New Dio Box Set is Five Hours of Rainbows, Wizards and Kick Ass Metal
A Decade of Dio 1983 – 1993
Dio
Rhino, 2016
For such a diminutive man, Ronnie James Dio had an out-sized voice and formidable presence. When he shrugged 
off the mortal coil in 2010, he left an impressive musical legacy which lasted four decades and continues even now with 2 tribute bands comprised of former band mates. There’s so much that can be said about his musical journey, notably that none of his bands sounded alike. Once he’d moved on, he saw no need to revisit his past.
Dio, the band, was lighter on it’s feet than Black Sabbath,and decidedly more succinct than Rainbow, and no one else sounded like them. The first three albums, Holy Diver (1983), The Last in Line (1984), Sacred Heart (1985), are an impressive audio trifecta. The songs are solid, memorable, and chock full of imposing musicianship. Vivian Campbell’s guitar solos swell, sway, look inward and burst forth from every conceivable angle. Pushed forward by the fierce and energetic rhythm section of Vinny Appice (drums) and Jimmy Bain (bass), the songs are topped of with powerful vocals singing about rainbows, Egypt, wizards and epic quests. These three albums easily flow from one track to another, natural counterpoints to one another.
The following three albums saw line-up changes and the overall cohesiveness of the band began to crack. Dream Evil (1987), Lock Up the Wolves (1990), and Strange Highways (1993), all had strong moments, but with each album having a different guitarist, there is a starkly different feel to them all.
Dream Evil is the first full length release with Craig Goldy on lead guitar. With strong songs up front, “Night People,” “Dream Evil,” and “Sunset Superman;” it feels like the band begins to misfire on side two.
“Evil on Queen Street” from Lock up the Wolves is a grandiose bit of theater, while “Walk on Water,” is a burly, uptempo rocker. New guitarist Rowan Robertson brings impressive and imaginative leads.
Strange Highways “Evilution” struts with considerable nerve. “Here’s to You” taps into a very real anger, the likes we haven’t really seen from RJD before.
This collection is fascinating. Beautifully remastered and an amazing window into this chapter of Dio’s solo career, this kicks hard and strong from start to finish.
This is available on CD and vinyl, because Dio on vinyl is the natural order of things.
