[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbXWr9C5rcU[/youtube]
Metal Insider contributor Anthony Maisano is listening to a different metal album that was released on that day every day this year. 27 years ago today, new guitarist Craig Goldy joined Dio to create Dream Evil.
This is Dio’s fourth album, and the first after his original guitarist Vivian Campbell left. Craig Goldy came in to join the band, in an otherwise unchanged lineup. This album is a MUCH darker album than any of Dio’s previous solo albums. This is especially the case after coming off of the fun, but very, very cheesy Sacred Heart album. Even the album cover hints at a pretty dark, dreary tone. The title track has always been a Dio title track that I think is very glanced over. I personally prefer it to the classic Dio title tracks, as great as “Holy Diver” and “The Last in Line” are. “All the Fools Sailed Away” is a true Dio epic that just builds up with an amazingly strong chorus that even has a children’s choir behind it in the later stages. “I Could Have Been a Dreamer” is the pretty obvious single of the album, and it’s really uplifting for an otherwise dark album. Even though I think the chorus of “Naked in the Rain” is too cheesy, the verses might be some of the darkest Dio has ever written.
I hear “Man on the Silver Mountain” in the intro of “Overlove,” meanwhile friends of mine hear the same song in the intro of the title track. In general, this album may be a bit to depressing for fans of the previous Dio albums, as it dialed back a fair amount on the fast paced hard hitting intensity of the ones that came before. Not only that, but the album still retains some classic Dio cheese, however, this time, it doesn’t fit with some of the more somber messages on the album. The closer, “When a Woman Cries,” is easily the low point on the album, and seems like a filler track after a mostly really solid album.
Favorite Tracks: “All the Fools Sailed Away,” “Dream Evil,” “Naked in the Rain,” “I Could Have Been a Dreamer,” “Night People,” “Faces in the Window.”
I’ve always really enjoyed this album. While I’ve rarely heard it poorly received, it often doesn’t get near the credit Dio’s first three albums do, and yet I think it’s certainly stronger than Sacred Heart, and if it’s not on par with Holy Diver and The Last in Line, it’s definitely close. In any case, I believe this is a great addition to Dio’s solo library, and if you haven’t yet listen to it, and you enjoy Ronnie, give this one a listen. It might just be a bit more somber than you’re used to from Dio.
