Customer Reviews

Sacred Heart

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Sure, you could argue that Dio's style has remained fairly constant and he does not have a tendency to "grow" stylistically. But I know one thing for sure: this is one guy who knows how to make metal. On Sacred Heart, he cranks out 9 great metal tunes, and he makes it seem easy. The truth is, while these songs do not shock you with stunning originality, they still rock you to the core. This music is not emotionally moving, but that's not the point!! The point is that it is hard rock, and it does just that: it rocks hard.

The best song on the album is definitely the title track, "Sacred Heart." It is in the vein of the title tracks of his last two albums, "Holy Diver" and "Last in Line." It is a slower, more epic composition, and it dominates!!! Other highlights are "King of Rock and Roll" and "Another Lie." However, there is not one bad track on here.

The band is in top form, as usual. The new keyboardist, Claude Schnell, is pretty cool; his sounds add a whole new element to the band's music. Sometimes they sound downright evil: check out the main riff to "Like the Beat of a Heart." And of course, Vivian Campbell tears it up on guitar.

Dio is one of the great voices of metal. His music, his lyrics, and his voice are almost definitive of the entire genre. Although he has better albums (Holy Diver, Killing the Dragon), it still seems that he can do no wrong.

Dio was my favorite metal vocalist in the 1980s and his was one of my favorite metal bands during that time. Still, I have to be more critical of this 1985 release than of his previous albums, and it appears a lot of fans agree. Sacred Heart cannot stand up to Holy Diver and The Last in Line. It is surprising to me that the album I consider to be Dio's best [Dream Evil] came out two years after this one. Some fans point to the use of keyboards as a reason to dislike this album. I don't mind keyboards/synthesizers in metal in fact, I like them (i.e. Iron Maiden's Somewhere in Time). Even the highly-touted The Last in Line included keyboards ("Mystery") albeit on one of its weakest tracks. I just don't think the music on Sacred Heart is that good. It doesn't rock as hard but it is not just that. I do not mind metal acts taking a softer approach, but the music here just seems stale to me. Even the best tracks off Sacred Heart do not blow me away with the possible exception of "Another Lie." I included my favorite Sacred Heart tracks on a Dio compilation tape, and always seem to fast-forward through most of them.

As with Dio's previous albums, he starts this one off with a heavy rocker. "King of Rock & Roll" is an awesome track. It sounds like it was recorded live with the roar of the crowd and the slightly-unpolished sound, but there is nothing on the album cover or insert that indicates if that was the case or if an audience was dubbed in. The reason I am reluctant to praise Sacred Heart because of this opening track is because the first version of this song I heard was off a 1986 various artist metal compilation tape entitled Heavy Metal Thunder. This version is definitely live and blows the album version out of the water. The compilation is out-of-print, but it is worth seeking out a used copy. The title track is good, but not spectacular and, at 6:27, it just drags. Dio seemed to center his live show around this track, with his face and distorted voice inside a crystal ball reciting an intro to the track and, of course, the giant dragon. I want to like the song, but it just falls flat. On the other hand, the track which follows ["Another Lie"] rocks! It is the best track on the album. "Rock `n Roll Children" is musically OK but, lyrically, is contrived and, among Dio's songs of sorcery and magic, seems a bit silly. It is a song about kids alone, without friends, "but they got rock `n roll"? Give me a break. The video also seemed silly. The young man, finally taking some responsibility by getting a job to pay for his guitar, ends up returning to his true being by rejoining his heavy metal girlfriend, who had accused him of "selling out," and chucking his uniform in the garbage...ooookay.

"Hungry for Heaven" was on the Vision Quest soundtrack and is definitely a radio-worthy track with lots of keyboards. I like the track. It is catchy with a very cool guitar solo. The rest of the album is unmemorable. I can barely remember how the tracks go. I do remember "Shoot Shoot" because it is so bad: "You can be free forever, so next time someone points a gun at you [does that happen very often?] say, `Shoot, shoot.'" The way Dio sings the word "shoot, shoot" is almost comical. I don't think Sacred Heart is a terribly bad album. It has its moments. It just does not meet the high expectations of Dio's previous albums and his next release [and best] Dream Evil.

