Ronnie James Dio
Holy Diver

Ronnie James Dio is not just any metal singer; he is the metal singer. Basically, you can't be a metalhead or rocker and not love him. Unfortunately, he is very underrated compared to the mainstream success achieved by other figures in metal, but what he accomplished with the various bands he played in is simply colossal.

And after two excellent, fantastic albums with Black Sabbath, the Italian-American elf puts together a truly impressive team of top-tier musicians and releases, with that demon on the cover: "Holy Diver."

This time around, sorry, but Ozzy goes home.

This album is extremely important for the history of heavy metal. If Iron Maiden, with "The Number of the Beast," established the canon for moving beyond the NWOBHM, we can consider that Dio, with his debut, truly canonizes heavy metal by writing a second, fundamental milestone for a genre — no, what am I saying, it was a real lifestyle! — making it truly ready to face the '80s. And since 1983, heavy metal has come a long way.

Because the recipe for classic American '80s metal is all right here: heavy arrangements, powerful vocals backed by attacking guitars, a massive dose of epicness and theatricality, and a handful of catchy hooks.

"Stand Up and Shout," with that riff whose melodic-rhythmic approach would become legendary (listen to "Two Minutes to Midnight" and "Phantoms of Death" and see for yourself) hits like a punch in the teeth. The addition of two lines to the chorus at the end is textbook perfect. The title track is just as strong, martial and tight. There is, if I'm not mistaken, a live version of a Dio medley that mixes "Holy Diver" and "The Last in Line": absolute goosebumps. The following "Gypsy" is of incredible ferocity and, although many consider it inferior, I actually think it's an excellent showcase of the band even with heavier tracks. "Caught in the Middle" returns to less aggressive ground and is a great track that finds the right melodies, but never as much as the next one, "Don't Talk to Strangers": an epic song, moving and powerful, where the vocalist truly proves himself superb. More conventional but still very good is "Straight to the Heart," with its more cadenced rhythm, which gives way to the track that honestly has always grabbed me the least, namely "Invisible," though it's still light years from being bad.

The final double whammy is one of the best ways to close an album of this caliber. The keyboard riff is genius. Melodically, it vaguely recalls "Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love" by Van Halen, but obviously the approach is different. The way this song meshes the keyboard riff, a massive guitar-bass axis, a perfect verse and a perfect chorus with a solo that makes the ground vanish beneath your feet — well, that's something only a band like Dio could pull off. The close comes with the magnificent "Shame on the Night," where the atmosphere grows increasingly oppressive and then bursts with epicness and a finale that's worth the price of the album by itself.

Ronnie James Dio’s voice is unique and perfect. Powerful, so warm, full, capable and versatile. And to back up the greatest metal singer ever are musicians of the highest order. The drumming is solid as hell and I think it's one of those albums with some of the best drumming ever published; on guitar, there’s a monster from that era — just listen to the way he lays down riffs and solos to believe it. An album that reaches intensity and depth that will rarely be matched.

Anything else to add? No, just listen. Score: 96/100.