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DIO
Magica (Spitfire Records)
Reviewed by Christophe Chuvan
One of the most respected figures of heavy metal, Ronnie James Dio comes back with a first in his illustrious career: a concept album. Looking back at the many chapters of Dio's musical journey, one might actually wonder what took him so long. His predilection for medieval, fantastic imagery and flair for epic melodies always seemed like a perfect match for a genre which, after all, counts many bands who proudly recognize him as a big influence.
I must admit I was not too impressed with his recorded output over the past decade, as I felt Dio, the band, were straying away from their melodic roots and trying to sound heavier just for the sake of fitting in with more recent bands. However, I am happy to report that Magica finds the mighty one back in form. Plus, he's also brought back a few friends with him: legendary bassist Jimmy Bain rejoins the fold as does Craig Goldy, who filled guitar duties on 1985's Dream Evil. Ex-AC/DC drummer Simon Wright completes the line-up, pounding the skins with the same power as on 1990's Lock Up The Wolves.
Although Ronnie must be piling up the years by now (he's been singing since 1957!), he still possesses one of the most powerful throats in the business and his voice remains one of this band's main assets. To this day, no one can quite match Ronnie when he launches himself into a slowly ascending chorus, which eventually reaches some impossibly high crescendo. I didn't think it possible anymore but, while listening to some of these songs for the first time, I found myself getting shivers through the spine, and man, was that a good feeling!
Having a good vocalist does not always make a good album but Dio backs it up with good songs and top notch musicianship all round. I won't go over the story in too much detail as Ronnie does a much better job of it anyway. Actually, to make sure he gets his message across, he even included a track which features the full story narrated by the man himself! This is in fact a nice touch because Ronnie manages to sound compelling even when he's merely telling a story.
Overall, the album is quite good, although the material is a tad uneven. I guess it's not so much a case of some songs being mediocre, it's more that a few tracks are so good they tend to make the rest look worse than they are. My personal favorites include "Lord of the last day," whose middle-eight contains a classic Dio riff, "Fever Dreams," with a majestic chorus and an aggressive but catchy melody, and "The Magica" theme and its reprise, which fit the album concept quite nicely and feature some nice, atmospheric melodies. A major standout track is "As Long As It's Not About Love," a slow, melodic song which proves, if it was needed, that Ronnie James Dio hasn't lost any of his vocal prowess and that he can handle the softer, slower-paced material as well as the heavy stuff.
The bottom line: a welcome return to form for Dio who looks set to proudly carry the torch for traditional heavy metal into the new millennium.
© 2000 - Christophe Chuvan