Search - Dio - Holy Diver Live on DVD

Ronnie James Dio & Company Still Kings Of Metal!

Mr. Sinister | El Cajon, CA USA | 06/11/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Unbelievable! That's what Holy Diver Live is, simply unbelievable. He's Ronnie James Dio, 63 years old, and he belts out the classics like he was 30 again. Great DVD. I watched it as soon as I got it, curious to see how one of the gods of heavy metal was still doing. Older, a little ragged, but his voice is still full of piss and vinegar. Doug Aldrich fills in for the injured Craig Goldy and he plays all the Holy Diver riffs and licks like he was Vivian Campbell reincarnated (I know Viv's not dead, but he may as well be). The tunes aside from the complete Holy Diver album are all killer and some were a bit surprising. Opening with Rainbow Rising's Tarot Woman was a real treat, and kicking out Sabbath's The Sign Of The Southern Cross was killer as well. Aldrich is a phenomenal guitarist and he plays the Blackmore and Iommi tunes with heart. Rudy Sarzo is on bass. It's kinda funny to watch Rudy because he's still doing the same moves he did on the After Hours Show in 1981 when he was playing with Ozzy. But he's a welcome change from the usual boringness of Jimmy Bain, and Rudy can play like a madman. Simon Wright on drums. Scott Warren on keyboards. As Sarzo says in one of the interviews included on the DVD, there's something about this lineup that justs clicks and he's absolutely right. Is it 1983 again? It feels like it watching this show. Awesome!



Dig it!"

Finally...One of Dio's Awesome Performances Captured With Qu

Sky | New York | 06/05/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ronnie James Dio DEFINES quality Heavy Metal. So it's about time that he now has a DVD release that also defines how a music DVD should be done.



This performance of the 2005 Holy Diver tour was captured live at London's Astoria. The show features the Holy Diver album in its entirety, from start to finish, with other Dio, Rainbow and Black Sabbath classics.



The concert portion of the disk is all show. No indulgence by some videographer that thinks a viewer wants to see effects like cut to black and white or split screen pop ups. The picture is crystal clear, and most importantly, the video doesn't jump around every 4 seconds, so you really get to see the performance in a way that feels like you have a front row seat to the concert instead of sitting there watching a DVD.



The sound is terrific. If you've got a surround system you're in for a pounding Heavy Metal experience. You get your choice of Dolby 5.1 (which I have found usually gives the best playback for a concert DVD with my surround system), DTS or Dolby stereo.



Ronnie is excellent. This guy has held up extremely well; there's barely a crack in the vocal armor that has been RJD's signature sound for more than 30 years. Missing are Jimmy Bain, Vinnie Appice and Viv Cambell. In are a group of guys with some impressive resumes: Rudy Sarzo on Bass, Simon Wright on Drums, Doug Aldrich is spectacular on guitar (Craig Goldy was out on injured reserve) and Scott Warren on keyboards. All of the guys are on. They clearly committed to each other to give performances that were true to the studio versions, and their performances indeed channel the original line-up precisely.



You get:



1. "Tarot Woman"

2. "Sign Of The Southern Cross"

3. "One Night In The City"

4. "Stand Up And Shout"

5. "Holy Diver"

6. "Gypsy"

7. "Caught In The Middle"

8. "Don't Talk To Strangers"

9. "Straight Through The Heart"

10. "Invisible"

11. "Rainbow In The Dark"

12. "Shame On The The Night"

13. "Gates Of Babylon"

14. "Heaven & Hell"

15. "Man On The Silver Mountain"

16. "Long Live Rock 'N' Roll"

17. "We Rock"

Along with some bonus interviews.



This is the Dio DVD release we've all been waiting for. Any Dio fan will enjoy this disk immensely. There is no question here. Add it to your cart."

Very good Dio performance

DerWeg | 06/28/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"RJ Dio's voice still has much of its original fullness and colour well into the singer's (at least) seventh decade of life. At times you can tell he's pushing things just a little - but he has the SKILLS to know just where to back off & still sound great - masterful use of his still-viable voice after so many years. Time cannot conquer this little man. At moments Dio cannot help sounding a bit raspy/ old mannish (give him a break already) but more often than that his powerful vocal phrases leap out at you with staggering brilliance. Witness "Gates of Babylon." Yowza!!



