Top 10 Favorite Dio Albums

[itsthatbradguy]

From his work with Rainbow, Black Sabbath/Heaven and Hell, and Dio.

1. Dream Evil (1987): In my opinion, the first 5 tracks on this album are some of the greatest works that Dio ever produced. Sunset Superman is one of my favorite songs of all time. Night People, Dream Evil, All the Fools Sailed Away, and Naked in the Rain are all A-class songs. I Could Have Been a Dreamer and When a Woman Cries are also solid tracks.

2. Dehumanizer (1992): Not a weak track on the album. Computer God is a Sabbath classic. Great tracks in TV Crimes, Letters from Earth, Sins of the Father, Too Late, I, and Buried Alive make this one of my favorite Sabbath albums ever, and one of Dio's greatest works.

3. Heaven and Hell (1980): Probably his signature work in his Black Sabbath days. Heaven and Hell, Neon Knights, and Die Young are classics and helped define a new era of Sabbath. Children of the Sea, Lady Evil, and Lonely is the Word also deserve to be mentioned in the list of Dio's best songs working with Iommi. Geezer's playing on Lady Evil is some of his greatest work.

4. Holy Diver (1983): The album he is likely best known for amongst casual metal fans, and deservedly so. He launched his solo career in style with excellent songs like Holy Diver, Don't Talk to Strangers, Rainbow in the Dark, and Shame on the Night.

5. The Mob Rules (1981): Sign of the Southern Cross is my favorite Sabbath song ever, and is a great exclamation point to what is a very underrated album. Voodoo, the Mob Rules, and Falling off the Edge of the World are great tracks, and E5150 is my favorite Sabbath instrumental.

6. Rainbow Rising (1976): Usually two back to back LONG tracks will lose my attention, not the case with the duo of Stargazer and A Light in the Black (both topping 8 minutes). Stargazer is, in my opinion, one of Dio's best performances. The first four tracks are also some of his better works with Rainbow, whole album is solid.

7. Lock Up the Wolves (1989): This album makes the list because it is very unique in it's sound. Dio rebuilt his lineup and took on a more bluesy sound, and his voice that is distinctly tied to heavy metal waling meshes well with the new sound, which I think is a testament to his well roundedness and talent as a musician. Very underrated album, Hey Angel, Between Two Hearts, Lock Up the Wolves, and the entire last half of the album get a spin in my CD player at least 5 times a month.

8. Strange Highways (1994): Gives off the same doomy heavy feel that Dehumanizer does, but without the same talent in supporting cast like he had with Sabbath. Either way, Jesus, Mary, and the Holy Ghost, Strange Highways, and Hollywood Black are some of his best works in his later years.

9. The Devil You Know (2009): Excellent closeout to a wonderful career. Bible Black is an awesome track, and Rock and Roll Angel gives off the feel of his older days with Sabbath. Fear, The Turn of the Screw, and Eating the Cannibals are some of the most melt your face off awesome Sabbath tracks since Dehumanizer.

10. Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (1975): Very different from the rest of the albums on the list. I enjoy the more melodic songs of Catch the Rainbow and Temple of the King a lot, probably some of my favorite songs whenever Dio gives this type of song a go. Of course, my favorite track on the album is the song that put Dio on the rock & roll map, Man on the Silver Mountain.

Honorable Mentions: Long Live Rock 'n Roll, Magica, The Last in Line

[Gardener]

6. Rainbow Rising (1976): Usually two back to back LONG tracks will lose my attention, not the case with the duo of Stargazer and A Light in the Black (both topping 8 minutes). Stargazer is, in my opinion, one of Dio's best performances.

I completely agree with you on this. The funny thing is, while almost everyone thinks these two songs (and most especially "Stargazer") were probably the best songs Ronnie ever recorded, he actually didn't like them. I remember him saying in an interview that he liked the first side of "Rising" a lot but that the second side were just "a bunch of musicians indulging themselves". Weird how a song regarded as a masterpiece by almost every rock fans since the mid 70s can be discarded that way by one of its creators.

[Riffs]

My own list:

1. Heaven and Hell (1980)

That album is so amazing. Combining a classic rock sound with the energy of heavy metal. The lyrics are great, the melodies are catchy and moving and beautiful, the riffs are timeless. The songs have proven live that they can take a new life and morph into something even more majestic.

