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Holy Diver Live

Dio - Holy Diver Live Audio CD

A fair review of the Dio "Holy Diver Live" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Dio reviews here, or go back to the Dio tabs.

Band: Dio
Title: Holy Diver Live
Rating:

Release Date: 2006-04-18
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Stand Up and Shout 2: Holy Diver 3: Gypsy 4: Caught in the Middle 5: Don�t Talk to Strangers 6: Straight Through the Heart 7: Invisible 8: Rainbow in the Dark 9: Shame on the Night 10: Tarot Woman 11: Sign of the Southern Cross 12: One Night in the City 13: Gates of Babylon 14: Heaven & Hell 15: Man on the Silver Mountain 16: Long Live Rock �N� Roll 17: We Rock

A must for diehards...
Granted, Ronnie James Dio and his namesake band have pretty much flooded the market with live albums in the last 10 years or so (first came "Inferno: Last in Live", then "Evil or Devine", and now this), and while you may or may not be a big fan of these kind of albums (I am. . for the most part. . . ), the truth is that this one should be analyzed and judged in a totally different light from its predecessors.

"Inferno: Last in Live" was Dio's first full length live album (previously we've only had the "Intermission" EP, which incidentally is out of print in the US and a few live tracks included on import greatest hits cds), so it made perfect sense after almost 20 years of career. "Evil or Devine" was mostly a record company afterthought, culled from a DVD release of the same name, in an effort to cash in just a little more.

Thus, "Holy Diver Live" is only Dio's second "real" live album (at least the second truly intended to be released in that form). And once again, there was fair justification for it: it was recorded on the heels of the re-release of the remastered, original first outing by the band, "Holy Diver" (outside the US, that is). So the timing was right for Ronnie and his gang to do something different, something unexpected, something fun. And so they did. In the final leg of their British tour, they performed the "Holy Diver" album in its entirety for the first time, some of its song having NEVER been performed live. This performance makes for the first CD of this package, and it is meant for Dio (the band) fanatics. In addition to that, they played a selection of tracks spanning all of Ronnie's legendary career (well, almost all. . . no Elf tracks here. . . ) and those songs are included here as the second CD, a true treat to Ronnie's fans.

Lets take a look at them separately: according to the liner notes included with the release (which erroneously place the performance in the year 1995, when the it actually took place in 2005), the show began with a trio of songs that were placed on the second CD, with the "Holy Diver Live" segment taking place "in the middle" of the show. CD one starts then with a spoken intro by the man himself. The first thing that I wish to say about this album is a note for newcomers: if this is your first try at the live Dio experience, you might (and probably will) be surprised by the downtuning of the guitars (one whole step down). Dio (the band) have in fact downtuned for some songs ever since their very first tour (I never really understood why. . . ), but the usual was to go down ½ a step. Unfortunately, time passes by and it takes its toll.

Don't get me wrong, Ronnie can still outsing most singers in their 20's (if I can sing ½ as much as him by the time I'm his age, I'd be satisfied. . . ), but the reality is that he can no longer manage a 2 hour show in standard tuning. That means that if your only references to Dio are the studio albums, you might find yourself a bit disappointed by this fact. But for the longtime fan, those who've been to the shows over the years, this is just matter of fact. Once you get past that detail, the band fires up with great intensity: Simon Wright on drums (AC/DC, Rhino Bucket, UFO), Scott Warren (Berlin, Warrant) on keyboards, Rudy Sarzo (Ozzy, Quiet Riot, Whitesnake, etc) on bass and the (provisionally) reinstated Doug Aldrich on guitars (Lion, Whitesnake) filling in for the injured Craig Goldy. And of course, RDJ, the finest voice in hard rock. Ever. This band really kicked arse!

I had the chance to witness a Dio show less than a year after the release of this album, where they performed the bulk of the songs herein. But I have to say, for the record, that I liked the sound of this CD better, and that is due in no small part to the presence of Aldrich: the show I saw featured Goldy, and I must say that at least in my modest opinion, Aldrich is the superior choice, being more lyrical and loose, while Goldy seemed to be a little too rigid for my taste.

So, just as the original studio CD, this one opens with a powerful "Stand up and Shout", which runs you over in a blink of an eye and sets the tone for the rest of the performance, fusing at the end with the immortal title track, which brilliantly brings the pace down for a true classic in the vein of Sabbath's "Heaven & Hell". Next up is "Gypsy", another fast and heavy track that quickly gets the blood rushing. It includes Simon Wright's drum solo, not exactly a highlight for me, but hey, if you like drums. . . "Caught in the Middle" is MY personal favorite of the original album (I guess it's `cos it's the one that sounds somewhat out of place. . . ) and while this version is quite potent, it didn't really do it for me. "Don't Talk to Strangers", on the other hand, is a masterpiece in any context, and here it's no exception, slowly building up momentum and then shifting gears. . . brilliant!

