Dio - Strange Highways (11 tracks) +Album Reviews

Dio's best album of the 1990's

R. Gorham | 11/08/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"THE BAND: Ronnie James Dio (vocals), Tracy Grijalva (guitars), Jeff Pilson (bass, keyboards), Vinny Appice (drums & percussion).

THE DISC: (1994) 11 tracks clocking in at approximately 54 minutes. Included with the disc is a minimal 2-page foldout containing song titles/credits/times, one band picture, and thank you's. All songs written by Dio and Grijalva, with Pilson and Appice contributing on select tracks. Recorded at Rumbo Recorders, Los Angeles, CA. Label - Reprise Records.

THE DISC: Dio was a household name in the early to mid 80's. Two classic albums with Black Sabbath ("Heaven And Hell" and "Mob Rules"), a handful of solo releases - two of which are still considered all-time metal masterpieces ("Holy Diver" and "Last In Line"). In my opinion, nothing Dio has done, past or present can match the strength of any of the 4 albums mentioned above. The 1990's found Dio on the down-turn. He released only one studio album with Black Sabbath - "Dehumanizer" (1992) - which garnered mixed reviews at best. He released 3 solo studio albums... "Lock Up The Wolves" (1990), "Strange Highways" (1994) and "Angry Machines" (1996)... all again to mixed reviews ("Angry Machines" was actually trashed by several music magazines). With that being said, I believe that "Strange Highways" is the best of his 90's material. It won't stand up to his classic 80's albums, but it's still very good mainstream metal. "Strange Highways" contains some great tunes - a concert favorite "Jesus, Mary & The Holy Ghost", the heavy "Hollywood Black", the title track (which made it to Dio's "Anthology" and the "Beast Of Dio" compilations), and one of my all-time favorites of his, "Evilution". A very good disc that you can probably pick up used or on the bargain rack - and it's worth it. If you're a Dio fan, this album is essential to your collection (4 stars).

"

Overlooked & Unappreciated

HELLDORADO69 | Houston, TX | 05/01/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Like most people who will read this review, I have always collected everything by RJD from Sabbath forward. While all of my friends moved on to the "next big thing" in the nineties, I stood by RJD and all of my other favorite rockers from back in the day (AC/DC, Crue, Ozzy, Dokken, Quiet Riot, TS, Ratt, Y&T and many more). I was not a big fan of Lock Up The Wolves (Strange Highways predecessor) or Angry Machines which followed Strange Highways. However, Strange Highways is freaking amazing and it is sad that so many Dio fans dismiss anything from this period in Dio's career. It doesn't make sense because this cd is right in line with Dehumanizer by RJD and Sabbath and these two cd's are as good as anything he has ever done. I love Holy Diver and The Last In Line as much as the next Dio fan (maybe more) and I still listen to them frequently. But, RJD's career is so much more than those two solo albums and two Sabbath albums from '80 and '81. I admit that Angry Machines had me thinking that RJD was done because it's not impressive. But, don't lump Strange Highways in with Angry Machines. Furthermore, I don't get why people who didn't like Strange Highways always say things like "it is too experimental". That's BS. It's a very heavy, straight ahead hard rock Dio cd with some very fresh riffs. People try to make this thing out to be some kind of new age Dio. That's not what I hear when I listen to this cd. Luckily, in the past five years, RJD has had a real uptick in his popularity and Killing the Dragon and Master of the Moon have been praised by all. If Strange Highways were released today, Dio fans would be going nuts over it. If you want to tag something RJD has done as experimental, then take a look at Magica."

Dehumanizer Part II

Tony Howard | Fort Walton Beach, Florida United States | 02/11/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This came out two years after Ronnie James Dio's reunion CD with Black Sabbath, Dehumanizer, and to these ears, Strange Highways follows in the same vein. Very heavy, very aggressive music. I loved Dehumanizer and I feel the same way about this disc. Unlike the production of most Dio albums (whcih are pretty dry compared to most metal albums), producer Mike Fraser buffs this album until it shines. Rhienhardt Mack gave that same quality to Dehumanizer. Standout tracks for me include the title track, Evilution, Give Her the Gun, and Bring Down the Rain. This CD is Dio at his skull-crushing best. He would later return to more melodic metal with Killing The Dragon and Magica (both excellent discs), but for me this disc has a little something extra and is a high point in the Dio canon. Others may disagree, so I'll chalk that up to "personal taste." Enjoy!"

