Album Review: Dio - Holy Diver Live / Evil Or Divine
Reviewed by Paul Hutchings
Over ten years after Ronnie James Dio’s death, the only real surprise with these releases is that it’s taken so long. The first pair in a series of reissues of Dio’s entire catalogue arrives in the shape of the band’s two core live albums. ‘Evil or Divine, Live in New York City’ was originally recorded in 2002 on the ‘Killing the Dragon’ tour, released on DVD in 2003 and on CD in 2005. ‘Holy Diver Live’ was recorded on tour in 2005 and released in 2006. Neither album is available on streaming platforms in their original format, so these will fill a nice hole in the on-line catalogue.
Both albums overlap in terms of track listings. ‘Evil or Divine’ sees a mixture of classic tracks mixed songs from 2002’s ‘Killing the Dragon’ and 2000’s ‘’Magica’ whilst ‘Holy Diver Live’ sees the classic debut played in full. There’s a stable line-up for both recordings, with the only swap being Rudy Sarzo who replaced Jimmy Bain for the ‘Holy Diver Live’ record, whilst drummer Simon Phillips, guitarist Doug Aldrich and keyboardist Scott Warren are ever present.
The tracks from ‘Holy Diver’ never fade and it’s always a joy to hear them. The muscular versions of the Rainbow tracks are flashier and heavier but lack Blackmore’s finesse. Aldrich’s solo on ‘Man on The Silver Mountain’ on ‘Evil or Divine’ is another opportunity to skip forward, but his guitar work throughout both albums is superb, if typically, flashy. (It’s no wonder he ended up in Whitesnake).
Dio’s voice is superb on both albums as you’d expect, and the whole band is tighter than the proverbial duck’s rear end. Dio’s voice is less powerful on the latter release, the odd wavering note a sign of age, but he still provides a fine performance, and a 95% Dio was still fabulous.
Disappointingly ‘Holy Diver Live’ has always had the wrong running order. On the tour, the intro was followed by Tarot Woman, ‘The Sign of the Southern Cross’ and ‘One Night in the City’ before the classic debut was played in full. This hasn’t been addressed and the intro remains spliced onto ‘Stand Up and Shout’, rather than segueing into ‘Tarot Woman’, which makes the inclusion of the Rainbow track rather disjointed when it does appear halfway through the album. The silence between tracks is annoying, and the drum solos (sigh) are both earlier on these recordings than they were on the corresponding tours. It’s all a bit sloppy, and one wonders if the great man was happy with it when it was released and why it hasn’t been addressed for these reissues.
Aside from my miserable gripes, both albums are worthy listens. The sheer pomp and majestic delivery, along with the fact that most tracks are classic rock tracks makes it fabulous listen. Highlights include a great version of ‘Gates of Babylon’, dedicated to Cozy Powell, and the introduction of ‘The Sign of The Southern Cross’ greeted with a huge cheer from the audience. Can you ever tire of hearing ‘Stand Up and Shout’ or the imperious ‘Heaven and Hell’? Probably not. There are singalongs, solos, and extravagant flashes, all part of the Dio show for three decades. These reissues have their flaws, but you won’t be sorry if you spend a couple of hours reminding yourself of why today, Ronnie James Dio remains so very missed by many metal and rock fans.
