{"id":11673,"date":"2013-08-19T01:00:10","date_gmt":"2013-08-19T05:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southeastofheaven.com\/?p=11673"},"modified":"2022-01-06T19:43:23","modified_gmt":"2022-01-07T00:43:23","slug":"the-album-by-album-challenge-dio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/?p=11673","title":{"rendered":"The Album by Album Challenge: Dio – Part I"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"dio_band_wallpaper\"<\/a>Welcome to another \u201cAlbum by Album Challenge.\u201d For those that are new here, the \u201cAlbum by Album Challenge\u201d is where I take a band\u2019s entire discography and listen to every album in order of release from front to back. With my unforgiving and well-aged ear, I call it how I hear it. In some cases, I find that what I once thought was good is actually pretty crappy and sometimes crap manages to age into something pretty kick ass. And in some cases, face melting is still just good ol\u2019 face melting.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This time around I dove head first into the discography of the late, great Ronnie James Dio. When I polled my fellow Fartheads about what acts they’d like to see an Album by Album Challenge, Dio was one of the most frequently asked for. This challenge was a truly interesting one if anything because I pretty much lost touch with Dio after their Lock Up The Wolves album. This challenge held many surprises and even some disappointments but either way, I was brutally honest in my thoughts on these albums.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is a two part post.\u00a0 Part I will cover his first five albums (Holy Diver – Lock Up The Wolves).\u00a0 I hope you all enjoy this Dio Album by Album Challenge and I look forward to hearing everyone’s feedback. Let’s do this.<\/strong><\/p>\n

===================================================<\/p>\n

\"\"Holy Diver<\/strong>
\nRelease Date<\/strong>: May 25, 1983
\nThe Good<\/strong>: Holy Diver, Gypsy, Don\u2019t Talk to Strangers, Straight Through the Heart, Invisible, Rainbow in the Dark, Shame on the Night, Stand Up and Shout
\nThe Bad:<\/strong>
\nThe Indifferent<\/strong>: Caught in the Middle<\/p>\n

Just listening to this album reminds me why Ronnie James Dio was and still is a monstrous metal legend.\u00a0 Coming from a nasty split with Black Sabbath, Dio forged forward and put together a band and a collection of songs that took heavy metal to a whole new level of greatness.\u00a0 One could argue that his lyrics are cheesy but you know what? Who gives a fuck?\u00a0 Its one thing to write cheese just to be cheesy but it\u2019s another to create anthems for a lost generation of young people that needed a \u201cgrown up\u201d to understand them.\u00a0 Dio proved to be the father figure of all the lost metal kids and with his music empowered a whole new generation of kids.\u00a0 This album is without a doubt a powerful statement and what an amazing way to step into the scene for the first time as the leader of his own namesake band.\u00a0 This album from start to finish is an awesome listen and even though I kinda felt that \u201cCaught in the Middle\u201d was just meh, it didn\u2019t slow down the pace one bit of this killer album.\u00a0 What an amazing way to kick off a new legacy of music.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

=========================================<\/p>\n

\"\"The Last In Line<\/strong>
\n Release Date:<\/strong> July 13, 1984
\nThe Good:<\/strong> We Rock, The Last in Line, I Speed at Night, One Night in the City, Evil Eyes, Mystery, Eat Your Heart Out, Egypt (The Chains Are On)
\nThe Bad:<\/strong>
\n The Indifferent:<\/strong> Breathless<\/p>\n

Wow. Dio really is two for two so far.\u00a0 The Last In Line was the perfect progression from Holy Diver lyrically, sonically, and performance wise.\u00a0 This time around Dio and Co. really sound like a much more cohesive unit with their own identity.\u00a0 Holy Diver kind of sounded more like he was still trying to figure out where he wanted to go as some of the songs were reminiscent of the Sabbath sound but on Last In Line, this is all Dio.\u00a0 Maybe it was the touring and what not but whatever it was, this album to me is DIO all the way.\u00a0 \u201cWe Rock\u201d has to be one of the single greatest album openers ever.\u00a0 This song just slays my face every time.\u00a0 There\u2019s a reason this is such a \u201cgo to\u201d album for not just Dio fans but for metal fans in general. Chock full of anthems like \u201cWe Rock\u201d, \u201cLast in Line\u201d, and even the hook laden \u201cMystery\u201d, Dio continued to deliver the anthems to his rock n\u2019 roll children.\u00a0 I did find myself really enjoying \u201cMystery\u201d a lot more than I did before.\u00a0 It\u2019s got such an amazing hook and I also really loved hearing \u201cEgypt\u201d as that wasn\u2019t a song I remember loving this much back in the day.\u00a0 \u201cBreathless\u201d was about the only song that I didn\u2019t find myself loving but all in all, this album stands the test of time and there were no huge surprises here.\u00a0 Last in Line is just as awesome as I remember it being and it\u2019s still, as of now, probably my favorite Dio album.<\/p>\n

=========================================<\/p>\n

\"\"Sacred Heart<\/strong>
\n Release Date:<\/strong> August 15, 1985
\nThe Good:<\/strong> King of Rock N\u2019 Roll, Sacred Heart, Like the Beat of a Heart,
\nThe Bad<\/strong>: Hungry For Heaven, Shoot Shoot
\nThe Indifferent:<\/strong> Another Lie, Rock N\u2019 Roll Children, Another Day, Fallen Angels<\/p>\n

