Customer Reviews

Holy Dio: Tribute to Ronnie James Dio

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one of the best tribute albums I've ever heard; the caliber of the contributing artists is very high and the success rate is terriffic considering how inimitable Dio's voice is. It turns out that this is just a batch of well-written songs that can stand up to reinterpretation and sound all the better for it.

Highlights? Steel Prophet opens with a roar on Neon Knights, with great production value and enough energy to take you back to that feeling you had when you first popped Heaven & Hell in your tape deck. Hammerfall follows up with a great, uptempo rendition of Man on the Silver Mountain - I'm not a big Hammerfall fan, find their shtick a little silly, but they never sound more in their element than when they're ripping off Rainbow riffs, and so this is a natural fit for them. They really unleash the heaviness of the main riff.

Gamma Ray's LLR&R is amazing - opens with a glorious scream and tears it up, turned to 11 the whole way in one of the greatest ode-to-rock anthems ever. For my money, it's the best track on here, particularly since the production is so sharp and punchy.

Blind Guardian and Fate's Warning both do an excellent job bringing out the more progressive elements on their songs.

Doro's Egypt was a pleasant surprise; it has great, spacious atmosphere and her voice sounds beautiful throughout. It's one of the more impressive reinterpretations, and we gain new perspective on the song from hearing this version.

One last standout - Solitude Aeturnus takes Shame On the Night for a brilliantly doom-laden spin. Very, very heavy version of a song that I wasn't even that attracted to in its original incarnation.

Most of the other cuts are enjoyable and well above average in production and talent - the only outright flop for me was the weak Last In Line; and I didn't appreciate the speeded-up tempos for some of the Black Sabbath tunes. Nonetheless, outstanding album, sets the bar for tributes, it has had countless spins and still gets a lot of play.

When asked to think of great vocalists in rock, many alledged fans forget Ronnie James Dio; one of the first true "metal" frontmen. This tribute disc has some new twists on Dio, Sabbath and Rainbow staples. Steel Prophet's kick off of "Neon Knights" is explosive, followed by the quintessential Dio anthemn "Man On the Silver Mountain" by Hammerfall. The classics just keep coming..Jag Panzer, Primal Fear, Fates Warning and all just nail it with their renditions of Dio classics. The only dissapointment is why European guitarist Axel Rude Pell chose "Still I'm Sad", an old Yardbirds tune that is an "instrumental" on the first Rainbow album. Although Ronnie adds vocals to the song on the "Rainbow - Live On Stage" album, this is not a Dio song per se in the classic sense. It seems that Axel's main purpose to do this song was to show off his obviously finely crafted guitar virtuosity; but he would have been wise to select a more deserving track. Otherwise, the selections do not include any post-"Last In Line" numbers that are themselves Dio classics, such as "Rock n Roll Children" or "Sacred Heart" but thats nit-picking. This is a finely packaged, recorded and produced expose of Dio, any Dio fan should get this CD quickly.

Darn good,that is for a tribute release.But then again,I've always been a huge Dio fan anyway.I guess a lot of it has to do with maybe the contributing bands being an actual fan of the artist that is being paid homage to.Seems that tribute CD's really are all too common these days.Take it from me,'Holy Dio' is one of the better ones out there.Tracks I was quite impressed with were Steel Prophet's "Neon Knights"(one of my all-time metal favorites;I've even met Ronnie James Dio and told him about it),Primal Fear's "Kill The King",Solitude Aeturnus's "Shame On The Night" and Jag Panzer's "Children Of The Sea".Recommended if you're a Dio/Rainbow fan.

This CD ROCKS! Every song on this CD is excellent (except for one, which is OK). These bands breath new life into these "older" tunes. Beware of tribute CD's that you don't recognize any of the bands because they usually stink! This one is a definate keeper. I don't think I will ever tire of it. Thanks guys!

I Was reluctant to get this at first sight, as some tribute albums, which seem to be popping up all over, fall vitim to poor music, by poor bands. But, I picked it up, and looked at the back. Then I saw what a great set of power metal bands had contributed. ANd I bought it, and I listened. It is a great tribute. Steel Prohpet, and Hammerfall do great. I also enjoyed the Egypt version, done bo DORO, who I had not heard of, and now that i have, i'll look for more. This really is a good tribute, as there are none of the dull, clumsy, death metal versions. If you like good metal, get this thing. Cheers!

I know tribute albums are a dime a dozen these days, and most of them are just not worth it, but every once in a while you come across a real winner. Holy Dio is perhaps the best tribute album ever. Instead of the usual cast of unemployed 80's metallers giving halfhearted performances (Paul Di'Anno and Steve Grimmet, I'm talking to you!), Holy Dio is chock full of A-list metal bands paying tribute to the mighty Ronnie James Dio.

Most of the bands on this album are traditional metal and power metal bands, but that is a given considering Dio's influence on that genre. The bands cover classic songs from Black Sabbath, Rainbow, and Dio, and do so with lots of style and energy. I'm sure it's blasphemous to say this, but Blind Guardian's version of "Don't Talk to Strangers" might just be better than the original!

This excellent (and much deserved) tribute to Dio is a must-have for Dio fans, power metal fans, and just metal fans in general. Some of these covers have appeared elsewhere, but having them all collected in one package (with terrific cover artwork, too) makes Holy Dio a great compilation.

Edition Notes: The single-disc version of Holy Dio features covers by Steel Prophet, Hammerfall, Destiny's End, Fates Warning, Gamma Ray, Doro, Jag Panzer, Blind Guardian, Axel Rudi Pell, Primal Fear, Solitude Aeturnus, Enola Gay, Angel Dust and Catch the Rainbow. There is also a 2-disc version that adds covers by Dan Swano, Yngwie Malmsteen, Grave Digger, Holy Mother and Stratovarius. If at all possible, you should try and track down the 2-disc version.

This tribute album is simply amazing. All of the bands on this album are so good and so telented that sometimes it's hard to tell wether it is Ronnie James Dio or someone else. Hammerfall and Gamma Ray do an amazing job on "Man On the Silver Mountain" and "Long Live Rock 'N' Roll." This Disc is almost an anthology of Ronnie James Dio's greatest hits. It has songs from his early days in Rainbow, songs from when Dio was in Black Sabbath. And a few songs from when Ronnie went solo with his band Dio. This is one of the best tribute albums I have ever heard. It has an awesome mixture of Heavy Metal, and acoustic guitar throughout the Cd. You will surely get your moneys worth out of this Cd.

This has to truly be one of the greatest tribute discs put out in a long time. Great selection of bands such as Hammerfall, Blind Guardian, and Doro. Blind Guradian's version of Dont talk to strangersis simply amazing ! ...Dio fans from as far back as Rainbow to fans of his solo work will enjoy this disc as it spans every Dio era. Highly Recommended.

If you like/love RJD or Rainbow you will love this cd. Outstanding versions every one of them. Very true remakes but each song has it's own power & you will find that you will thrash this cd for a while. Great 80's metal with a 90"s+ sound. Don't hesitate to get a copy.

This collection is about the clearest 5-star rater I have seen in years.

Top artists, top recording. There are guitar sounds on here that I haven't heard anywhere else. Fates Warning, Swino/Tgtgren and Primal Fear particularly shine.

Be sure to get the 2-CD version! It seems there is a 1-CD version floating around where we Americans get protected from music we won't like. But it is missing "Country Girl" which is one of the best works on here.