2. Mob Rules (1981)

I think this album was criminally underrated for many years. The engineering and he direction may have been a little unsettling for fans back then and clueless critics panned it as uninspired. In reality, this was one of Sabbath's last and boldest experiment. It also marks the beginning of Ronnie's exploration of harsher vocals, while still retaining the very melodic quality of his voice. This is one dark and powerful album. IMO, this is without a doubt the HEAVIEST record Dio ever participated in, even though later work benefitted from modern production.

3. Holy Diver (1983)

Christ... I can't believe I'm ranking such a masterpiece in third place! Most recognized bands wuld be lucky if their best song ever was as good as the worse track here. That's just a testament to how great Dio is/was that this album ranks here. It combines the best of what Dio learned from his earlier bands, especially Sabbath and Raibow, and continues to forge ahead. This is the golden age of heavy metal.

4. Long Live Rock 'n' Roll (1978)

Maybe a nostalgic pick. The first Rainbow album I heard. Many songs stuck with me. This is definitely a classic sound with lots of memorable tracks. Reminds me a bit of Heaven and Hell as far as production and mood is concerned. Gates of Babylon is one of my favorite Dio songs ever. This is majestic music that will also live on forever.

5. The Last in Line (1984)

Yeah, the quality drop is still very small. I know We Rock is a somwhat cheesy song but I still think it's one of the best metal songs of all time. Vivian Campbell secures his place as one of the greatest guitarists of all time in just two albums.

6. Rising (1976)

I know a few guys who consider this one of the greatest record of all time. It almost doesn't make sense to see it 6th but here it is for me. This is pushing the boundaries big time and probably the album that really got Dio the respect he deserved.

7. Dehumanizer (1992)

This album is very much like a brilliant moment in a dark era of music. At a time where metal was in decline and where artists were creatively shut down, Dio, Iommi and Butler reunite. The songs are like nothing anyone ever did. The production is also bold and like nothing before or since. Very courageous and experimental considering these guys were legends. They reinvented themselves and proved pure metal wasn't dead. It was just abandoned.

8. Lock up the Wolves (1990)

Not remotely as good as the seven albums on this list but better than most metal albums out there. Some nice experimentation with songs but nothing revolutionary going on. The best songs on the albums are amazing but the fillers prevent it from being great.

9. Dream Evil (1987)

Another noticable quality drop for me. The songs are nice but something is missing. Maybe if a Blackmore, Iommi or Campbell was playing guitar it would push this further up the list because the songs are nice and sum up very much what Dio is all about.

10. The Devil You Know (2009)

I think I'm listening to my heart rather than logic here. The production on this album sounds like a brick wall, very powerful. It's got a heavy, almost doomy vibe. Unfortunately, the guys are not being very creative and most of the songs lack the wild vibe required to make a great record. There's usually more magic when Dio and Iommi work together but it's still better than 99.99% of the other bands out there.

[Wall 666]

In no particular order:

Master Of The Moon
This was my first Dio album. I still regard the album highly - the band is tight and Dio's vocals are fantastic. Craig Goldy is playing particularly well. Standout tracks would have to be In Dreams, The Eyes, Shivers, One More For The Road and the fantastic Japanese track Prisoner of Paradise.

Heaven & Hell
This is a classic album with only one shaky track (Walk Away). This album retains a slight tinge of Rainbow thanks to Dio's songwriting making the transition from Rock to Metal and the diversity of the material is also fantastic. Aside from the title track, this album is home to four of my favourite Dio/Sabbah tracks - Lady Evil, Wishing Well, Die Young and Lonely Is The Word. Credit also has to be given for Neon Knights - one of the best album openers I've ever heard and Children of the Sea is excellent.

This album defined, to an extent, the Tony Martin era of Sabbath.

Mob Rules
I've always preferred this to Heaven & Hell. There are many similarities but this edges forward for me. Vinnie's drumming is great and between Geezers bass and Iommi's playing everything feels more powerful - something which would only been improved had the production for the original Mob Rules track been applied to the whole album. When I think of Dio-era Sabbath I immediately think Sign Of The Southern Cross which is very much a narrative, heavy, melodic with a beutiful ting of doom. I'm also love Country Girl, Slipping Away, Falling..., Voodoo and the remarkably beautiful Over & Over. The original version of the Mob Rules track captures the live intensity of the band fantastically.