The most sinister little man on the planet

ronny | 07/07/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I remember buying this album back in 1994 at 19 years old,i heard the first track and shivered in my shoes.Never had i heard a more sinister song,so now i can say at 29 that i have never heard a more sinister ALBUM.I love dio's earler work to,but this one and Black Sabbath's(Dehuminizer) are the heaviest most crushing albums dio has ever done,and will ever do i'm sure. The only other band that USED to be as wicked as dio was slayer,but that has long since passed.Roy Z's crazy harmonics,whammy bar hammer ons and various sounds throughout is what makes the album that much more wicked,and fits with dio's classic voice like a demon on his shoulder.Its to bad they have parted ways.Also dio's voice intensity on this album is amazing(considering then he was about 50+ or so when he did it).So all this said if you want a truly disturbing,scary,sadistic sounding metal album,look no further than Strange Highways.And listen to Jesus,Mary and the Holy Ghost,with the lights out when the creature breathing sound starts,see if you feel 8 again.Later"

If you don't like this album, that's your problem!

Murat Batmaz | Istanbul, Turkey | 05/28/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Isn't it strange how Strange Highways, quite possibly his best album in the 90's, gets all the negative feedback both from the critics and his ever-growing fanbase? I'll straight get to the point. This album is a masterpiece. Period. This is one of the darkest and heaviest albums Dio has ever released, if not THE heaviest that is. Sure everyone expected another Holy Diver or The Last in Line when he left Black Sabbath to continue with his solo career... but to Dio, the 70's and 80's were over and obviously he was no longer in the mood to sing about fantasy lyrics or rock'n'roll for fun at the time. The early 90's was a weird period in heavy metal with all that grunge and alternative stuff dominating the charts and radios and it probably simply pissed Dio off and he turned to sing about stuff with more meat and explore darker and more serious subject matters. What's wrong with this? You can't expect "The Voice of Heavy Metal" to follow trends or live in the past. And here it is. Strange Highways is the proof. This album is my favourite Dio album (Holy Diver and The Last in Line come next) and one of the best CDs he has ever released along with the Black Sabbath and Rainbow albums he did with Iommi and Blackmore.The comparisons to Sabbath's 92 album Dehumanizer aren't off. Strange Highways was a great record that followed the path of Dehumanizer only adopting a heavier and darker approach. This reflected on both Dio's lyrical statements and his vocal style. He's probably never sung this angrily before and after, but you know what, despite the poor ratings of various magazines and music critics back in the day, both Dio and the band behind him consisting of the godly drummer Vinny Appice, bassist Jeff Pilson and underrated guitarist Tracy G seem all to be enjoying what they're playing greatly! This was their way of expressing their opinions on whatever was going on in the world at the time enriching everything with Dio's subtle lyrics. Also Dio once again proved how bold and independent-minded he is by releasing his next album Angry Machines (1996) with the exact same line-up so he stood up for his great band and in my opinion released two timeless albums in the 90's, much to some fans' dismay.Most of the songs on this disc abound with mid-tempo riffs, sometimes borrowing old school doom riffs and fusing them with the heavier side of Dio's trademark sound. The title song is perhaps my all-time favourite solo Dio tune with its Sabbathy guitar riffing from the 70's and intricate drum & bass work. The chorus has got be the one of strongest Dio ever came up with. The doomy vibe isn't present everywhere though. Special mention goes to guitarist Tracy G whose style turned some 80's fans off, but this CD would have never been what it is without his bizarre lead solos and twisted riffing. His dark tone and sharp dynamics was what Strange Highways exactly needed. It's no surprise Dio chose to work with him. Vinny Appice is in my opinion the best drummer Dio has ever had, both as a solo artist and in Sabbath. His drumming shines with ferocity on "Evilution" and Jeff Pilson (Dokken) has always been known for his powerful bass lines which run through all the compositions here.My favourite tracks are "One Foot in the Grave" for its brooding atmosphere, "Pain" for showcasing one of Dio's best screams ever recorded, "Give Her the Gun" for its cerebral social commentary focusing on child abuse and "Blood from a Stone" for the sheer power it encompasses. The first two songs are actually the tonesetters of this album followed by the aforementioned title track and then the critical "Hollywood Black". The only song that I feel doesn't go hand in hand with the rest is "Here's to You" which sort of sounds like a tune for the 80's lovers. It's a good tune by its own standards though. Dio's lyrics, as always, are abstract yet still very much to the point to get his messages across. What else can I say? If you don't like this masterpiece, that's your problem."

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	Dio Strange Highways Genres: Pop, Rock, Metal Track Listings (11) - Disc #1 Jesus, Mary and The Holy Ghost - Dio, Dio, Ronnie James Firehead Strange Highways Hollywood Black Evilution Pain One Foot in the Grave Give Her the Gun - Dio, Dio, Ronnie James Blood from a Stone Here's to You Bring Down the Rain
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