Search - Dio :: Holy Diver

Dio at his best.

Puzzle box | Kuwait | 08/20/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Simply put, one of the top five Heavy Metal albums EVER, PERIOD! Heavy, fast, tastefully dark and mysterious. Dio's voice at its most powerful and melodic stage. Combine this with one of the best ever Heavy Metal album drum performances ever by Vinnie Appice, and one of the best Metal Guitarists in the business, Vivian Campbell, and YOU HAVE TO HAVE THIS ALBUM. Highlights: The WHOLE ALBUM, but especially: Stand Up and Shout, Holy Diver, Gypsy, Don't Talk to Strangers and Rainbow in the Dark. This off course was a great first "solo" album post black sabbath and rainbow days, Dio has simply one of the greatest rock voices of all time. So sad to hear of his untimely death this year, the rock world was shattered when the metal legend, Ronnie James Dio, lost his battle to stomach cancer. We lost an icon who shaped the Metal landscape for the better with nearly every album he ever did, but mainly from three fantastic albums. "Rising" by Rainbow, which is my all time favorite album, "Heaven and Hell" by Black Sabbath, which in my mind is the band's finest hour and Ronnie's own group's solo album "Holy Diver". After the Sabbath fallout, the late, great front man quickly assembled a superb crew of backing musicians, as Dio pulled in bassist Jimmy Bain from his Rainbow days, young guitarist Vivian Campbell and drummer Vinny Appice. Ronnie Dio had a clear vision for his solo career and the iron-lung singer hit the mark with the hard hitting debut recording, "Holy Diver". This cd is just truly awesome the only words to describe it. Its not to often that every song on a album just rocks but this one does from start to end if your a head banger like me then you'll love it!.

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Classic!

Darwin | Everywhere | 08/20/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Recently purchased this album on cd. Hadn't heard it for eons and loved it as a teen. Is it still all that like I remember from younger days? It's Better!! RIP Dio, we miss you....and thank you for your contributions to society."

One of the best metal albums

John Alapick | Wilkes-Barre, PA United States | 09/06/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Having helped Black Sabbath form a successful comeback with the Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules albums, Ronnie James Dio formed his own band after the Sabs gave him the boot. Turned out pretty well for Dio as his new band's debut, Holy Diver, would not only be their best album but would be miles better than anything Black Sabbath would do again. Recorded with hard rock veterans Jimmy Bain on bass and Vinny Appice on drums and young guitar wizard Vivian Campbell, Holy Diver is a classic metal album with great songs and exciting performances. The opening "Stand Up and Shout" is a great anthem that would lead into the epic title track. Driven by a killer riff and a great vocal and lyric from Dio, metal doesn't get much better. Not to be forgotten is Campbell's excellent solo, one of many throughout the album. On the same level is the dramatic "Don't Talk to Strangers", a track that bounces from quiet to loud effortlessly. "Rainbow in the Dark" would give the band some FM airplay and is another great track with its memorable keyboard riff. The rest of the tracks are all strong, bouncing from the mid-tempo theatrics of "Straight Through the Heart", "Shame on the Night", and "Invisible" to the great riff rocker "Gypsy", to the melodic, nearly joyous "Caught in the Middle". Dio would never be this great again as each album (at least through Lock up the Wolves) would be a little worse than the one before it as they all followed the same pattern. Holy Diver is top notch heavy metal and should be owned by all fans of the genre."