (Warner Bros. ‘85) Rating: B+
My expectations ran pretty high coming off of the band’s great first two albums. So Dio’s return to merely mortal status on Sacred Heart was a major letdown to me way back in 1985. Still, in 2003 this sounds like another consistently solid album to me, though the band has always been instinctively dismissed by mainstream critics who’ve probably never even listened to their albums (for proof see the Rolling Stone Album Guide’s perfunctory ratings). What Sacred Heart really lacked was the one or two absolutely killer tracks that would’ve taken it to another level. Plus, as usual Ronnie’s lyrics are off in fantasyland, and the full integration of a keyboardist has only increased the cheese factor. Fortunately, the band still has a relentlessly great sound and singer, and “Sacred Heart,” “Rock n’ Roll Children,” “Hungry For Heaven,” and (personal favorites) “Just Another Day,” and “Fallen Angels” are further examples of catchy, kickass heavy metal.

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