The most underrated voice in rock, a stickler for top production and surrounded by top-flight session players at all times, Dio basically can't put out a "bad" album. But there's a wide range between "pretty decent" and "superb" and this is at the lowly decent side of things. A couple of standout songs are lost in a sea of keyboards and over-simplified radio-friendly riffing -- uncharacteriscally upbeat drivel, but it still sounds good. Just little to get excited about. The first two Dio albums are absolute classics of metal; Dream Evil is among the best guitar-oriented albums of the late 80s as well. Recently Dio's stylistic missteps have been to become too harsh and apocalyptic, but in the mid 80s it was trying too hard to score radio hits. Hopefully with Magica Dio is getting back to the Last In Line/Dream Evil style of which he is the undisputed master. Not bad, but not essential. Non-fans who want to check Dio out should start with Holy Diver, Dream Evil, Last In Line, or one of the import collections. Also Rainbow Rising, Rainbow On Stage, and Black Sabbath's Heaven and Hell...

Let me start things off by saying that this review is not by some music expert. I am an 80's metal fan, so maybe my opinion is biased by that fact. But take it from me, a 15 year old dude who hates so called "nu metal" and the other [stuff] they pass of for music these days...this albums rocks. If you are into real metal like me (Dokken, Ratt, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Dio, Yngwie Malmsteen, WASP, Stryper, Accept, Twisted Sister, Queensryche, Dio, AC/DC, Black Sabbath, ect...) then you will love this record. And of course, if you are Dio fan you SHOULD already own this CD. If not, go buy it immedietely if you like the Holy Diver/Last in Line style because this CD is just a continuation of that sound. It rocks!

Many metal fans (besides Dio's hardcore fans) don't seem to know what happened to Dio after 'Last in Line' was released. Many Dio albums after the exceptional Holy Diver and Last in Line were quickly forgotten. You don't hear too much about Dio after his first 2 albums, which is unfortunate because he had some really great albums after those 2. This is one of them.

Sacred Heart picks up right where Last in Line left off...a crushing rhythm section to back up Vivian Campbells monsterous riff and leads and Ronnie James Dio's emotional and intense vocals. On top of all this, lush keyboards add a sense of depth to the sound of the band. Speaking of the keyboards, the reason alot of people don't like this album is because there are more keyboards on this album than on the 2 previous albums. There's nothing wrong with this. I guess it's a matter of opinion. But this albums still rocks...and rocks hard.

Things kick off with 'King of Rock and Roll', which is the "anthemic" track. The 1st track on Holy Diver and Last in Line were those kind of tracks (stand up and shout....we rock). Great track. Next, following the pattern of HD and LIL, comes the title track, "Sacred Heart". This is a slower, crunchy metal tune that sounds similar to 'Holy Diver' but has a unique "mystical" sound to it. After this, Dio and crew rock through 7 more melodic heavy metal tunes. All complete with memorable melodies, pounding drums, solid bass, crushing guitar riffs and shreddin' solos. Sound good? Well, this description should be no suprise if you have listened to Dio before.

Alot of people think "Holy Diver" was the band's greatest album and it all went downhill from there. I only half agree with that. "Holy Diver" was and is their greatest album, but the albums that's followed weren't worse than...they continued making great albums that were of the same quality as "Holy Diver". The only difference was the sound of the band changed a bit. They added more keyboards, more songs were faster, more melodies, ect...I really don't understand the bad reviews this album has recieved from reviewers on this site. They claim "Holy Diver" is the best and this album [disappoints]. Well, despite adding more keyboards the style of the band has remained the same. Strong songwriting, awesome riffs, good solos, memorable melodies, ect...those things were very evident on Holy Diver, Last in Line, and they are still very evident on Sacred Heart.

If you into REAL (aka: 80's) metal, then I can't recommend this CD enough. It's just a good, solid piece of mid 80's heavy metal. If you are a Dio fan and you don't own this record I'd highly recommend you buy it. If you are not into 80's metal or Dio, I'd recommend a psychiatrist because there is something seriously wrong with you.

Bottom line: it rocks...buy it

Dio's third album, the 1985 release Sacred Heart, is the subject of a great deal of controversy amongst fans. While most seem to find it lacking, it's actually a very good album, although certainly not as solid as the first two.

THE PACKAGING: Instead of the demon mascot Murray that graced the jacket art on the previous two Dio releases, sacred heart instead features a dragon inside of a crystal ball. Very cool. The minimalist liner notes include a track listing, credits, and printed lyrics for the title track.

THE BAND: The same band that played on Last In Line is also featured here. Vinnie Appice pounds the skins, Jimmy Bain thumps the low notes, Claude Schnell tickles the ivories, Vivian Campbell twiddles the strings, and Ronnie James Dio shrieks to the heavens.

