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Holy Diver is the debut album from American heavy metal band Dio.
[edit] History
Released on May 25, 1983, the album has been hailed by critics as Dio's best work and a classic staple in the heavy metal genre.[1][2] The album was eventually certified Gold in the US on September 12, 1984 and Platinum on March 21, 1989.[3] The original vinyl release had a photo-montage LP-liner.
The album was remastered and re-released by Rock Candy Records in 2005. The only notable addition to the original album is an audio interview with Ronnie James Dio. Tracks 10-19 on the 2005 edition are Dio's answers to various questions about the album. The questions are not posed during the interview itself, but can be found inside the CD's booklet instead. The B-sides to the singles, most of them live, remain generally unavailable on CD. Some were included in a limited-edition Japanese CD box set.
[edit] Album art
The cover was controversial, featuring a devil killing what appears to be a Catholic priest. Dio was quick to argue that appearances are misleading, that it could just as easily be a priest killing a devil, wanting people not to "judge a book by its cover."[cite this quote]
The demon-like monster is the band's mascot known as "Murray" and is featured on several other Dio albums as well.[4] When the Logo is upside-down it spells the word "Devil". However, Ronnie James Dio has disclaimed this and calls it purely coincidental.
[edit] Reviews
| “ |
Dio struck gold once again by injecting catchy melodies into the classic metal riffery of his previous groups. Besides Dio's inspired songwriting, the album's consistency owes a lot to his carefully chosen bandmates, including veteran bassist Jimmy Bain and drummer Vinny Appice, and a phenomenal find in young guitarist Vivian Campbell, whose creativity and technique are quite astounding.[5] |
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[edit] Track listing
- "Stand Up and Shout" (Ronnie James Dio, Jimmy Bain) – 3:18
- "Holy Diver" (Dio) – 5:51
- "Gypsy" (Dio, Vivian Campbell) – 3:39
- "Caught in the Middle" (Dio, Vinny Appice, Campbell) – 4:14
- "Don't Talk to Strangers" (Dio) – 4:53
- "Straight Through the Heart" (Dio, Bain) – 4:31
- "Invisible" (Dio, Appice, Campbell) – 5:24
- "Rainbow in the Dark" (Dio, Appice, Bain, Campbell) – 4:15
- "Shame on the Night" (Dio, Appice, Bain, Campbell) – 5:20
[edit] Charts
[edit] Album chart positions
[edit] Singles charts positions
[edit] Credits
- Recorded at Sound City, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Produced by Ronnie James Dio
- Engineered by Angelo Arcuri
- Assistant engineered by Ray Leonard
- Originally mastered by George Marino at Sterling Sound, New York, USA
- Illustration by Randy Berrett
- Original art rendering by Gene Hunter
- Original concept by Wendy Dio
[edit] References