Dehumanizer
This album is great despite the production. Only marred further by the lack of the demo tracks Bad Blood and The Next Time (and the dire artwork) The intensity on this album is fantastic and the songs, despite the troubled writing sessions are easilly up to par with anything any of the band previously recorded. Some of the Ozzy-era Iommi crept in with time changes (i.e. the fantastic Sins of the Father) and the vocal power on display by Dio is breathtaking, especially when balance with his melodic side on Too Late. This album is criminally overlooked purely because of the time it was released - with songs like After All, Sins..., TV Crimesm, Time Machine, Too Late and Buried Alive it is a shame more was never played live.

The Devil You Know
This would have to be one of my favourite albums in a long time - certainly top 3 of the decade. This is the product of band really locked together in synch. The production is fantastic and there is not a single weak track. This album manages to combine the best elements of the three previous albums whilst adding a new energy to the mix. Geezer's bass is particularly awesome and a strong, presence which is much needed. Stand out tracks would have to be Double The Pain, Bible Black, Eating The Cannibals, Turn of the Screw and Breaking Into Heaven. Again, the nearest thing to a weak track would be Rock 'N' Roll Angel, but this track isn't bad in itself.

Holy Diver
My second Dio-band album. Also a definitive Dio-band album. Everything on this album is just right. The production, vocals and guitars are powerful and controlled and the songs varied. My favourite tracks would have to be Invisble, Caught In The Middle, Gypsy, Shame... and Holy Diver. Stand Up & Shout is probably my second favourite album opener.

Long Live Rock 'N' Roll
Very strong album, varied and home to The Shed (Subtle), Gates of Babylon, Kill The King and Rainbow Eyes. For me this is a better album than Rising which (Tarot Woman & Starstruck aside) is somewhat over-rated.

Magica
Very giood album which makes an good concept album whilst allowing the tracks to sound just as good when played in isolation. This album showcases Craig Goldy well and contains five of my favoyruite Dio-band tracks (As Long As It's Not About Love, Losing My Insanity, Fever Dreams, Feed My Head and Lord Of The Last Day).

Dream Evil
Changing guitarist could have been a disaster but here it was a shot of energy. The album is very strong, stronger than Sacred Heart and Last In Line (marginally on the latter). Stand out tracks would be Night People, Overlove, Faces In The Window, Dream Evil and All The Fools...

Strange Highways
A fantastic continuation of Dehumanizer. Much more variety and stronger production. Dio channels his frustration with Sabbth into some of his most intense vocals. The band feels very cohesive, with Vinnie in particulr being in fantastic form. Standouts for me are Strange Highways, Jesus Mary & The Holy Ghost, Holywood Black, One Foot In The Grave, Give Her The Gun and Evilution.

[nunoni]

I completely agree with you on this. The funny thing is, while almost everyone thinks these two songs (and most especially "Stargazer") were probably the best songs Ronnie ever recorded, he actually didn't like them. I remember him saying in an interview that he liked the first side of "Rising" a lot but that the second side were just "a bunch of musicians indulging themselves". Weird how a song regarded as a masterpiece by almost every rock fans since the mid 70s can be discarded that way by one of its creators.

I wonder. I remember the interview, but he didn't really discard it. Why did he play Stargazer live with the band Dio then? Was it purely for the fans? Anyway.

1. Rainbow. For The Temple of the King, Self-Portrait, and the studio version of Man on the Silver Mountain, that was never played live as well as in the studio. These three songs are beauty. Not beautiful - beauty. And pure, before ugly stories of ditching this guy or that guy or whatever, and it shows in the playing and in the singing.

1. Mob Rules. For Country Girl and Over and Over. Same comment.

1. Holy Diver. For the title track, and Shame on the Night, and for the song that goes deeper into whatever it is that makes me sensitive to music, Rainbow in the Dark.

2. Rising - it is an amazing album top to bottom, Run with the Wolf my favourite.

2. Last in Line - Egypt again, with its somber undertones and dark currents in the voice.

2. Heaven and Hell - what can I say, it was instant love, I bought a scratched copy in the flea market in the early 80s, and wow.

