DIO – The Very Beast Of Vol. 2

Label: Niji Entertainment

Release Date: October 9, 2012

Rating: 9/10

Reviewed by: ToddStar

There are legends of metal I respect based on their music and other that I respect based on accomplishment alone.  Dio has always fallen into the latter category.  I never really gave his body of work the attention it deserved.  I know his big hits, but the lesser known stuff never made it to my radar.  Man did I miss out.

This collection, labeled as Volume 2, contains tracks that may not be the “A” list tracks that get radio and video play, but these tracks are damn good.  From the galloping guitar riff and the familiar vibrato and snarl in Dio’s voice of disc opener “Killing The Dragon” to closer “The Prisoner Of Paradise,” this disc shows the many sides of Dio and his arsenal of musicians.  Many guitarists have moved through this line up, but here we are treated to Craig Goldy, Doug Aldrich, and Tracy G.  The vocals and lyrics are quintessential Dio.  The lyrics have always painted visual images for the listener, but on a few of these tracks, that is left to the musicianship.

“The Eyes” is a standout that is now a new favorite of mine.  I love the feel and groove created here.  “Shivers” is a track that has many of the parts that in the past equaled a Dio classic, but also has a different feel at the same time.  I am not sure why this one didn’t catch on.  The same could be said of “One More For The Road.”  These tracks really raise the bar in my opinion.  The two real surprises here are “As Long As It’s Not About Love” and “This Is Your Life.”  Ballad is not a word I would have associated with Dio, but these two tracks are among the best here.  Another plus to this disc are the bonus tracks, especially “Electra” and “Metal Will Never Die.”

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Category: CD Reviews