Holy Dio

HOLY DIO Tribute REVIEW

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During the last five to eight years, I haven't heard so many different bands at one time (after all, the Alice Cooper tribute CD was no double album and conceptually wrong: IMO, DIO should have been singing at least ONE or TWO more songs). Now that I have listened to HOLY DIO a couple of times I have come to the conclusion that this CD was obviously made to make it clear to the fans just HOW good RJD actually sings... 

All cover versions stay in close proximity to the originals - as good as they can. I think it is a pity that no songs from the last two studio albums got covered.   Institutional Man, Hunter Of  The Heart, but also This Is Your Life (amongst others) - they might have been a good choice.

Some quiet minutes, please ... that's all I've been looking for, since the promising red-black HOLY DIO CD has made it into our house. On a warm, clouded summer morning I finally push the silver disc into the CD player. As soon as the first notes fill our living-room, my 2 year old daughter Marlene plants herself in front of me and announces beaming :"Dio must sing". I consider briefly to explain the terms "tribute album", or "cover version", respectively, to her, but decide against it the moment Blind Guardian intonate the DIO classic "Don't Talk To Strangers". All of a sudden, my 2 year old stops smiling, her face crumbles and she throws an reproachful :"Not Dio!" in my direction bevor she strolls off to the children's room. This anticipates my own reaction but since I don't know that yet, I fetch myself the remaining breakfast coffee and press "rewind" - once again, please!

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Rating: On a scale, let's say, where Ronnie gets 10 points, I can grant each cover version 6 points at best since I'm generous by nature...

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Dont´t Talk To Strangers (Blind Guardian)
Rating: 5 out of 6

"In the last 25 years RonnieJames Dio has always been one of the best singers around and he also has released some of the best Hard Rock/ Metal albums of all times, no matter if it was with RAINBOW; BLACK SABBATH or with his own band. With so many great songs the hardest thing about this tribute was deciding on one of his songs... We finally chose to do "Don't Talk To Strangers" because it has always been one of our favourite songs from DIO."
Photo: Virgin Records

 Good performance with some highly committed attempts to add the necessary magic to the song. So, I would consider to watch this band at any reasonable priced festival near by.  The singer tries hard to convey intensity and manages to create atmospherical densitiy, but when forced to choose, I'd prefer Ronnie's version. [Since I'm under the impression that this will be my opinion on every song, I'll skip this remark in the following...]

Kill The King (Primal Fear)
Rating: 3 out of 6

"Ever since listening to "KillThe King" for the first time, this song really was something special to me. Not only do I love the fabulous voice of Ronnie James Dio, but I also worship the drumming of Cozy Powell on this track. It's one of my all-time favourites! As Rock Hard magazine came up with the idea of tributing Ronnie James Dio, it was obvious for us to choose "Kill The King". It felt even better when we played it in the rehearsal room!"
Photo: Nucear Blast Records

  

The musical realisation is OK, if you like it HARD. The singer tries to top it, but alas - to put it friendly - unfortunately, his voice seldom prevails against the loud, but quite nicely used instruments of his buddies.

 

Egypt (Doro)
Rating: 1 out of 6

"I love his voice and I have always thought that Ronnie James Dio is a tremendous singer! His Power and conviction truly comes from the heart. His music has given me such great inspiration and it was a great honour to do a version of this beautiful song "Egypt (The Chains Are On)."
Photo: "Welcome To The Tribe" - Christian Dietz & Wolfgang Bartsch - Taurus factory

 Boring, at least as far as Doro's singing is concerned, but I don't like female voices that much anyway (with the one exception of my own one in the bathtube, of course!) However, a Doro fan told me that the lady normally delivers a much better performance. Maybe Courtney Love should have done the song...

Children of the Sea (Jag Panzer)
Rating: 5 out of 6

"When JAG PANZER were asked to appear on the Dio tribute album, we immediately asked if we could record "Children Of The Sea". The whole "Heaven and Hell" album was special to us. John, Harry and I were all big RAINBOW fans and we were excited about Ronnie James Dio joining BLACK SABBATH. The day the album was released we skipped school so we could buy it when the record store opened. I still remember tearing off the plastic and putting the vinyl on my old turnable! We were all blown away by the power and melody of each track on "Heaven and Hell". "Children Of The Sea" quickly became a favourite track, it featured the heaviness of BLACK SABBATH combined with a haunting acoustic guitar part and of course Dio's perfect vocals. It is both an honor and pleasure to record this track."
Photo: Michael Haynes

 After a solid, although mediocre start, JAG PANZER manage to bring a definite improvement: suddenly, the music goes 3-D - my living room and I begin to swing. Yeah, I like that  - then, all of a sudden, I remember my kids and turn my stereo down again. 

