Dio - Holy Diver

Oh metal. I think I've talked before about my metal phases. I was recently in a pretty solid phase (mostly brought on buy picking up a Motorhead record) - but I ended up checking out some Dio as well. And I know that this band in theory shouldn't have even existed - simply because it was a mistake by Black Sabbath letting Ronnie Dio go, only to form a competing band. And yes, I know that Ronnie wanted to leave and took another member with him - but I feel Sabbath was never quite the same, and could have pushed a little harder to keep them aboard. When the change took place, the guys in Dio couldn't have been happier. This album dropped in 1983, right as the MTV craze was catching big time fire. The guys had two huge singles off this (their debut) record, and MTV was making them even more famous. The guys talked about the work ethic being amazing, and everyone felt like they were having the best time ever, and making this new band was exactly the shot in the arm not only the band, but music needed. I will say, this album has gone only platinum, which is their best selling album to date. And they've dropped 10 studio albums spanning nearly 3 decades. I have nothing bad to say about Ronnie Dio though. I always liked his music when in Sabbath, and when doing solo stuff. This was probably my favorite Dio record, and I haven't gotten the chance to get through them all. Ronnie Dio died in 2010 from stomach cancer. He was 67 years old when he passed, but he was still active in making music and touring. Dio was no longer functioning as a band, but Dio reunited with Sabbath for a tour, which I think was slated to run more shows after his death. Such a shame, as Ronnie Dio ignited crowds with his stage presence and incredible vocal. This album is pure 80's metal. If you're a fan of that type of music, don't pass this one up.

TRACK LISTING:
1. Stand up and Shout
2. Holy Diver
3. Gypsy
4. Caught in the Middle
5. Don't Talk to Strangers
6. Straight Through the Heart
7. Invisible
8. Rainbow in the Dark
9. Shame on the Night

Listen To Samples

Top 3 Tracks:
1. Holy Diver
2. Rainbow In The Dark
3. Gypsy

FINAL RATING:
3 out of 5 stars