Clean Stripes

Okay folks, welcome to Dio Holy Diver, take a seat, loosen any clothing that will restrict rapid movement of your head, turn off your phones and all sense of irony, then prepare to rock really hard. Welcome to some proper metal.

Ride the tiger
You can see his stripes but you know he's clean
Oh, don't you see what I mean?

Not really Ronnie, but we’ll try again later.

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Before this morning I hadn’t played Holy Diver for years. My bad. It is absolutely superb, attacking right from the very opening riff to ‘Stand Up And Shout’ to the closing funereal strut of ‘Shame On the Night’.

My way in to Dio came later than Holy Diver, via the single ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Children’ and later still the LP Dream Evil which was a big one for all the rockers on my school bus*. Somewhere in a land far, far away Mrs 1537 saw him slay a dragon at Donnington in 1987. I bought Holy Diver on a whim in 2004, an original copy missing the inner sleeve and it knocked my little socks off.

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Dio says in one of the interviews attached to the re-released Holy Diver that he always loved British guitarists, more inclined to take risks and be inventive, while US guitarists at the time were more interested in playing at a million miles an hour and sounding like Eddie Van Halen. Well he came up all aces with Vivian Campbell. Just 20 when Holy Diver was released he is superb, great riffs, incendiary lead playing and a good blues rock based feel on the slower tracks. Wow.

Allying Campbell’s playing to an experienced rock solid rhythm section of Jimmy Bain and Vinnie Appice, Dio really were a formidable outfit. The singer was okay too.

Jump on the tiger
You can feel his heart but you know he's mean
Some light can never be seen, yeah

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Dio is incredible twice over on Holy Diver, his voice is spectacularly good throughout and the production on the LP is just superb, no irritating 80’s quirks or sounds to date it; just a great, strong-sounding clear recording.

Hearing Dio sing on his first album as true bandleader you get to hear the full in-your-face turned-up-louder-than-anything-else glory of his voice, now there weren’t any pesky Blackmores or Iomnis to turn it down in the mix. Predictably the results are as subtle as an orc and as strong as one of those chaps from Moria.

As usual Dio’s lyrics cause much merriment, although there is markedly less swords and sorcery on Holy Diver than you might expect and more self-empowerment, we do of course get another song where Dio references gypsies (‘She could crack your brain/with magic pain’), the man was obsessed! It is a testament to the power of his delivery and absolute sincerity that you don’t really notice how many of the lyrics are endearingly daft images piled up as high as they will go. I have always loved the way that every word he delivered was clear, it’s a remarkable skill when he’s at full pelt and pitch.

Songs? oh yes, there’s a few of those here. Personal faves include:

• Don’t Talk To Strangers: Love the whole quiet/LOUD dynamic, awesome riffage.
• Rainbow In The Dark: Something about that jarringly crap keyboard riff welded to such a powerful pop metal track just works.
• Holy Diver: Even dafter lyrics than usual gild this purposeful slower track.
• Invisible: Just because**.
• Straight Through The Heart: Vinnie Appice is the real star here and Campbell adds some awesome tricks and squeals around the edges

But let’s be fair it’s all really great. For my money though the opener, ‘Stand Up And Shout’ that kicks down the doors is the best thing here and probably my favourite all-time Dio track. It’s just laced with excitement and intent, subtlety be damned – make it faster, make it louder, make it flashy, just make it! Easily one of the very best rock tracks of the 80’s.

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As I don’t want to use this month’s stock of superlatives all in one go, I will leave Holy Diver right here and ride my tiger home; it needs a wash. If you don’t own this album, you really should treat yourself to it. Amen.

1151 Down.

PS: Because I love you. Although all of Dio’s music videos around this time are just hilarious beyond all measure.

*one of my chums even got to see Dio play at the Newport Centre and came back with a tour programme and tour T-shirt, to all our envy.

**this is precisely the award winning^ rock criticism you come here for. ‘In the palace of the virgin / Lies the chalice of the soul’, sayeth Mr Dio.

^Best Rock Reviews – With Lego Accoutrements: 2013-4, Classic Rock Lego Weekly magazine. Runner up 2014-5, Highly commended 2019-20, Lifetime ban imposed 2021 onwards.