Did Dio turn to shit after Dream Evil?

[SchenkerFan]

Nothing he did after was as good as his 80s albums. Not even Sacred Heart. There was some good stuff, but every album had a few too many dull filler songs.

[Michael Hotts Ghost]

It could be argued that Sacred Heart was a dud.

Dream Evil and Lock Up the Wolves were pretty terrible. Had a slight come back with Strange Highways, things got pretty grizzly after that.

[Love_Industry]

My vote is for yes. Dream Evil vas good. Better than Sacred Heart which has a lot of filler in the 2nd half.

Every album after Dream Evil is worse than any of the first four. Angry Machines may be the worst, I never liked Tracy G on guitar and the songs are repetitive.

He still had the voice though and was pretty good live.

[Bono Nettencourt]

My vote is for yes. Dream Evil vas good. Better than Sacred Heart which has a lot of filler in the 2nd half.

Every album after Dream Evil is worse than any of the first four.

[Spongie]

I thought Killing the Dragon was good. Best of the later years anyway.

[EzyRider]

I'm a huge DIO fan but I'm with you. Didn't seem to bring the 'rawk'.

It's entirely possible 'The Devil You Know' is better (as Heaven and Hell w/ half the Sabbath crew), but I don't remember that being a barn burner either. Worth a re-listen?

[NeonKnite]

Dream Evil and Lock Up the Wolves were pretty terrible.

I beg to differ. I think DREAM EVIL is an excellent album with some truly great songs on it. "All The Fools Sailed Away" is one of my all time favorite DIO songs. Not a bad song on the album even if it didn't hit the heights of his first two.

LOCK UP THE WOLVES is pretty uneven, maybe half good and half not good. Definitely his weakest album to date. That said, there are some fantastic songs on it. "Born On The Sun", "Why Are They Watching Me" and "My Eyes" are all absolutely fucking great. "Hey Angel" is really good. The titles track is good, but takes way too long to get going. Rowen Robertson has a great crunchy guitar sound and plays his ass off. I would have liked to see another album with Rowen.

Had a slight come back with Strange Highways, things got pretty grizzly after that.

It don't see this album as a comeback at all. It's his second worst album after ANGRY MACHINES. He was trying to cop a bit of the Iommi Sabbath sound on this one, but I just cannot stand most of Tracy G's playing. And the songs aren't DIO. Aside from a song or two, it's just not an album I ever cared for. ANGRY MACHINES is worse though, almost entirely crap.

MAGICA was the start of him getting back to his sound after albums where he tried not to be DIO. I liked it at the time, but I don't think it's aged well. It's too slow and plodding overall. I think "Killing The Dragon" was another step and has it's moments. Overtime, however, I think "Master of the Moon" is the best of all three of those final albums. If you give it a chance, there's some great stuff on it.

[SchenkerFan]

Dream Evil and Lock Up the Wolves were pretty terrible.

I beg to differ. I think DREAM EVIL is an excellent album with some truly great songs on it. "All The Fools Sailed Away" is one of my all time favorite DIO songs. Not a bad song on the album even if it didn't hit the heights of his first two.

LOCK UP THE WOLVES is pretty uneven, maybe half good and half not good. Definitely his weakest album to date. That said, there are some fantastic songs on it. "Born On The Sun", "Why Are They Watching Me" and "My Eyes" are all absolutely fucking great. "Hey Angel" is really good. The titles track is good, but takes way too long to get going. Rowen Robertson has a great crunchy guitar sound and plays his ass off. I would have liked to see another album with Rowen.

I don't think Lock Up The Wolves is terrible but it was a huge step down. I bought it based on the strength of WIld One, thinking the rest of the album was going to be like that. It actually starts off pretty well, the first 3-4 songs are good. After that there are a few really dull, plodding songs. It's like he was trying to do Sabbath-like epic songs but all we got was long tracks that went nowhere. I think outside of Sabbath he was never particularly good at the slower, more doomy stuff. Whether that's on him or not having the right co-writers I'm not sure. Rowan Robertson was a typical young flashy player and that stuff may not have been what he was best at.

[Whatever Happened To…]

Sacred Heart was a big comedown after Last In Line, the keyboards being so upfront and the weak production really neutered that album. The lyrics were a bit fey, even for Dio. That and the Intermission EP disrupted any momentum Dio had, then Dream Evil killed it completely. There was just too much other great music coming out at that time, and Dio quickly became irrelevant.

