Dio

Vocalist Ronnie James Dio has always been a respected member, creator and motivator in the metal community. With his recent passing however, he's well on his way to that same iconic, "don't fuck with the legend" status as Cash, Dylan or even Lennon. The man's body of work continues to generate fresh interest and the temptation to mine vaults for fanatics and financial gain is surely hard to resist, causing tension amongst the masses. Looking at the Blu-Ray release of Holy Diver Live should be seen as nothing but the former though. In keeping with its 2006 issue, this is nothing but an upgrade of technical specifications in order to truly appreciate one of his finest albums performed in its entirety. At that, other than wanting some pristine sound and picture quality and a few bonus interviews with band members reflecting on the tour (which are forgettable at best), there's not much here to truly compel owning another copy. While not failing by any means, neither does the Blu-Ray bolster what is already a standalone work. Factor in that most of the Dio band from this era were either hasty replacements of departed contributors or sophomoric additions barely capable of matching the brilliance put forth on the album proper and one can see that while Holy Diver Live is interesting, one needn't feel obligated to add this to their collection when the DVD version of only a few years ago works just fine. Still, as for the show itself, watching Dio seamlessly enmesh his 1983 affair with fan favourites and Black Sabbath gems, including "The Sign of the Southern Cross," "Heaven And Hell" and "We Rock," from Holy Diver successor The Last In Line, is undeniably powerful, exciting and damn near-perfect.