Ronnie James Dio’s success as the lead singer for both Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow and Black Sabbath was enough to put him in the driver’s seat for his debut solo album. MTV and heavy metal were on the rise in the early 80s, so Dio couldn’t have been more perfectly aligned. He wrote “Holy Diver” and “Don’t Talk To Strangers,” then put together a band comprising drummer Vinny Appice, bassist Jimmy Bain and guitarist Vivian Campbell. Together, they recorded 1983’s Holy Diver, which went on to achieve critical and commercial acclaim, reaching platinum status, and establishing Ronnie James Dio as one of the preeminent hard rock / heavy metal singers of the 1980s and beyond.
Dio passed away in 2010, but his legacy and influence are stronger than ever. To celebrate what would have been his 80th birthday on July 10, Rhino has released a four-CD Super Deluxe Edition of Holy Diver featuring remastered and remixed versions of the album along with unreleased outtakes, live tracks and more. A double clear vinyl version is also available. The two versions of Holy Diver include a new mix of the album by Joe Barresi (Tool, Queens of the Stone Age, Slipknot), who used the original analog tapes to remix the album. The second is a newly remastered version of the original 1983 mix. The Super Deluxe Edition also features unreleased live performances and outtakes, along with a selection of rarities from the era.
Sonically, Barresi’s mix definitely gives Holy Diver a lot more snap, crackle and pop, while the remaster provides some noticeable improvements here and there. “Stand Up And Shout” sets the tone as Dio’s clarion call serves as a precursor, sounding the alarm that the singer and his band’s take-no-prisoners attack is officially underway. As we move forward, Campbell’s guitar work, sounding every bit as virtuosic as that of players of the day like Randy Rhoads and Eddie Van Halen, asserts a certain idiosyncratic spark that seamlessly embeds itself into the web of Appice and Bain’s flexible and heavy rhythm. Tracking through deeper cuts like “Caught In The Middle,” “Straight Through The Heart” and “Shame On The Night” reveals the obvious — that this may have been tightest, most melodic and most potent band Ronnie James Dio ever had the pleasure to front. “Rainbow In The Dark” is a total collaborative effort, utilizing Campbell’s riff and Bain’s simple keyboard pattern. It is arguably Dio’s most popular song.
On stage, the band’s medieval metal effectively worked its magic, as can be heard on the 1983 performances from Selland Arena in Fresno, California, that are part of the Super Deluxe Edition. The tempos are on the hyper side, but you can’t deny the energy and finesse. Dio and his band give a thorough shaking of Holy Diver, and throw in a little Rainbow (“Man On The Silver Mountain” and “Starstruck”) and Black Sabbath (“Children Of The Sea” and “Heaven And Hell”) into the mix for context.
As for other Super Deluxe extras, two versions of “Evil Eyes,” first appearing as the B-side to “Holy Diver,” capture the spirit of the Holy Diver sessions, while unreleased outtakes of “Invisible,” “Straight Through The Heart,” and “Rainbow In The Dark” with a different guitar solo reveal a group tinkering with and developing their sound. It was an ongoing process that would last for 20 years. During that time, Ronnie James Dio would record nine more studio albums under the Dio moniker, but he never quite checked off all the boxes like he did with Holy Diver. Four decades later, it’s as fresh, punchy and mythological as ever.
~ Shawn Perry