I'm listening to Last In Line right now and even that's not as great as I remembered. Quite a bit of filler.

[SchenkerFan]

I'm a huge DIO fan but I'm with you. Didn't seem to bring the 'rawk'.

It's entirely possible 'The Devil You Know' is better (as Heaven and Hell w/ half the Sabbath crew), but I don't remember that being a barn burner either. Worth a re-listen?

I thought The Devil You Know suffered from the same problem. I never got why some people think it's so great. It's like 13: sounds like a band trying to be Sabbath rather than Sabbath itself. I'll take Dehumanizer over it any day.

[CrankerBait]

I kind of forgot about Dio after Holy Diver and The Last In Line. The later stuff I've listened to isn't exactly "shit", but none of it is as good as the first two albums.

[NeonKnite]

I thought The Devil You Know suffered from the same problem. I never got why some people think it's so great. It's like 13: sounds like a band trying to be Sabbath rather than Sabbath itself. I'll take Dehumanizer over it any day.

THE DEVIL YOU KNOW was a huge let down. 13 is WAY better than TDYK. I actually think there are some damn good songs on 13. Vinnie Appice said TDYK suffered because they were never all in the same room / place when recording it. I've barely listened to it in the years since it's release. I probably should revisit it sometime.

DEHUMANIZER is a masterpiece of you ask me.

[LAglamrocker]

Dream Evil “The Book Of Heavy Metal” could be best song and video last 2 decades

[FreddyFender]

80's albums - kick ass.

90's albums - absolute fuckin' garbage.

2000's albums - kick ass.

[kwf]

He said everything he had to say on those first two albums

[EzyRider]

...sounds like a band trying to be Sabbath rather than Sabbath itself...

Speaking of which - have you ever heard Orchid?? It's like listening to some long lost 70's Sabbath tapes or something. It's pretty good!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orchid_(heavy_metal_band)

[FreddyFender]

Fever Dreams from the 2000s fuckin' rips. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAY3DCizvh0

Dio eventually figured out the he just needed to keep doing what he was doing on Dream Evil and everyone would be happy. Shame Ozzy wasted 20+ years trying to be Rob Zombie/FFDP.... could have churned out some excellent stuff.

[Velvis]

I always felt there was a drop off that started after Holy Diver. Last In Line was ok, Sacred Heart was worse, and it just went downhill from there.

I did pick up Lock Up The Wolves for 99 cents once grunge hit and used CD stores were desperate to get rid of 80's bands. Wild One was a decent tune but I don't remember much else. I would have never of bought it if it wasn't .99 cents.

That was it for me for Dio, but a friend of mine continued to buy all the following releases and every time we would hang out I'd catch a listen it was always some dull plodding snoozefest of a song. As time went on, they seemed to get duller, more plodding, and slower.

I started calling him Ronnie James Dullo.

[Wiseacre]

I kind of forgot about Dio after Holy Diver and The Last In Line. The later stuff I've listened to isn't exactly "shit", but none of it is as good as the first two albums.

Same. And if GhostGuy likes the rest you know it must be shit.

[EzyRider]

I'm a huge DIO fan but I'm with you. Didn't seem to bring the 'rawk'.

It's entirely possible 'The Devil You Know' is better (as Heaven and Hell w/ half the Sabbath crew), but I don't remember that being a barn burner either. Worth a re-listen?

I thought The Devil You Know suffered from the same problem. I never got why some people think it's so great. It's like 13: sounds like a band trying to be Sabbath rather than Sabbath itself. I'll take Dehumanizer over it any day.

I gave 'The Devil You Know' a re-listen.

I made it through the first 4 songs, clicked through 'rock and roll angel' (that one is really bad), and quickly lost interest after that. Switched to Orchid for a while, and Uriah Heep's latest is on now (review: awesome old hippie music)

[NeonKnite]

I kind of forgot about Dio after Holy Diver and The Last In Line. The later stuff I've listened to isn't exactly "shit", but none of it is as good as the first two albums.

Same. And if GhostGuy likes the rest you know it must be shit.

Yes, because someone that devoted months to a silly amateur remix of Music from The Elder is the arbiter of good taste.

[aznsquirt]

Lock Up The Wolves was the first Dio album I listened to, and loved it, so I have a huge soft spot for it.

I also was a huge fan of the Tracy G era.

