Dio - Holy Diver album

Holy Diver is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Dio, released in 1983. Vocalist Ronnie James Dio had just finished his first tenure in Black Sabbath, whose drummer Vinny Appice he took with him to put together his own band. The roster was completed by his former band mate in Rainbow Jimmy Bain on bass and by the young guitarist Vivian Campbell, coming from the NWOBHM band Sweet Savage. The album was acclaimed by the music press and is the most successful of the band.

Holy Diver is the debut album of the band Dio. It was released on May 25, 1983. After Ronnie James Dio left Black Sabbath in 1982, whose drummer Vinny Appice he took with him to put together his own band. The roster was completed by his former Rainbow bandmate Jimmy Bain on bass and by the young guitarist Vivian Campbell, coming from the Northern Irish band Sweet Savage (not the American band of the same name).

Reissued by Mercury Records on October 3rd 2005 remastered with an extended booklet and an interview with Ronnie James Dio. Recording information: Recorded at Sound City, Los Angeles, CA. Mastered at Sterling Sound, New York.

Holy Diver You've been down too long in the midnight sea Oh what's becoming of me? Ride the tiger You can see his stripes but you know he's clean Oh don't you see what I mean? Gotta get away Holy Diver. Although Holy Diver only reached number 40 on the Mainstream Rock chart upon its 1983 release, today it is one of Dio’s most popular songs. When played on the radio, many stations cut the extended instrumental intro sequence. Following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the song was placed on the list of post-9/11 inappropriate titles distributed by Clear Channel.

Holy Diver is the potential Dio had always showed, fully unleashed: it became a heavy metal blueprint on which many groups that followed would be heavily influenced by. Dio held the same ethic throughout its career: this band was here to bring you heavy ing metal the way it should be brought. While this has made their work fairly consistent, it also made certain Holy Diver was never bested: this record stands on lonely heights. The epic title track relies more on the singer's performance than anything else on the album, and it's good for him that it just so happens his vocal performance is one of the best in his career. The mystical intro is of course another song trademark, and Campbell's solo and slower playing throughout the song are very tasteful.

The Dio Holy Diver album presents by far one of the greatest vocal performances that Ronnie James Dio left us before his passing in 2010. Much has been written about the artwork and album cover of Dio Holy Diver. The artwork uses imagery that some found shocking. Even though the band’s mascot Murray is the main focal point, the artwork of Dio Holy Diver became symbolic for many years of the band’s existence.