Dio
The Last In Line

THE REVIEW

Repeating a masterpiece is one of the major dilemmas for all rock musicians. There are those who choose the path of change, getting their audience used to stylistic imbalance right from the start. There are those who ride the wave of success, patiently adding new pieces to their proposal. “The Last In Line” certainly follows the second school of thought, theatrically coming into being as an encore.

The first among the new elements is keyboardist Claude Schnell, whose inclusion can be heard in the most classic “Ronnie Dio thought”: keyboardist strings and jingles used sparingly, just to add catchiness to bridges and choruses. The times (fortunately) are not yet ripe for the melodic turn that will follow with the next “Sacred Heart” (1985). The guitars deliver solos in classy progression: Viv Campbell’s compositional vein has not yet dried up, although in terms of ideas, “Holy Diver” remains unmatched in quality and quantity. This is why (the detractors) attribute the success of that album to the fact that much material was clandestinely pilfered from “Sweet Savage,” the band from which the Irish guitarist was picked. Whether it was just a few riffs or true incomplete pieces, we will never know; it is likely that some inspiration indeed flowed into Ronnie Dio’s first solo work.

“The Last In Line,” however, is proof that the band did not release a masterpiece through opportunism. Thus, still aggressive tracks, tight and pressing tempos, supported by the claws of Campbell’s Les Paul. Even before the hits, I allow myself to dwell on the less known pieces. The hard‘n’heavy riffs of “Breathless,” which travel on the aggressive sound of the verses, are indeed given breath by the mid-tempo of the bridges. “Eat Your Heart Out,” impetuous and evil, except for the solos, could easily be included in “Angry Machines” (1996). In “Mystery,” you can already hear the keyboardish sound to come, but it doesn’t displease, as it is included as an episode in the right context. The more famous songs (“We Rock,” “The Chains Are On,” and the title track) are the soundtracks of my youth, so I am unable to evaluate them with serenity.
Nevertheless, absolutely high-class rock. I cannot omit even that ride named “Evil Eyes,” a great song with adrenaline-fueled guitar parts. Having said that, I recall the unchallenged recording of the singing qualities of the little big Ronald Padavona. Considering the fashion of the time (the whole piece an octave above from start to finish), he never fully resorts to that falsetto that many fake virtuosos artfully mask today, often just to mystify their poor vocal qualities.

“The Last In Line,” in its genre, is another indispensable staple. The only downside, if you will, is that it is at times similar to its predecessor.