The band is fully professional, and note-on. They are also almost dour, especially the Scott keyboardist and Doug the guitarist. Rudy Sarzo on bass at least makes a show of rocking out & having a good time. Doug Aldrich seems a little disconnected & usually has little interaction at all with the singer onstage which seems odd. His playing is incredibly fluid and the guitar tones are perfect - just utterly flourishing and musical! Maybe he's just full-on player that night, no goofing around onstage because it's a live recording. Doug could easily stand in for Zakk Wilde or any player like that, with his endless capacity for aggressive, flashy tuneful playing (he tries to restrain it.) At times I'd wish Dio would NOT yodel over the solos, but you get used to that on repeat viewings I think, as you come around to like the small flaws of any recorded concert.



You may feel the overall tuning sounds lower, and it is - to little ill effect usually. I'd rather bands do this than tire the singer's voice excessively. Dio's voice really warms up as he goes on in the set and at certain moments he evokes a much younger vocalist! Fans will rejoice.



Overall this did not feel like a "Rock in Rio" type insanely fun concert (the crowd and band were both more subdued but hey this isn't Brazil.) Regardless, this sure is an exercise in brilliant musicality; a showcase of the enduring talent Dio still has, and some utterly monster guitar thrown in (a highly rewind-able bonus feature.) Well worth owning for "Gates of Babylon" alone!!"

No frills, just good old-fashioned ROCK

ronster500 | Liverpool, England, UK | 06/03/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Dio has, as Tenacious D point out, rocked for a long, long time but on the evidence of this live concert DVD, its going to be some time yet before he is ready to pass the torch.



This show, filmed at the London Astoria in October 2005 was built around the seminal 1983 album 'Holy Diver'. The prospect of seeing the whole of the album performed live drew in the punters wherever they played, and the Astoria was packed out to see Dio's current line-up take a step back in time. There was a late change to the squad however; regular guitarist Craig Goldy had withdrawn from the tour with a hand injury so former Dio six-stringer Doug Aldrich deputised at extremely short notice, having just completed a tour with Whitesnake.



Although the band were renowned at one time for their ever more elaborate stage sets, these days they stick to the basics, just five guys on stage, with lights, amps and a simple backdrop (of the 'Holy Diver' album cover art) - Denzil has long since been retired! The filming of the concert footage is similarly straightforward; plenty of camera angles offering many views of the band members rocking out, including one 'flying camera' over the crowd. Unlike the previous DVD: 'Evil or Divine', there is no grainy filter effect nor are there any sepia 'cut' shots - just straightforward live footage all the way.



With such a minimalist approach it falls to the guys on stage to deliver the goods, and alongside Ronnie James Dio is one of rock's real showmen in bassist Rudy Sarzo. He throws shapes many guitarists would balk at, while keeping perfect time and all with a huge grin on his face - he shows here why he has remained in demand among the premier league of hard rock. Doug Aldrich on the other side of the stage brings electrifying solos and equally dynamic stage presence to Dio. He and Sarzo are a perfect blend; the DVD is worth getting just to see these two at work. With Simon Wright driving the whole thing along with precision and Scott Warren adding the colour it is a formidable combo.



OF course the main focus is on the man who gives his name to the band: Ronnie James Dio demonstrates here just why he is held in such high regard by fans and fellow musicians alike. His voice remains strong and clear, if a little lower in pitch nowadays, and his ability to deliver his lines with such power while bounding about the stage is truly astonishing - others would need to stand and breathe deeply to do that, and to do it for two hours plus, night after night, beggars belief.



The DVD features the full set from the Astoria show, and the 'Holy Diver' segment is preceded by a short animation; an extended version of that was played each night but is edited down for this presentation. They have left in a scary moment when a stage intruder dared to invade during 'Heaven and Hell'; not the brightest thing that fan ever did but it was handled superbly by the singer, and it did not even throw him off his stride. Both drum and guitar solos are featured in full, and a nice moment is when the camera zooms out to reveal an audience member holding a digital camera up to take a picture of Doug Aldrich in full flight. At the end of the set, with the cheers of the crowd ringing in the band's ears the footage fades out.



The interview section is reasonably standard fare, interestingly however it is bassist Rudy Sarzo who is on screen first, all band members talk about how well things had gone on the tour. Particular mention was made of the band's trip to Russia prior to the UK dates; both RJD and drummer Simon Wright spoke at length about the enjoyable experience the band members had. Finally, the crew get to speak on camera too, and it is clear they too remain fans of the 'man on the silver mountain'.



All in all a worthwhile purchase, whether you were lucky enough to see this show last year or not. The band are once again on the road this year, with Craig Goldy having recovered from injury to reclaim his guitar role, and as intimated at the top of this review, Tenacious D will have a long wait before they can expect the torch!"