THE SOUND: This would be the last album to feature guitarist Vivian Campbell. While his playing is still excellent, it has to be said that it lacks the exuberance of his work on Holy Diver and Last In Line. He sounds as if he isn't really interested anymore. The virtuoso rhythm team of drummer Vinny Appice and bassist Jimmy Bain lays down solid, powerful and inventive grooves every bit as effectively as in the past, and Ronnie James Dio sings like the metal god that he is. Keyboardist Claude Schnell is featured much more prominently than before, making his presence felt with arching chords and textural bits that add a great deal to the semi-mystical aura. It should be noted that the increased use of keyboards is one of the major criticisms that fans level at this album, but I think in this case it works well. The album is well-recorded with RJD doing an excellent job on the production. For all the people clamoring for a remaster I'll simply quote Bob Dylan: "Modern production makes records sound bad." The recording is fine as it is.

THE SONGS: The songwriting isn't as consistent here as it was on the first two releases but fortunately there's a lot more good than bad; the first six songs are all great. "King Of Rock'n'Roll" is a great opener, the epic "Sacred Heart" features a standout vocal performance and a killer riff, and "Another Lie" just rocks. The best track here is "Rock'n'Roll Children", with a great melody and a lyrical theme similar to earlier classics like "Invisible" or "One Night In The City". I even like "Hungry For Heaven" despite it's somewhat pop-oriented flavor. "Like The Beat Of A Heart" is a great stomp-rocker. Things fall off a little bit after this. "Just Another Day" and "Fallen Angels" are good tracks but nothing special and "Shoot Shoot" is really pretty dreadful.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Of the three albums to feature the original Dio lineup this one is definitely the weakest. But that doesn't make it bad; the first two were metal masterpieces and NOBODY that I can think of maintains those kind of standards for three consecutive albums. Buy this for sure; the first six tracks will make you happy, the next two aren't that bad, and who knows... some people actually like "Shoot Shoot".

I really enjoyed Ronnie's first two albums, particularly "Holy Diver". However, this time out he starts to sound stale. If you have listened to his work with Rainbow and Sabbath along with the first two solo albums, you will have heard every idea here. Really, this is the album that lost it for me. I have not bought a Dio album since. Dull, dull, dull.

I guess this is typical Dio, but apparently does not really break new ground for him. If I'm accusing him of pulling an AC/DC, at least with them, they still have memorable songs even if they sound the same from album to album. I can't blame Mr. Dio for not wanting to fix something that isn't broke, but I wish he could have come up with some better songs.

When I first got this album, it was a gift from a friend when I was stationed in Turkey in the 80's. Though the album cover was great, the music just didn't seem to live up to the graphics.

As I just recently burned this to CD to play on my long commute to work, I find that a few careful listens reveal the songs to be much better than I first remembered. They are all good, but even after several listens, not all that memorable.

There is no one cut that really stands out for me, though overall, I could listen to it over and over again without too much grief. It's just missing a certain spark.

Still, recommended for Dio fans.

Dio's last album with Vivian Campbell. Great vocals but just terrible lyrics and the guitar work just doesn't measure up. This is where Dio's mystery lyrics get just downright annoying: meaningless and generic. 'Last In Line' is the last good album Dio made: avoid 'Sacred Heart' and everything released afterwards as it just doesn't measure up in music and the 'magic' lyrics just get cheesier and cheesier. Dio's best stuff is with Sabbath and Rainbow really. He also did two great tracks with Kerry Livgren on 'Seeds of Change': 'Living for the King' and 'Mask of the Great Deceiver.' That's something you wont hear anywhere else, Dio singing Christian rock!

This Dio's Japanese mini-lp replica version album is simply a work of art! Very beautifully designed with all the lyrics included and with a sound quality remastered to perfection.
This is by far the best version of this album, 24 BIT REMASTERS, only available for Japan in this format. A must have in any CD collector's library.
NOTE: Universal titles are highly limited!

Great Dio album, was the last one that was recorded with Vivian Campbell, an album based upon medieval magic and mystical dreams, totally awesome pure talent, with drumming, keyboards on sacred heart, rock&roll children, and hungry for heaven were magnificent, and of course the bass playing rocked with Dio's magnificent voice,lets not forget guitar. This isnt mediocre, a filler, this is pure DIo, sit down take the time to listen to it and get the feel its awesome, Up the Irons and Dios!!!