DIO – Holy Diver: Live [Digitally Remastered] (2021) *HQ*

As requested by many, here’s the mighty DIO official release “Holy Diver LIVE” recorded on 22nd October 2005, at the Astoria Theatre, London, UK. Originally released in 2006 and out of print, the recording has been fully remastered and comes with newly created cover art.
Recorded Live at the London Astoria, features the legendary DIO album “Holy Diver” performed live in its entirety plus DIO staples from across his career including BLACK SABBATH and RAINBOW classics.
”Holy Diver Live” is a magical memory of a unique night, with DIO performing its entire debut, classic LP. The band at the time was excellent, with Doug Aldrich on guitar, Rudy Sarzo on bass, Simon Wright on drums, and keyboardist Scott Warren.
We must say the sound quality has been incredibly improved, more detailed and clear than the original release.

Wendy Dio, who has served as the curator of Dio’s musical legacy and everything that relates to her late husband’s career (including the Ronnie James Dio hologram tour), says: “I am very excited to be working with BMG, a label that still has a passion for rock music. They will be making the complete DIO catalog available again with some interesting surprises.”

“Holy Diver Live” was recorded on the heels of the re-release of the remastered, original first outing by the band “Holy Diver”. So the timing was right for Ronnie and his gang to do something different, something unexpected, something fun. And so they did.
In the final leg of their British tour, they performed the “Holy Diver” album in its entirety for the first time, some of its songs having NEVER been performed live.

So, just as the original studio CD, this one opens with a powerful “Stand up and Shout”, which runs you over in a blink of an eye and sets the tone for the rest of the performance, fusing at the end with the immortal title track, which brilliantly brings the pace down for a true classic in the vein of Sabbath’s “Heaven & Hell”.
“Gypsy”, another fast and heavy track that quickly gets the blood rushing. It includes Simon Wright’s drum solo. “Don’t Talk to Strangers” is a masterpiece in any context, and here it’s no exception, slowly building up momentum and then shifting gears… brilliant.

“Straight through the Heart” is another highlight, just as powerful as its studio counterpart, really shinning in the live setting. “Invisible” is another one of my favorites, following a similar formula as “Don’t talk…”, starting slow and quiet and then slamming you right in the face, this is another winner.
And without a moment’s respite, the classic “Rainbow in the Dark” proves that time hasn’t taken any of its glory away.
Finally, the first CD closes with the slow burning “Shame on the Night”. This live version is awesome, also featuring and extended guitar solo spot that totally rocks.

The band fires up with great intensity: Simon Wright on drums (AC/DC, Rhino Bucket, UFO), Scott Warren (Berlin, Warrant) on keyboards, Rudy Sarzo (Ozzy, Quiet Riot, Whitesnake, etc) on bass and the (provisionally) reinstated Doug Aldrich on guitars (Lion, Whitesnake) filling in for the injured Craig Goldy. And of course, RDJ, one the finest voice in metal.
This band really kicked arse.

In addition to that, they played a selection of tracks spanning all of Ronnie’s legendary career (well, almost all… no Elf tracks here) and those songs are included here as the second CD, a true treat to Ronnie’s fans.
It includes some of the finest tunes ever to be graced with the man’s voice, and the performances are truly awesome: the band is absolutely killer throughout, even going as far as stealing some of the spotlight. Rainbow’s “Tarot Woman” makes what might very well be its very first ever live appearance, and it is fantastic! “The Sign of the Southern Cross”, while only partially performed, is a nice addition, and it meshes seamlessly with Dio’s own “One More Night in the City”.

Rainbow’s “Gates of Babylon”, one of the band’s greatest moments, is presented in all of its glory, the crown jewel of the show in my humble opinion. The timeless “Heaven & Hell” is another triumph, even superior to the version included in the live album by the band of the same name.
“Man on the Silver Mountain” begins the final stretch on the show in great fashion, including a snippet of “Catch the Rainbow” which quickly mutates into set closer “Long Live Rn’R”.
But before the lights come up, the band returns to finally bid farewell with Dio’s own “We Rock”, a powerful song and one of my favorites from the Dio catalog.

Disc 2 is, without a doubt, a treat in and by itself, worthy of the price of admission on its own. The band manages to reproduce the sound of the originals with great success, giving the perfect backup for RJD to really, REALLY shine, dare I say that even more so than on disc 1.
This is a weird statement to make, I know, but the truth is that Ronnie shines because the band shines: they complement AND compliment each other, they don’t take away from each other and in the end, they are the perfect blend, plain and simple.
And I have to say it one more time for the record: Doug Aldrich’s playing deserves special commendation: he manages to convincingly play those Tony Iommi / Ritchie Blackmore / Vivian Campbell riffs, licks and solos, but with a style of his own. Impressive.

Long live Rock n’ Roll. Long live Ronnie James Dio.
Highly Recommended

Disc I : ”Holy Diver” Live
01 – Intro
02 – Stand Up and Shout (Live)
03 – Holy Diver (Live)
04 – Gypsy
05 – Drum Solo (Live)
06 – Caught in the Middle (Live)
07 – Don’t Talk to Strangers (Live)
08 – Straight Through the Heart (Live)
09 – Invisible (Live)
10 – Rainbow in the Dark (Live)
11 – Shame on the Night (Live)
12 – Guitar Solo (Live)
13 – Shame on the Night [ending] (Live)

Disc II : Dio, Rainbow, Black Sabbath classics Live
01 – Introduction
02 – Tarot Woman (Live)
03 – Sign of the Southern Cross (Live)
04 – One More Night In the City (Live)
05 – Gates of Babylon (Live)
06 – Heaven and Hell (Live)
07 – Man on the Sliver Mountain (Live)
08 – Catch the Rainbow (Live)
09 – Long Live Rock ‘N’ Roll (Live)
10 – Ronnie Thanks His Fans
11 – We Rock (Live)

Vocals – Ronnie James Dio
Guitar – Doug Aldrich
Bass – Rudy Sarzo
Drums – Simon Wright
Keyboards – Scott Warren

Pre Order:
www.amazon.co.uk/Holy-Diver-Live-Dio/dp/B08K3YHZQW