2. Live Evil - a family member went to Spain and brought it to me (it wasn't released here), I got it before Mob Rules actually, and I was crushed by the heaviness, and by the "inprovisation" in H&H/SOTSC, which I thought was improvised just for that concert.

3. Magica - back to beauty after the 90s' wilderness.

3. Angry Machines - the dryest most deserted take no quarter give no quarter of all of Dio's album. His darkest hour, and a huge creative force.

3. The Devil You Know - the Black Swan sung. Breaking Into Heaven, whose ending leads directly into Atom and Evil, full circle.

[Icy Sun]

1. Mob Rules. Sign of the Southern Cross just might be Iommi's best riff ever. Voodoo and Country Girl have great riffs as well. Falling Off the Edge of the World benefits from great Iommi riffage and harsher Dio vocals, very passionate, with a great two part intro, first part soft beauty, second part crushing heaviness, and then the energy of the meat and potatoes of the song. Over and Over is a great closer with passionate vocals and a great sorrowful riff.

2. Dehumanizer. TV Crimes is probably Sabbath's best up-tempo song, really heavy. After All (The Dead) is great doom that hearkens back to the early days of Ozzy-era Sabbath, and Dio does some really great dark vocals. Too Late just might be my favorite power ballad ever (the only other one that rivals it is Judas Priest's Dreamer Deceiver). The verses contain beautiful soft guitar and singing, and it's great when the drums first come in, being delayed for a verse. The chorus is crushing heavy dark guitar riffs, and great dark and harsher singing from Dio. And the bridge just plain rocks. Great riffs, great singing, great solo. I is a very powerful song with some real passionate singing from Dio. The chorus riff is one of Iommi's best. The solo at the end gets me all worked up, and builds perfectly, and fades out going insanely fast and furious.

3. Heaven and Hell. Neon Knights will always have a soft spot with me, as it's the first song I ever heard Ronnie James Dio singing on. A great up-tempo song, with a great riff and great singing. Children of the Sea is another great song with great riffs, and has some fantastic vocals by Dio. The ending "Look out!" section has particularly great harsher vocals that I love. The title track is a classic, with a great solo, and the great acoustic part at the end. Lonely is the Word is one of my favorites with a great riff and solo, and Die Young is an epic song .

4. Rising. Tarot Woman makes a great opener, with that great intro, and has a lot of energy, and a great melodic chorus to sing to. Run With the Wolf and Starstruck have great riffs, and Starstruck has a great intro too. Stargazer is an epic song with a great riff, great solo, and some of Dio's best singing.

5. Long Live Rock n Roll. This album has my favorite Rainbow song in Kill the King. This song has great energy, with a great riff, and the fantastic solo with the guitar harmonies. Lady of the Lake is a great song with a heavy riff, and starting on the second verse has the majestic harmonized slide guitar parts over it. Gates of Babylon is an epic song with that great violin intro and outro, and that great riff. The Shed (Subtle) is a rocking tune. Rainbow Eyes is a beautiful delicate ballad with the great flute in it.

6. Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow. Catch the Rainbow is a fantastic ballad, with Dio's beautiful singing, and Ritchie's majestic chords and slide guitar. The first time I heard this song I got shivers down my spine. Temple of the King is another great ballad. Sixteenth Century Greensleeves has great riffs. Snake Charmer is a rocking song. And the guitar cover of The Yardbirds' Still I'm Sad is a great interpretation of the song.

I don't feel like commenting on any more, but here are the rest...

7. Holy Diver
8. Master of the Moon
9. Strange Highways
10. Killing the Dragon

[Sir Kenneth]

1. Mob Rules

This is my favorite album of all time, so it's a no-brainer for the number 1 slot. Deliciously heavy production and a great selection of songs.

2. Heaven and Hell

Only just beaten by Mob Rules because of it's slightly inferior production and because it has Walk Away on it

3 Long Live Rock 'n' Roll

Rainbow's heaviest and best.

4. Holy Diver

5. Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow.