[HueyRamone]

No.

he turned to shit after The Last In Line.

[Bono Nettencourt]

Dream Evil and Lock Up the Wolves were pretty terrible.

I beg to differ. I think DREAM EVIL is an excellent album with some truly great songs on it. "All The Fools Sailed Away" is one of my all time favorite DIO songs. Not a bad song on the album even if it didn't hit the heights of his first two.

I agree. Dream Evil was the album he needed to make in '85... kinda like Detonator was the album RATT needed to make in '88. Fans are fickle and it only takes one bad album to turn'em away.

[Ryan81]

I'll take Dehumanizer over it any day.

DEHUMANIZER is a masterpiece of you ask me.

Agreed. Dehumanizer has some really good stuff on it. It was definitely a grower album for me as at first I wasn't that impressed. I think it's a great sounding album as well.

It's a shame that they split again after the tour because of the Ozzy thing. I think Dio was the one in the wrong on that. Suck it up and open for Ozzy for a couple of nights. Big deal. It would've been his chance to "blow him off the stage."

[NeonKnite]

It's a shame that they split again after the tour because of the Ozzy thing. I think Dio was the one in the wrong on that. Suck it up and open for Ozzy for a couple of nights. Big deal. It would've been his chance to "blow him off the stage."

I can see it both ways. It's definitely a powerplay from Ozzy/Sharon to suggest his former band should open for him.

DIO just had more pride than Iommi/Butler. I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing.

Sabbath had churned out a decade of mostly subpar stuff by 1992. They finally get one of their two best singers back and instead of being content, they decide to open for their former singer. Who does that? And as we all know, Ozzy had no intentions of retiring. It was all bullshit. In retrospect, Dio did the right thing if you ask me.

[EzyRider]

It's a shame that they split again after the tour because of the Ozzy thing. I think Dio was the one in the wrong on that. Suck it up and open for Ozzy for a couple of nights. Big deal. It would've been his chance to "blow him off the stage."

I can see it both ways. It's definitely a powerplay from Ozzy/Sharon to suggest his former band should open for him.

DIO just had more pride than Iommi/Butler. I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing.

Sabbath had churned out a decade of mostly subpar stuff by 1992. They finally get one of their two best singers back and instead of being content, they decide to open for their former singer. Who does that? And as we all know, Ozzy had no intentions of retiring. It was all bullshit. In retrospect, Dio did the right thing if you ask me.

The silver lining was seeing Sabbath with Halford fronting, belting out bruisers like Mob Rules, Symptoms of the Universe, and Neon Knights. I was at the show in Costa Mesa and it was like 'WTF is happening here??' in a completely unexpected and totally awesome way. Will never forget that one!!

[Love_Industry]

Sabbath had churned out a decade of mostly subpar stuff by 1992. They finally get one of their two best singers back and instead of being content, they decide to open for their former singer. Who does that?

Good point, that was weird and like Kiss would open for Vinnie Vincent Invasion in 87-88.

But Headless Cross and Tyr were way better than Dehumanizer or anything they did after that. They also felt like a cohesive band again. I understand Iommi, those albums and tours didn't sell shit and were on some Mickey Mouse label when Warner came waving a wad of cash for a Dio reunion album - after he himself bombed with Lock Up the Wolves.

But Dehumanizer still sucked and I don't know what they were going for but it wasn't retro Sabbath. Dio didn't even try to sing and write lyrics like for H&H/MR.

[NeonKnite]

But Headless Cross and Tyr were way better than Dehumanizer or anything they did after that. They also felt like a cohesive band again. I understand Iommi, those albums and tours didn't sell shit and were on some Mickey Mouse label when Warner came waving a wad of cash for a Dio reunion album - after he himself bombed with Lock Up the Wolves.

But Dehumanizer still sucked and I don't know what they were going for but it wasn't retro Sabbath. Dio didn't even try to sing and write lyrics like for H&H/MR.

DEHUMANIZER is fucking great. It's full of great songs and it has a unique sound to it that I love and is unlike the first two Sabbath Dio albums.

Everything with Tony Martin is "meh". A few things here and there are solid, but he sounds like a parody of a metal singer to me.

[SchenkerFan]

I love the Martin stuff as well as Dehumanizer. Dehumanizer is like the heaviest Sabbath album. I can't think of something that sounds like it. Would have been nice if they had continued along those lines. Instead we got some of the worst Sabbath and Dio stuff after that.