DIO — Holy Diver (review)

DIO — Holy Diver album cover Album · 1983 · Heavy Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
5/5 ·
Kingcrimsonprog
Diver What can be said that hasn’t been already ? Holy Diver is one of the most respected albums in Rock and Metal and Ronnie James Dio himself is one of the most talented and respected artists in the world, be it in Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath or Dio.

Put simply, Holy Diver is one of the few albums that lives up to its hype. The album is as good as people say it is and there is a reason is held in such high esteem, the sheer quality of the music and of course, Ronnie James Dio’s much lauded voice and performance.

The album contains a good mixture of material of various tempos and moods, from the fast and heavy (such as opener Stand Up And Shout) to mid paced numbers like the title track to more melodic numbers like Rainbow In The Dark and my personal favourite Dio track Caught In The Middle.

The great thing about Dio is that it was always more than just a solo act from a famous singer, but an imensly talented band in its own right and Vivian Campbell’s guitar work is absolutely fantastic. The rhythm section of Jimmy Bain on bass and Vinny Appice on drums is rock solid and provides absolutely first class playing and delivery.

One thing that sets Holy Diver apart is that the album features considerably less Keyboards than the next few Dio albums, giving it a distinct sound even in the Dio catologue, seeing as Claude Schnell had not yet been hired when the album was written.

If you are thinking about getting Holy Diver I’d strongly recommend that you do, you will find one of the most enjoyable albums you’ve ever heard. This isn’t the sort of album that you listen to one or two times and then shelve forever, this is the sort of thing you’ll still be listening to for months and months.
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