6. Dehumanizer

7. Last in Line

8. The Devil You Know

9. Dream Evil

10. Rising

[Totentanz]

1 Mob Rules My favourite album of all time by anyone. Dio somehow makes those stunning vocals seem simply effortless. This album blends my favourite vocal performance of all time with my favourite guitar performance - it's not about the technical, it's about the sound that goes in my ears and how it's interpreted. Here the magic guitar of Tony Iommi is unbeatable. And I'm truly glad the production of Martin Birch won out over the band's preferred sound - this album is slicker AND darker for his efforts. BEST ALBUM OF ALL TIME

2 Heaven and Hell If you put a gun to my head (and some of you would, I'm sure ) and forced me to pick just one favourite song of all time, it would probably be Die Young. This whole album is amazing, but not quite as delicious as Mob Rules, hence it gets #2 status

3 Holy Diver Classic album full of great renewed energy, these catchy tunes still often pop into my head when I least expect it. The songs I love most are Don't Talk To Strangers, Straight Through The Heart and Invisible.

4 Dehumanizer This never quite reached the perfection of those first two albums he did with Sabbath, but taken on its own merits this is still a wonderfully heavy and enjoyable slab of rock/metal.

5 Angry Machines Not a popular choice by the looks of it, but I love this album. I think Dio broadened his direction, encompassing both heaviness and something akin to a west end show in places. I would've liked to have heard more from him in this vein in his later solo albums.

6 Strange Highways I love the passion and darkness to be found in this album, the title track is a complete beast. Somewhere between this and Angry Machines is where I would've liked Dio to go.

7 Trying To Burn The Sun This is a superb vocal performance, Dio sounds amazing - not all the songs are to my taste, but the factor that brings this from a decent album up to an excellent one is that pure vocal throughout. Wonderworld is a killer track, as is When She Smiles.

8 Last In Line At the time it came out I thought this represented modernisation and progression over Holy Diver - time and hindsight has left me wih the impression that it's not quite as classic, but nevertheless it's still a fantastic album.

9 Long Live Rock 'n' Roll I'll admit I'm a bit indifferent to Blackmore's bands, his style just doesn't excite me. This has some great songs on it though, the title track in particular is a great example of infectious perfection.

10 Rising This album is a bit hit and miss for me, but the 'hits' promote it to a place in my top 10.

Near misses for top 10: Dream Evil - great example of his solo work, and (surprisingly) Sacred Heart -I hated this when it came out, but over time I've come to appreciate some of the songs in there.

[quorocker]

1 Heaven & Hell
2 Rising
3 Holy Diver
4 Mob Rules
5 Long Live Rock N Roll
6 The Last In Line
7 Elf
8 Sacred Heart
9 Killing The Dragon
10 The Devil You Know

[Charger]

I think my list has changed a bit after Ronnie's death...I know the number one album is different now than before.

1. Dehumanizer
This was the album that started everything hard and heavy for me, back in the mid 90s, so it will always hold a very special place in my heart. Now even more than ever before. The power of Ronnie's vocals is totally unmatched on this album, no other singer could ever even come close to raw power of his voice. And the lyrics are among the best ever too...very different from anything else from Sabbath, which also makes the album very unique.

2. The Mob Rules
Not a single bad track on this album...a pure masterpiece from start to finish. It is really shame it took them over 10 years to do another album, since if they had done another one right after this one, I can't help but think it would have been even better, if humanly possible...

3. Magica
The only concept album of Ronnie's whole career...and one of the best concept albums ever made...granted the story is not as straight forward and simple as in Mindcrime but that only increases the magical attraction of the album and you really need to get into the story...

4. Rainbow Rising
The album contains probably one of the best songs ever written, Stargazer...I know Ronnie didn't like the second half of the album saying it was just an overlong drum solo, but to me Stargazer is Rainbow at it's peak. The only "bad" track on the album is Do You Close Your Eyes and even that ain't bad at all!

5. Holy Diver
What can I say, one of the best albums ever made...a true corner stone of metal. Caught In The Middle is the only weak one...Invisible has one of the best vocal melodies and freakiest lyrics.

6. Heaven And Hell
The rejuvination of Black Sabbath, their return to their roots, back where they belong...after the two abysmal albums with Ozzy they finally got their sound back and in what way! The album has so many all time greatest songs...the only weak ones are, the only 80s sounding (Sabbath even managed to create an 80s sounding song before anyone else) song Sabbath has ever made, Walk Away and the bit softer fast rocker Wishing Well...

7. Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow
A great collection of heavy rockin' and softer tunes...two great classics The Man On The Silver Mountain and Catch The Rainbow that became truly alive when played live!