Sign Of The Southern Cross (Fates Warning)
Rating: 2 out of 6

"The most difficult thing about being part of this project was deciding on a song. Our task was made somewhat easier by our late inclusion in the project, after most of the bands had already made their choices. When we saw that almost nothing was taken from SABBATH's 1981 "Mob Rules", our choice of "The Sign Of The Southern Cross" became obvious."
Photo: Massacre Records

 FATES WARNING should have skipped the first part of the song, 'cause it's definitely beyond their possibilities. Then - and only then, together with very little singing (maybe just the refrain?) it might have been a good rendition. But this way... Since the interpretation gains some intensity at the end of the song, I give them a second point.

Rainbow Eyes (Catch the Rainbow)
Rating: 3 out of 6


Photo: Catch The Rainbow

 It's not bad, this cover version, isn't it ? I try hard - unwilling, but nevertheless serious - to see it with some objectivity and try *NOT* to think about   RJD's voice constantly. However, that's especially difficult here; I'm missing something - the cover version pleases, but fails to enchant. Maybe people like me just aren't made for tribute albums. Never mind, my curiosity remains strong, I listen on, but the song seems endless to me.

Long Live Rock´n Roll (Gamma Ray)
Rating: 3 out of 6

"When Dio sings he is like a magician casting spells! There is no way to escape his expressive style of singing. A big influence to many, he made his way to modern Metal, coming from the days of Rock 'n' Roll...and somehow still is, so let it live!"
Photo: Axel Jusseit

 Suddenly, I wake with a start out of my dreamy thoughts (of Ronnie) but GAMMA RAY's music doesn't really make me happy. I dont't like the way the do the refrain and go for another cup of hot & strong coffee.

Country Girl (Swanö/Tägtren)
Rating: 4 out of 6

"Swanö / Tägtgren is not to be considered as a new band or anything! We were asked to pay some respect to one of our old heroes, Mr. Dio and we just couldn't resist the opportunity to finally create something together. "Country Girl" was an obvious choice because we both totally dig this track and our heavy drum fave Vinnie Appice is doing some classic kick-ass drumwork here, this version is a tribute to him as well!"
Photo: Nuclear Blast Records & Black mark Production

 Interesting - and even more so, since I haven't heard the original very often yet. I like it, but it doesn't sweep me off my feet ( perhaps it simply wasn't made for such an effect). This song sounds the least like DIO to me.

Gates of Babylon (Yngwie Malmsteen)
Rating: 5 out of 6

"When I bought the album "Long Live Rock 'n' Roll" by RAINBOW I wasn't very impressed. The first songs were so commercial I thought. When the last song of the first side came on (this was when there still was vinyl LP's around) I was completely floored. "Gates Of Babylon" was so dramatic and mystical. Until this day this is one of my favourite songs ever written. Thank you Ritchie! I slightly changed the arrangement, as on the other songs, to do it my way..."
Photo: Mark Weiss / Angles

 Yep, I can make something out of that, really well done, nice music and the singer is OK, too. Just why keep the lines from Just Another Day "You never sing for pleasure, you only make the sounds"  rotating in my brain? I think I'll ignore my inner voice - just this time.


HALF WAY THROUGH !
What surprised me: most of the songs "work" even without RJD's phenomenal voice, though less captivating and not so sparkling, but sufficient for a little dance and some headbanging. I'd like to add that I admire every vocalist who dares to directly compete, per cover version, with THE voice of Heavy Metal. My compliment! But still: the part of my heart that's been imprinted with an giant DIO logo a long time ago will presumably bleed with every song of this tribute CD, thinking about how GOOD the original sounds. [Of course, that doesn't hinder the rest of my personality to amuse itself greatly!]

