Dio

Ronnie James Dio packed a huge voice into his diminutive frame and with stints with Sabbath, Rainbow and Heaven & Hell as well as the band named for him he made a massive impact on the world of metal and hard rock. This album represents the peak of the first incarnation of Dio and it really is a classic piece of rock.

The album is a loose concept around the scary images of the dream world and was the first and only album to feature Craig Goody on guitar as well as Claude Schnell on keys and Carmine Appice on drums. Dio was in great voice and the band cooked in the studio as well as they were doing live at the time.

The power in Goody’s guitar was quite remarkable at the time and still sounds fresh today while Appice’s drumming has all the massive attack that he was famed for.
At the time of its release this was a remarkable piece, leading the way for a great many bands who took the clear vocal style of Dio and the riffery into darker and even heavier realms – this still has the freshness that so many that came after it lacked

The second disc here is a live set from Donnington 1987 and it bristles with energy and power. Worthy of a release on its own although it has surfaced before,