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1.
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The Last in Line - The Last In Line (We're off to the witch! And we may never, never, never, come home! Even the non-metalheads in my life seem to love this song.) |
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2.
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Holy Diver - Holy Diver (I mean... What to say? Otherworldly, spooky intro. Hits like a brick. An all-time vocal performance. So quotable. Takes you to some other plane of existence for a moment (the midnight sea, perhaps?). Transcendental escapism. RIIIIIIIDE the tiger. Great solo. Made it into South Park. Amazing.) |
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3.
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Rainbow in the Dark - Holy Diver (The song that made me first fall in love with Dio. When I was 16, I was required to write a "faith statement" to complete my 2-year confirmation into the Lutheran Church. By this time, I was pretty well jaded by the whole Christianity thing, so I used choice lyrics from this song and others by Dio and Iron Maiden to spice up the text. Example: Without Jesus as a light in my life, I am but a rainbow in the dark... It was then posted in the foyer of the church for a week and most of the congregation read it. I got many compliments.) |
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4.
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Egypt (The Chains) - The Last In Line (Sounds so appropriately ancient. Some might say it plods, but personally I never get bored. The lyrics tell a fun fantasy story, but are also easily applicable to real life, as they hint at things that hold us back for whatever reason. This is not always true of Dio's lyrics.) |
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5.
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Don't Talk to Strangers - Holy Diver (Took me awhile to “get,” but once I did, what a song! Love The Charismatic Voice’s reaction video on YouTube for this one. She talks about how there’s often a message in the voice that contradicts the literal message of the lyrics, and Dio accomplishes that beautifully here.) |
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6.
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Hungry for Heaven - Sacred Heart (Pop metal at its best. Great example of so many things Dio does well: it’s epic, inspiring, metaphorical, philosophic, cheesy, and FUN. Great solo too. On the downside, it’s a pretty obvious recycling of “Mystery” but… I’m overlooking that because it's so much better than its spawn song.) |
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7.
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This is Your Life - Angry Machines (Beautiful song. This is Dio as Paul McCartney. It’s so out of place on its album, Angry Machines, which in this case is a very good thing because Angry Machines is awful.) |
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8.
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Rock n' Roll Children - Sacred Heart (Endearing storytelling. Poppy, sure, but really fun.) |
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9.
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Throw Away Children - Killing The Dragon (The product of Dio and his wife working with an NGO that combats the sex trafficking of minors. One of Dio's most personal/heartfelt songs. It's not often that Dio songs directly relate to the real world, but maybe he should have done more of it. The kids' choir at the end is icing on the cake.) |
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10.
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All the Fools Sailed Away - Dream Evil (Brings a true variety of musical ideas, which often lacks in Dio, yet maintains the band's trademark epic-ness. Surprisingly deep lyrics.) |
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11.
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We Rock - The Last In Line (Fills the same function as "Stand Up and Shout" as an up-tempo rocker to kick things off for their second album, but otherwise they’re different songs, and I think it’s better. For one, the inclusive *We* means the band and the audience all rock together. Different than, say, Queen's “We Will Rock You," in which the band rocks the audience. For this reason, I also don’t mind that the chorus is repeated over and over, but I could see how it could get repetitive and fail to hold one's attention.) |
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12.
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Jesus, Mary, and the Holy Ghost - Strange Highways (Takes up a couple of listens to digest, as it's pretty different, but then it kicks ass. The lyrics are ridiculous but really work, in a Dio way. Love the initial pause and then smash of sound. Very creative shifts of pace/rifts. The ending is especially wild. I think they're trying to simulate cutting the cross, which is really cool and brings the song to a different level.) |
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13.
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Strange Highways - Strange Highways (Slow and doomy in a good way. True to the title, there’s a lot of strangeness on Strange Highways (the album), and this song is the one the rest orbit around. The vocals are rougher than early Dio, but they're a great fit. On the downside, it’s a tad too long.) |
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14.
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Eriel - Magica (Really well constructed, with lots of different yet harmonious parts. Nice drumming and marching pace. Like the violin at the end. On the downside, maybe a tad long, and doesn’t totally work as a standalone song apart from the album concept.) |
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15.
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Dream Evil* - Dream Evil (Good vibe, like easy listening metal. Perfect sound effect near the 3:00 mark. The singing is sublime. Minus points for the song starting almost exactly like "Man on the Silver Mountain.") |
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16.
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Fever Dreams - Magica (Hard hitting riff, poetic lyrics. Its solo in the mid-section is a bit underwhelming, though.) |
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17.
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Straight Through the Heart - Holy Diver (An exceptionally aggressive attack on the ears. This was my 3rd favorite Dio song back in early high school when I bought “The Very Beast of Dio” with the demonic Mareep on it. Furious riff. Furious drumming. Furious vocals.) |
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18.
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Give Her the Gun - Strange Highways (The spiritual predecessor to "Throw Away Children." Dio must’ve been quite passionate in his anti-child trafficking activism, because it really shows in the music. While "Throw Away Children" is more melancholy, this song is pure anger. (SIMPLY UNFORGIVABLE, DESTRUCTION OF THE HEART!). The revenge for the oppressed element is very Tarantinoesque. Give the sexually abused child a fucking gun! The music is generally great, too. Nice atmospheric elements. Builds up and down awesomely. However, the solo in the middle-section is utterly pointless and doesn’t fit the song at all.) |
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19.
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Losing My Insanity - Magica (Uses an Irish folk riff that could have really shit the bed, but they pull it off. Minus points for not fitting Magica's concept very well.) |
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20.
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Stand Up and Shout - Holy Diver (One of the prototypes for power metal album openers and the chords are in so many other metal songs, too (eg. "2 Minutes 2 Midnight"). Sometimes it kind of flushes over me by the end, though. Doesn't always keep my attention.) |
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21.
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Caught in the Middle - Holy Diver (Bonus! Really pleasant song. Fun intro riff. Bridge and chorus are fun too. I can play it for my parents and they won't tell me to turn it off. Not cheesy either. The favorite of one of my friends.) |
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22.
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Bring Down the Rain - Strange Highways (Another bonus! A slow grinder that will grow on you. Seems to have a cult-like appreciation from some fans.) |