8. The Devil You Know
The last ever album by Ronnie....a great swansong from start to finish...not a single bad track on it. Atom And Evil being the only weaker one, the rest, pure class. Songs like Bible Black, Rock 'n Roll Angel and especially the brilliant and heavy, Follow The Tears are all instant classics. Follow The Tears actually has became one of my all time favorite songs...such great lyrics, very close to me personally.

9. Strange Highways
I know there are a lot of people who don't like Tracy, but this album is still a brilliant piece of work. A great follow up album to Dehumanizer, I can easily imagine songs like Evilution and Jesus, Mary & The Holy Ghost being on a Sabbath album too. And Tracy gave a lot of energy into the band and some fierce guitar playing and some of the greatest riffs.

10. Killing The Dragon
The last one to mention is always tricky in a list...but simply because of the awesome title track this album has to be mentioned. Also songs like Better In The Dark, Rock 'n Roll (that was dedicated to 9/11 and especially to the idiots banning rock music after the tragedy) and Throw Away Children (Dedicated to the Children Of The Night foundation) are pure masterpieces.


That's it for me...The order of those albums is really insignificant since they are all in inches of each other...brilliant albums all of them....Ronnie has had one of the most consistent careers ever...Brilliant albums after another on 4 different decades...not something anyone can say on most artists....

[-E5150 StarWanderer-]

I simultaneously hate and love doing this type of lists. Well, here I go:

1) Holy Diver - a pure master piece. Don't Talk To Strangers might be the best song ever recorded. Every song is great and most of them are classics. RJDs soulful and stunning vocals, Campbells fiery and inspiring guitar and the tight rhytm section of Bain and Appice tight were a match made in heaven. I must say that this band usually pushed their best material when RJD and Bain put their heads together. Has a great meaning to me as it's the album that hooked me for this type of music forever when I listened my dads vinyl version of it.

2) Mob Rules - pretty much a tie with Holy Diver. What can I say? Another line-up that was just meant to be. This album has the best of everything - the slow majestic epics, aggressive uptempo numbers and maybe more doom elements than it's predecessor (Falling Off The Edge Of The World, Country Girl) and not a single weak track. Whole band is on fire. The best of Sabbath - and theres certainly lot to choose from.

3) Heaven & Hell/The Last in Line - can't decide between these two, and I could, maybe even should add Rising here too. Both are bonafied classics but this time both have little weaker tracks ( Walk Away, Mystery) which aren't even too bad ,but just pale in comparison to rest of the songs in these albums. Both have some of the most touching and memorable work on Dios career. Songs like Heaven and Hell, The Last in Line, Die Young, Egypt, Children of the Sea and One Night in The City are beyond great. And I must add that Lonely is The Word has Iommis best guitar playing ever.

4) Rising - almost every bit as good as H&H and The Last in Line, but dropped is cause It might have a little less masterpieces than the aforementioned albums, but the ones that deserve that moniker surley are elite of Hard Rock/Metal. Blackmore, Dio, Powell. Another trio that was meant to be - though there might have been too much egos for one band there Musically this Rising line-up might the best of RJD's career. Stargazer is another track that rivals the accolade of being the best of all time. Other epics like Tarot Woman and A Light in the Black coupled with some hard rocking tracks like Starstruck make on hell of an album.

5) Long Live R&R - again, almost as good as Rising but loses by one Stargazer and coverart Gates of Babylon with it's eastern atmosphere is pure brilliance and rest of the album doesn't certainly pale in comparison. The Shed and Kill The King really make your adrenaline flow while Lady of The Lake hooks you with it's great chorus and overall amazing arrangement and Rainbow Eyes surely is one of the most beutiful songs ever. Sensitive To Light is more of a taste of what Rainbow willt turn to - bit of a poppy tune that could be called as a filler. Still not a complete waste.