"Straight through the Heart" is another highlight, just as powerful as its studio counterpart, really shinning in the live setting. "Invisible" is another one of my favorites, following a similar formula as "Don't talk. . . ", starting slow and quiet and then slamming you right in the face, this is another winner. And without a moment's respite, the classic "Rainbow in the Dark" proves that 20 some odd years haven't taken any of its glory away. Finally, the first CD closes with the slow burning "Shame on the Night"; for the record, I must say this: initially, I didn't like this song, I didn't get it, I thought it was out on place on the album. But eventually I got it, and it became one of my favorites. This live version is awesome, also featuring and extended guitar solo spot that totally cooks and "Holy Diver Revisited".

And on to the second CD: if the first one was a treat for Dio devotees, this one is a true treasure for RJD fans: it includes some of the finest tunes ever to be graced with the man's voice, and the performances are truly awesome: the band is absolutely killer throughout, even going as far as stealing some of the spotlight. Rainbow's "Tarot Woman" makes what might very well be its very first ever live appearance, only some 29 odd years after being originally recorded, and it is fantastic! "The Sign of the Southern Cross", while only partially performed, is a nice addition, and it meshes seamlessly with Dio's own "One night in the City".

Rainbow's "Gates of Babylon", one of the band's greatest moments, is presented in all of its glory, the crown jewel of the show in my humble opinion. The timeless "Heaven & Hell" is another triumph, even superior to the version included in the live album by the band of the same name. "Man on the Silver Mountain" begins the final stretch on the show in great fashion, including a snippet of "Catch the Rainbow" which quickly mutates into set closer "Long Live Rn'R". But before the lights come up, the band returns to finally bid farewell with Dio's own "We Rock", a powerful song and one of my favorites from the Dio catalog, but this version doesn't really do it for me for some reason. But the end result is unchanged: disc 2 is, without a doubt, a treat in and by itself, worthy of the price of admission on its own. The band manages to reproduce the sound of the originals with great success, giving the perfect backup for RJD to really, REALLY shine, dare I say that even more so than on disc 1. This is a weird statement to make, I know, but the truth is that Ronnie shines because the band shines: they complement AND compliment each other, they don't take away from each other and in the end, they are the perfect blend, plain and simple. And I have to say it one more time for the record: Doug Aldrich's playing deserves special commendation: he manages to convincingly play those Tony Iommi/Ritchie Blackmore/Vivian Campbell riffs, licks and solos, but with a style of his own. Impressive!

If you're looking for a first taste of live Dio, I honestly think this is a great place to start: you get a live rendition of Dio's finest album AND a bonus retrospective of RJD's whole career. What more could you ask for? Any hard rock/metal fan should be able to enjoy this, but I think that this set is a real treat for the diehards: those who have followed RJD's entire career. If you, like me, are among those, you will be delighted by this CD. This is a terrific set, one that no Dio fan should do without.

.

This CD Kicked my butt
A must for Dio fans and guitar lovers. This is amazing, the DIO band kills on all these classic songs! Way to go, it sounds as fresh as Holy Diver! The sound is so clean for a live show that makes it so special. Dio has a voice that makes this look so easy!
CJ.

Dio Forever!!!!!

I just saw Dio live last July 22nd at Costa Rica concert where he played as on this Cd most of Holy Diver album, and he sung as at the old times, people got crazy with this King of Rock and Roll, can't believe I was just 10 steps away from this Genius . I find Dio now with same power he had since I first heard about him with Black Sabbath 25 years ago!!!, I believe he keeps all his energy even after all this years and you can tell that on this great live cd which I recommend, 100% quality rock and roll.
Highly recommended.
Oscar, Fan from Grecia, Costa Rica.

Disappointed!!!!
This came in with a 7 cd order, so I pop this cd in and literally took it out to make sure I had the right one in. .
I am disappointed in this one. . . the vocals are ok but not excellent and the song Holy Diver is awful here. Although a few songs here do sound Good and stand out I don't think it is worth the price unless you can find used.
Too bad . . . I had high hopes for a great Dio album. Luckily Grave Diggers "25 to live" came in with this one and it is a great live Heavy Metal 2 disc set.
.

Great set list!
The band sounds great, and so does RJD, though they are playing these songs in lower kets to accomodate his aging voice. Very happy to see "Tarot Woman", which is my favorite Rainbow song of all time. If you are a Dio fan, this will not disappoint.

You can see a complete list of all Dio discography, or go back to the Dio tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.