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We Rock (Grave Digger)
Rating: 4 out of 6

"First of all we want to say that it's a big pleasure for us to have been part of this fantastic project. It's a great honour for us. We've grown up with this unbelievable RAINBOW line up with Ronnie and these two amazing BLACK SABBATH records. After this he started with his own project DIO. The first three records were a great influence for GRAVE DIGGER, too. We choose "We Rock" because this title is very similar to the sound GRAVE DIGGER started out with. We've recorded this song in the typical GRAVE DIGGER style with loads of double bass. We want to thank Mr. Dio for the inspiration he's given us all over the years."
Photo: Jens Peter Boltendahl

 The band tries to sound forceful and to captivate the audience. And they seem to succeed since I drop the idea to get some fresh coffee from the kitchen right now. The singer tries hard, but some of his "We Rock!"s sound a bit desperate in my ears.

Man on the silver mountain (Hammerfall)
Rating: 3 out of 6

"There is no denying Ronnie James Dio's importance and brilliance, be it in RAINBOW, BLACK SABBATH or as a solo artist. He might be not the tallest of men, but he sure has the biggest lungs! And even if Dio himself doesn't want to remember the mighty dragon slayer that he was in the eighties, there are a lot of us who fondly do! Also, on this song we are joined by A.C. - formerly in Running Wild and currently in Lacrimosa -- who is a major Cozy Powell fan, adding a very special flavour to the sound."
Photo: Michael Johansson

 Pleasantly close to the original, if you don't mind the missing brilliance. I use the opportunitiy to get myself some cookies.

Holy Diver (Holy Mother)
Rating: 5 out of 6

"Ronnie is one of my favourite singers of all time and "Holy Diver" in my opinion belongs to the strongest songs that he has ever released!"
Photo: Crazy Life Music

 Liked it, even if the singer sounds a bit kitschy in my ears. Obviously, the bands goes by the motto:"As long as we stay very close to Ronnie's version, nothing can go wrong." And, I have to say, their concept works.

Kill The King (Stratovarius)
Rating: 1 out of 6

"We just started to jam around with some old cover songs in the rehearsal room. As Timo started to play "Kill The King", we went through the whole song in one go and we thought it would be a good idea to record it during our "Episode" recording session. Right in the beginning you can hear Jari asking in which key the song should be played in. The answer of Timo Tolkki was just "Play it!" and this is what we did."
Photo: Modern Music Records

 This cover version seems empty and a bit to fast. Fortunately, the song is over soon - perhaps because I'm already contemplating with which DIO CD I will soothe my ears afterwards. The fact that STRATOVARIUS perform a little function test on their drum kit at the end of the song doesn't lift my spirits much - the one point given is for the fact that the song is still clearly recognizable.

Still I´m sad (Axel Rudi Pell)
Rating: 6 out of 6

"This song originally was written and performed by the Yardbirds, but the live version from the RAINBOW album "On Stage" blew me away. Ronnie is and always will be my favourite singer of all times. I'm not only an admirer of his fantastic voice - his mystical lyrics are brilliant, too. Combined with Ritchie Blackmore's amazing guitar playing... a team that can't be topped by anybody!"
Photo: Volker Beushausen

  

Good. Really good. I'm astonished, happy and finally stop dreaming about my DIO CD's. Someone is singing here - Johnny Gioeli, to be precise - who is showing emotions and has some vocal possibillities, and that never hurts, after all! Just to illustrate: I leave my fresh coffee, run to the CD player and press "rewind" - one more time, please!

 

Heaven and Hell (Enola Gay)
Rating: 6 out of 6

"Actually it is a great pleasure for ENOLA GAY to participate on this tribute to Ronnie James Dio, as in fact we have been true Dio fans all through these years. We have chosen "Heaven And Hell", one of the most outstanding masterpieces of melodic Heavy Metal of this millenium."
Photo: Volker Beushausen

 Well, is it getting better finally, or is this just an intermediate high on the CD? ENOLA GAY deliver a quite ambitious version of Heaven And Hell and even manage to create a bit of atmosphere - the flames start to lick the guitars on this one, literally spoken....