6) Dehumanizer - Emperor Palpatine about Dehumanizer: " I can feel their anger". Another great Sabbatha album by this line-up. Again not a bad song but many great ones. Dios fiery vocals, Iommis doomy and incredibly heavy guitars, Geezers inspiring bass work and Appices hard hitting drums fit the themes perfectly. Contains some of Iommis, Dios and Butlers greates performances. They really shine in this album. Computer God, TV Crimes, Letters From Eeath, I, Time Machine and Too Late are some of my favorite songs. And the epitome of doom After All (The Dead) rivals the bands title song with it's eerie atmosphere. Another overlooked masterpiece

7) The Devil You Know - what a way to finish your career. This line-up just can't do anything bad. Contains maybe Iommis best overall lead guitar work and Geezers bass is just as impressive as ever. Dios voice still is pure gold - given that his range has diminished over the years. But he adapted a little modified singing style (read: using lower ranges) without losing the identity, soul and that ability to sing so purely and beautifuly that it gives you shivers and just like that transfer into a aggressive, powerful and gritty outing that no other singer can beat. Anywho, TDYK has just one weaker track (Turn of The Screw), many good ones and some truly mindblowing tracks like Bible Black, Fear, Rock & Roll Angel (the solo!), Follow The Tears (pure evil!) and Neverwhere.

8) Magica - maybe as good as TDYK. They returned into their triumphant form with this album. The return of Goldy and Bain, especially the latter ones, re-energised RJD's song writing. Magica has more traditional Dio sound with some modern touches. It also has more symphonic touches than any other Dioa album. And again, not a a bad track but numerous great ones. Turn To Stone, Lord of The Last Day, Losing My Insanity and Fever Dream are pure gems. And As Long as It's Not About love with its great melodies, hooks and mindblowing and quite complex guitarwork make one perfect power ballad. The story wouldn't have opened up for me without the spoken version in the end. Those short passages in between the songs fill the gaps nicely

9) Lock Up The Wolves - different but great Dio album. I love the heavy blues theme. Robertson is a true guitar progidy and his style is really similar with Campbell. It truly is a shame that they didn't play song like the title track, Wild One, My Eyes, Evil on Queenstreet and Between two Hearts after the tour that promoted this album. Maybe the most underrated Dio album.

10) Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow - I went with this instead of Killing The Dragon simply because it's the first truly great album that RDJ was part of IMO. Classic songs like Man On The Silver Mountain, Temple of The King, Sixteentch Century Greensleeves, Catch The Rainbow and Snake Charmer are perfect examples of Rainbows power. I think that it's Rainbow were Blacmore truly had a chance to show his classical influenced guitar in its most powerful form, eventhough I love Purple to death.

Well, It was a hard task, I must tell that I have five bands that are above anything else: Sabbath, Dio, Thin Lizzy, Rainbow and Deep Purple. RJD was part of three of them - and in all of those (well, Rainbow and Sabbath, since Dio was his band and he was always in it ) the Dio era is my favorite. That sums up nicely how much I love Dios music.

[devilmaycare]

There aren't 10 RJD albums that I like enough to list... But here - in chronological order - are my Top Six...

Rising... okay, it only has 3 good songs, but they're fucking good songs!

Long Live Rock'nRoll... less fillers than his other Rainbow stuff... Gates Of Babylon is just sublime.

Mob Rules
Heaven And Hell

These are interchangeable depending on my mood... both have some instant throwaways (Voodoo, Walk Away, Slipping Away, Lady Evil, Wishing Well) but they stand up pretty well. I still remember that surge of power as the needle clicked into Neon Knights for the first time.

Holy Diver
The Last In Line

Love 'em both, even radio friendly throwaways like RITD & Mystery... Holy Diver (the song) sets the template for long stompy interchangeable title tracks, and as such I haven't listened to it for about 20 years.

[8bit Fighter]

I certainly could make a list right now, but Dio's album history is gigantic, I need to reevaluate each album in order to make a proper top 10.

[protometal]

Heaven and Hell (SABBATH)
Holy Diver
Rainbow Rising (RAINBOW)
Mob Rules (SABBATH)
The Devil You Know (HEAVEN AND HELL)
Dehumanizer (SABBATH)
Long Live Rock and Roll (RAINBOW)
Last in Line
Trying to Burn the Sun (ELF)
Killing the Dragon

The first 4 on the list are all great albums and an argument could be made to place any one of them at the top spot. Deciding the last couple spots was harder than I would have thought. Decided I like Killing the Dragon better than Magica (which I did not "get" at all at first, but for which I have gained appreciation over the years) or Master of the Moon.

