Venturing back into the spirit of Heavy Metal we get fired up with Dio's forth in as many years. Like a blast to the past we are whisked up back to that air of epic fantasy and big rock atmosphere fit for festival headliners. Its hard to think this band were once controversial and attacked on the grounds of being "satanic" music. It just seems like harmless good fun and that's what I had with this record. Now being more accustom to Ronnie James Dio's voice it was very easy to step into "Dream Evil", led by his pioneering charge, followed by rocking instrumentals and a subtle layer of 80s synth.
Much of what I said on "The Last In Line" could be said of this album too. I find Dio slips neatly into the selfless level of enjoyment fit for festival fist pumping and joyous escapism. Powerful, dramatic and full of Heavy Metal thunder the group sound completely in sync with one another, the riffs and song structures revolving around Ronnie's mighty soaring vocals which will have you at their mercy, bobbing your head and singing along with every word through a great set of choruses.
Four years on the production is a touch clearer and generally better. The keys on this album feel under realized, when they crop up they add another dimension to the sound what wasn't explored enough. "Night People" has a foggy organ-like synth subtly enhancing the atmosphere. On "All The Fools Sailed Away" they suddenly, without prompt, jumps into the track with a jiving, vibrant Prog Rock homage lead solo. It gave these songs an edge that didn't return often enough but in all fairness didn't hold this one back from being another Heavy Metal classic.
Favorite Songs: Sunset Superman, All The Fools Sailed Away
Rating: 7/10