Neon Knights (Steel Prophet)
Rating: 2 out of 6

"I've been a Dio fan since first hearing him in ELF. In my mind his work in RAINBOW and SABBATH, along with the first two DIO records are completely essential for any serious Heavy Metal collection. The range of his work is what is so great about Ronnie. Ballads like "Rainbow Eyes" and "Catch the Rainbow" are so moving and Ronnie's voice is clean and beautiful. Contrast the heavy doom of "Egypt", "Over And Over" and "Lonely Is The Road" with the uptempo "Stargazer", "Die Young" and "Neon Knights" and I think you'll see the only constant in Dio's music are the chills that run down your spine in every song! His lyrics are moving and dramatic. They blend perfectly with the heaviness of the music. I've had the pleasure of talking with Ronnie several times, and I can honestly say the man who possesses, in my opinion, the greatest voice in Metal ever, is one of the nicest musicians I've ever met."
Photo: Alex Solca

 What the "PROPHETS" offer here is mainly noise in my ears. The voice of singer Rick Mythiasin doesn't adress me a bit, far from casting any trace of a spell and and therefore go down together with the music to simple noise that becomes a bit more melodic only when there are no vocals - two points for that. Bottom line: an instrumental version would have been better here.

Shame on The Night (Solitude Aeturnus)
Rating: 4 out of 6

"Hi Ronnie! Yeah, we're talking to you and we'd like to say thanks for bringing integrity, down to earth attitude and awe inspiring songs into our Metal world! As a way of paying tribute to you, we've chosen to cover "Shame On The Night" from your landmark album "Holy Diver". This song is stylistically similar to what SOLITUDE AETURNUS does on our own, so it required very little effort on our part to cover it (we're lazy bastards!)! The ending section of this song is heavier than an elephant's ass! Not much else to say here but I hope you enjoy our rendition of this blower heavy song!"
Photo: Massacre Records

 Nice try, might even have worked out with another singer. On the other hand, it might be my fault, maybe I'm to spoilt from listening to all these DIO CD's.....the spark just doesn't fly in this interpretation, although the music is quite good.

The Last in Line (Destiny´s End)
Rating: 3 out of 6

"When we were asked to do "The Last In Line" for this tribute, I remembered my days back in high school playing in a Metal band and covering this song. Recording this tune for this distinguished tribute was both an honour for DESTINY'S END and a weird trip to the past for me. Ronnie James Dio has been a big influence on the development of each member of this band. Also, Vivian Campbell's guitar playing is much admired by both Perry and me. We tried to record a version of the song that was reminiscent of the orignal with some new and interesting ideas that give it the unique DESTINY'S END sound. We hope you find it worthy of this tribute."
Photo: Metal Blade Records

 Mmpffff. DESTINY'S END just can't catch the soul of the song, they never rise to its special magic. Their version doesn't sound bad, but just somehow ... wrong. Topic missed, sit down, please!

Temple Of The King (Angel Dust)
Rating: 6 out of 6

"The song was released on "Ritchie Blackmoore's Rainbow" and it is one of Blackmore's / Dio's most underrated songs and Ronnie James Dio still plays it on stage! We combined the studio and the live version, added a little ANGEL DUST and that was it! It is a very intense song!"
Photo: Volker Beushausen

 Emotional, beautiful start, which might as well be an inherent part of the song itself. I nearly wish the soft tinkling would last a little bit longer, but  there's no need to worry, since singer Dirk Thurisch rises to the occasion and doesn't even forget the necessary bit of mysicism..

Epilogue

The DIO tribute is well worth  - let's say - 30 to 50 spins and be it only to escape the reproach that my  taste in music is a bit single-sided. "Look here!", I can say proudly now, "count how many different bands I'm actually listening to!" Especially Axel Rudi Pell (Still I´m sad), ENOLA GAY (Heaven and Hell) and Angel Dust (Temple Of The King) left a deeper impression; I could well imagine visiting a concert of these.

Only one thing is left to do: I add the HOLY DIO CD carefully to our collection and allow myself a decent reward: RAINBOW RISING, full blast! [after having sent the children to our garden for building castles of sand, of course!]

I'd like to end this review with a very, very true sentence I've found on the 2nd page of the excellent HOLY DIO booklet:

IF YOU LOVE HARD ROCK AND HEAVY METAL YOU HAVE TO WORSHIP DIO !

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