[Thelemech]

1. Heaven And Hell
2. Long Live Rock And Roll
3. Holy Diver
4. Mob Rules
5. Dream Evil
6. Dehumanizer
7. The Devil You Know
8. Sacred Heart (Deluxe Edition)
9. Rainbow Rising
10. Last In Line

... That was rather difficult - Love all ten of these and most of what Dio was on...

[The Wretch]

1 - Heaven And Hell
2 - Long Live Rock N Roll
3 - Mob Rules
4 - Holy Diver
5 - Rising
6 - Dehumanizer
7 - Last In Line
8 - Richie Blackmores Rainbow
9 - The Devil You Know
10 -Sacred Heart

Near misses - Dream Evil, and Killing The Dragon.

[Ochlocracy]

1 - The Mob Rules
2 - Heaven and Hell
3 - Rising
4 - Holy Diver
5 - The Devil You Know
6 - Dehumanizer
7 - Long Live Rock and Roll
8 - Last In Line
9 - Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow
10 - Sacred Heart

[TYR66]

1 - Mob Rules
2 - Heaven and Hell
3 - Rising
4 - Live Evil
5 - The Devil you Know
6 - Dehumanizer
7 - Long Live Rock and Roll
8 - Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow
9 - Holy Diver
10 - Last in Line

[Josef_K]

Well, it changes a lot, but at the moment I think it's something like:

1. Rainbow Rising
2. Magica
3. Mob Rules
4. Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow
5. Long Live Rock n Roll
6. Heaven and Hell
7. Lock Up the Wolves
8. Holy Diver
9. LA '59
10. Sacred Heart

Albums that often appear on the list (just not right now): Dehumanizer, Dream Evil, Last in Line, ELF, Trying to Burn the Sun. The rest are still good (except Angry Machines and Master of the Moon) but they are obviously weaker to me.

[Dragonblood]

I thought I was the only one whose favourite album of all times was Mob Rules. Nice to see I was wrong

I am also surprised to find "Lock Up The Wolves" in many lists, not that it's bad, but I don't think it measures up to the rest of Ronnie's efforts, except for Angry Machines of course, which was pretty awful (bar the wonderful "This Is Your Life")...

[rmdouglas27]

That is very difficult to do. I list the Dio albums I listen to over and over.
Lock up the wolves
Dream evil
The last in line
Mob Rules
Heaven and hell
Long live rock 'n' roll
Rising
On Stage
Rainbow
Elf

[BibleBlack]

1.Dream Evil
2.The Last In Line
3.Mob Rules
4.Dehumanizer
5.Heaven and Hell
6.Magica
7.Rainbow
8.Strange Highways
9.Master of the Moon
10.Killing the Dragon

[blackmoon]

In no order
1) Heaven And Hell
2) Blackmore's Rainbow
3) Last In Line
4) Holy Diver
5) Long Live Rock N Roll
6) Dehumanizer
7) Mob Rules
8) Killing The Dragon
9) Magica
10) Rising

[YADF]

1) Heaven And Hell
2) The Last In Line
3) Rising
4) Holy Diver
5) The Devil You Know
6) Magica
7) Mob Rules
8) Strange Highways
9) Dream Evil
10) Dehumanizer

[Josef_K]

I am also surprised to find "Lock Up The Wolves" in many lists, not that it's bad, but I don't think it measures up to the rest of Ronnie's efforts, except for Angry Machines of course, which was pretty awful (bar the wonderful "This Is Your Life")...

"Lock Up The Wolves" might be, in my opinion of course, Dio's best album lyrically. It lacks the "Walk Away"/"Do You Close Your Eyes"/"insert other slightly awkward tune here" song that's so often featured on a Dio album. I guess "Magica" still wins my prize when it comes to lyrics but it's a concept album so it's not really a fair fight. Apart from the lyrics, I really felt that the "Lock Up the Wolves" album brought something new to the sound, I've never been a major fan of Vinnie Appice so him leaving was no problem for me. I've never heard anything good from that guitarist after this album, but on there he really shines imo. Sure the album might have been better still with Goldy on it, but that doesn't make Lock Up the Wolves any worse as it is. I really would have loved if Dehumanizer had never happened, even though it's a great album. Both TYR and Lock Up the Wolves are extremely promising and I can't help thinking what masterpieces they could have been followed by...