Dio: Holy Diver (1983)
Dio's début album is a bona fide music masterpiece that I feel is fully deserving of its lauded status among fans - there's not a single weak track on it. It's one of my favourite records from the entire 80s metal scene.
A number of similar themes recurred time and again in Ronnie James Dio's oeuvre, both in his solo work and during his time with Black Sabbath.
His imagery-filled lyrics, often reminiscent of a time of chivalry and myth, celebrated an era in which magic could initiate real change and provide a voice to the voiceless.
Alongside fantastical dragons, rainbows, and women with evil eyes who were able to seduce or send men mad, you can find many dramatic ironies, with opposites that reflect or complement each other; e.g., light and dark, love and lust, good and evil, etc. In many ways, he used the genre of medieval high adventure to comment on timeless concerns.
In addition to that, he provided stories of people on the fringes of society who are unfairly judged and/or perceived as something to be respected, feared, or both. He delivers his vocals with such power and astounding self-belief that it doesn't matter if half the time the cryptic lyrics seem contradictory and/or may appear to make little sense on the surface.
From an alternative perspective, it encourages a deeper exploration, inspiring one to get inside the words and look at them from other angles. Through music, Ronnie Dio helped heal souls.
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