During the 1980s, at the peak of Heavy Metal, the Ronnie James Dio band was at the forefront of the rock scene, along with legends like IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST, and AC/DC. These bands were so big at the time, that their multi-million dollar stageshows required a large fleet of 18-wheelers just to transport the props and sound equipment. The music of Ronnie James Dio’s band (simply called DIO) combined the musical roots of the ex-RAINBOW and ex-BLACK SABBATH vocalist and progressed his music in an all-new direction while the American and international rock scene ate it up. To the delight of music audiences everywhere, DIO the band featured several outstanding and creative musicians who helped bring Ronnie James Dio’s medieval imagery and demonic themes to life in musical form, resulting in such powerful albums as HOLY DIVER, THE LAST IN LINE, and SACRED HEART. As the decade drew to a close, and the rebellious appeal of Heavy Metal music lost its appeal to the mass audiences, bands like DIO, MAIDEN, and PRIEST were no longer able to draw audiences like they once did. To make matters worse, Ronnie James Dio’s creativity suffered (and mediocre musicianship from his revolving door bandmates) caused DIO to produce several lackluster albums, including DREAM EVIL, LOCK UP THE WOLVES, and STRANGE HIGHWAYS. The once mighty DIO was soon reduced to playing no-frills gigs in small venues.

However, the resurrection of heavy metal in the closing years of the 1990’s changed things with bands like HAMMERFALL, GAMMA RAY, and ICED EARTH breaking through the underground to take their place in the pantheon of Rock n Roll. Furthermore, metal veterans like MANOWAR, IRON MAIDEN, and JUDAS PRIEST returned with a vengeance and further solidified this movement. Taking advantage of this musical climate, Ronnie James Dio re-invented the band, and returned to his medieval ways with his best album in years, KILLING THE DRAGON. Those DIO fans who abandoned Ronnie James Dio years ago returned to the fold, prompting the diminutive musical genius to embark on a whirlwind world tour to support the album, thereby issuing a musical statement to fans and critics: I’M BACK!. Spitfire Records captured the glory of the rejuvenated King of Rock & Roll by capturing his performance at NYC’s Roseland Ballroom on Friday the 13^th, of December 2002 for Ronnie James Dio’s first DVD release, EVIL OR DIVINE.

The DIO band circa 2002 consists of long-time bassist Jimmy Bain, ex-AC/DC drummer Simon Wright, guitar player Doug Aldrich, and Scott Warren on keyboards. This incarnation of DIO are all accomplished musicians who put quite a polish on the DIO tunes of old. Both the new songs and the catalog material are performed heavily and tightly, with the band getting into the music—physically spurring on and reacting to the worshipping audience. The show and performances are so on target that you forget the ages of Ronnie James Dio (who looks great!) and his bandmates. The feeling of watching EVIL OR DIVINE is like traveling back in time to those days where DIO was selling out Madison Square Garden. The music, the performances, the conviction—this DIO lineup certainly delivers the goods. The only thing that’s missing is the mega-buck stage show of old; only the Roseland Ballroom’s stage is too small for such antics. The band performs a ripping set, including not only DIO’s hits and fan favorites, but also the songs he composed with RAINBOW and BLACK SABBATH:

• Killing the Dragon (title track of new album)

• Egypt (from THE LAST IN LINE)

• Children of the Sea (BLACK SABBATH classic)

• Push (KILLING THE DRAGON)

• Stand Up and Shout (from HOLY DIVER)

• Rock & Roll (from KILLING THE DRAGON)

• Don’t Talk to Strangers (from HOLY DIVER)

• Man on the Silver Mountain (RAINBOW classic)

• Long Live Rock & Roll (RAINBOW classic)

• Lord of the Last Day (from the MAGICA album)

• Fever Dreams (from MAGICA)

• Holy Diver (DIO classic)

• Heaven and Hell (BLACK SABBATH classic)

• The Last in Line (DIO classic)

• Rainbow in the Dark (from HOLY DIVER)

• We Rock (from THE LAST IN LINE)

Note: Simon Wright performs a drum solo before Stand Up and Shout. Doug Aldrich shreds out some mean solos during Long Live Rock & Roll.

DIO: EVIL OR DIVINE is professionally captured on film with multiple cameras, and is tightly edited. Spitfire Records presents the concert in 16x9 enhancement widescreen. That said, the video quality is somewhat grainy. And the concert goes from color to B & W and back again, which never fails to annoy the viewer. The color parts appear slightly washed out. So while DIO: EVIL OR DIVINE falls a little short in the video presentation, the audio portion more than makes up for it. From the Setup menu, you can select Dolby Digital 2.0, Dolby Digital 5.1, or a killer DTS 5.1 option. If you compare all three, you’ll find the DTS track features the clearest, heaviest, and bassiest sounds (with the best separation). The Dolby Digital 5.1 comes next and despite the razor sharp clarity, it is a step down from the DTS.

DIO: EVIL OR DIVINE contains some extras that are sure to please fans of this Rock Legend. Included is a four minute Behind the Scenes documentary, which gives you a backstage pass to the evening this show was recorded (Friday the 13^th, of December 2002). You can view the music video for Push, which has never even appeared on MTV or any other music channels. This video includes an opening by comic actor Jack Black who portrays his Tenacious D character who worships Ronnie James Dio. There is a ‘Video Photo Album’ consisting of Ronnie James Dio and his bandmates posing for pictures with fans. The highlight of the extras section is a 15 minute interview with the man himself, Ronnie James Dio. In a very coldly candid manner, he shares his opinions on religion, the occult, egotistical musicians, road stories, and other controversial topics.

Anyone who views DIO: EVIL OR DIVINE will agree that musically and creatively Ronnie James Dio is once again a force to be reckoned with. Its great to see an artist of Ronnie James Dio stature return to his roots while musically and conceptually progressing. Unlike most older bands, he’s not just getting by from playing his most popular songs. I think Spitfire Records recognized this and went all out to showcase DIO’s renewed vigor, with a DVD presentation that includes 16x9 enhancement, a powerful DTS soundtrack (that will shake your foundations), and significant extras that should satisfy both casual and hardcore fans.