DVD REVIEW: DIO – Live In London 1993

Shane | 20 March 2014 | Reply

DVD REVIEW: DIO – Live In London 1993
Shock Entertainment
6.5/10

Some might have thought Ronnie James Dio had found himself in a bit of a rut in 1993. Oblivious to – or wilfully ignoring – the new grunge revolution, he took the latest version of his eponymous band Dio out on the road in support of their sixth album Strange Highways.

With ex-Dokken and War & Peace bassist Jeff Pilson on board, along with guitarist Tracy G and long-time drummer Vinny Appice, the band rock hard through a set that features classics from the Dio repertoire, a couple of Sabbath and a Rainbow favourite, and several songs from their latest record.

That it’s a performance out of step with the times shouldn’t deter fans of the late metal icon – Heavy music has rarely been in fashion in my lifetime, but still boasts enormous popularity.

And if the newer material is a bit lumpen next to iconic ball tearers such as Stand Up And Shout, The Mob Rules, Holy Diver, Heaven & Hell, Man On The Silver Mountain, The Last In Line and Rainbow In The Dark, then that’s more an acknowledgement of the sheer weight of Dio’s career highlights, rather than anything against this band at this time, and this is a fine performance well worthy of a modern release.