Review by UnhinderedbyTalent for Dio - Dream Evil (1987)
Dio until lately have been a one album band as far as I was concerned. Beyond Holy Diver I was aware that there were other entries in the Dio back catalogue but for the life of me I could not get around to listening to anything other than what remains the bands finest moment. Coming a whole four years after their debut, Dream Evil offers pretty much the same content as the masterclass in heavy metal they dropped in 1983, although it doesn't necessarily hit the same heights of quality.
The anthems are still here (at least in principle) but they aren't quite as infectious and as a result aren't that memorable. Even the stupendously titled Sunset Superman with its chant like chorus suffers from a lack of traction. The title track, Naked in the Rain and I Could Have Been A Dreamer all hit that sweet spot that you'd expect from a writer like Ronnie with the help of Appice, Bain, Schnell and Goldy who all contributed to the album also. Unfortunately, there's a lot of filler on here also. Overlove, Faces in the Window, All the Fools Sailed Away and When A Woman Cries are all sub par have no impact on the record overall other than to drag it down in the ratings.
Whilst this doesn't make Dream Evil a bad record it doesn't shine in anyway; it is lacking in bite overall even though it bares it's teeth on more than a few occasions over the course of the nine tracks. I find myself kind of waiting for it to get going for a lot of the record and just as it does it seems to falter, often in the same breath. Bain's bass sounds like a more lazy plod and pluck fest this time out and Schnell gets far too much air time on the keyboards to the point of taking the harder edges off most of the riffs. Goldy is still allowed to shine though, his urgent and pressing lead work weaving stories all of their own when they kick in to life and Appice is solid and consistent just like you would expect.
Ronnie's vocal delivery is flawless though, he just knew how to control his voice so well throughout his career and again here the vocals maintain this pattern and even on the weaker tracks they are the star of the show. I am unable to leave my experience of Dream Evil with the same levels of enthusiasm I have seen on other reviews for it and although it does make me want to delve into what came before it in the grey area between the debut and it I can't say I will be visiting the album much moving forwards.