Wow, I\u2019m really not sure what happened with this album but talk about a nose dive into lameness.\u00a0 Don\u2019t get me wrong, I wouldn\u2019t say that this album flat out sucks but man, talk about a total disappointment coming off the heels of Last in Line.\u00a0 The album starts off really strong with \u201cKing of Rock N\u2019 Roll\u201d which I still love to this day but then things just start to get weird.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know if this was the labels idea to try and have Dio go more commercial and friendly but it sounds forced and contrived.\u00a0 The only song that really sucks on this album is \u201cHungry For Heaven.\u201d\u00a0 That song isn\u2019t even remotely good.\u00a0 \u201cSacred Heart\u201d is a fucking epic song and \u201cLike the Beat of a Heart\u201d sounds like it could\u2019ve been on Last in Line.\u00a0 That song is awesome but the rest of these songs are just weaksauce.\u00a0 I remember LOVING \u201cRock N\u2019 Roll Children\u201d back in the day and they even had a video that was kinda cool back then but now it just sounds kind of lame.\u00a0 \u201cShoot Shoot\u201d just may be the single worse album closer ever.\u00a0 I do remember no liking this album very much back in the day and it seems like that hasn\u2019t changed one bit and if anything, I like it even less today.\u00a0 What a bummer.<\/p>\n

=========================================<\/p>\n

\"\"Dream Evil<\/strong>
\n Release Date:<\/strong> July 21, 1987
\nThe Good:<\/strong> Night People, Dream Evil, Sunset Superman, All the Fools Sailed Away, Naked in the Rain, Over Love, I Could\u2019ve Been a Dreamer, Faces in the Window, When a Woman Cries<\/strong>
\nThe Bad:<\/strong>
\n The Indifferent:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ok, so it looks like this is the first huge surprise of this challenge for me.\u00a0 Holy shit what an epic album.\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure just what happened or what the story is but I just find it interesting that the minute Dio ditches Vivian Campbell, he gets a new guitarist in Craig Goldie and puts out a record that does not have one single ounce of filler on it.\u00a0 Song for song this album just fucking rules.\u00a0 As a kid, when this album came out I don\u2019t remember liking this album nearly this much.\u00a0 Maybe at this point I started to kind of drift into other acts or something but hearing this album for this challenge was like hearing it for the first time.\u00a0 Ronnie just sounds so angry at times and full of life and the songs just seem to reflect a more dark and at times sinister side of Dio which I love hearing.\u00a0 \u201cAll the Fools Sailed Away\u201d and \u201cI Could\u2019ve Been A Dreamer\u201d just may be two of the greatest Dio songs ever written and the fact that they\u2019re both on this album together is just awesome.\u00a0 In some ways, I would almost say that this album should\u2019ve been the follow up to Last In Line.\u00a0 This platter of awesomeness totally makes up for the failure that was Sacred Heart.\u00a0 Now I\u2019m really curious now the other albums will measure up to this one.<\/p>\n

=========================================<\/p>\n

\"\"Lock Up the Wolves<\/strong>
\n Release Date<\/strong>: May 15, 1990
\nThe Good:<\/strong> The Wild One, Born on the Sun, Hey Angel, Between the Hearts (Sabbath), Night Music, Lock Up the Wolves, Evil on Queen St, Walk on Water, Twisted, Why Are They Watching Me?,
\nThe Bad:<\/strong>
\n The Indifferent:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ok, surprised #2!\u00a0 Holy fucking facemelt Batman.\u00a0 So I remember buying this album when it came out, I remember seeing the tour, and yet why am I feeling like I\u2019m really hearing this album for the first time?\u00a0 What an absolutely amazing album and up to this point I have to be honest and say that THIS is my favorite Dio album.\u00a0 For this album, Ronnie completely overhauled the lineup.\u00a0 There isn\u2019t a single \u201cclassic\u201d member on this album and it was the first and only to feature a young, unknown guitarist named Rowen Robertson who was the ripe young age of 18 on this album.\u00a0 From start to finish this album is an absolute masterpiece.\u00a0 \u201cWild One\u201d is such a powerful opening track and \u201cLock Up The Wolves\u201d just may be the best Sabbath song that never was.\u00a0 \u201cBorn on the Sun\u201d is probably my favorite Dio song that I never knew and \u201cMy Eyes\u201d is one of those perfect album closers.\u00a0 It\u2019s damn near impossible to really pinpoint any \u201cstand out\u201d tracks because very song is outstanding.\u00a0 There isn\u2019t a single thing about this album that isn\u2019t perfect in my eyes. \u00a0This album sounds amazing production wise and the performances are just absolutely perfect.\u00a0 The songs really captured a fine mix of the many faces of Dio.\u00a0 Maybe it\u2019s the fanboy in Robertson that captured the elements of Dio era Sabbath, Rainbow, and even Holy Diver\/Last in Line era Dio.\u00a0 I really wish we could\u2019ve heard more from this line up as I feel that this was Dio at his absolute best.<\/p>\n

PART II IS NEXT… STAY TUNED!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Welcome to another \u201cAlbum by Album Challenge.\u201d For those that are new here, the \u201cAlbum by Album Challenge\u201d is where I take a band\u2019s entire discography and listen to every album in order of release from front to back. With my unforgiving and well-aged ear, I call it how I hear it. In some cases, I find that what I once thought was good is actually pretty crappy and sometimes crap manages to age into something pretty kick ass. And […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[711,277],"tags":[359],"class_list":["post-11673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-album-by-album-challenge","category-music-news","tag-ronnie-james-dio"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11673"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11673\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19547,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11673\/revisions\/19547"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}