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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Dio's Third Studio album Sacred Heart is an absolute must-have for Dio fans.
The album may not feature trademark-Daemon Murray on the art work (like on the band's first, second and fourth albums) but don't let that lead you to expect anything from the band that you didn't want or expect. Sacred Heart takes the formula of the first two albums pretty strictly, giving you exactly what you want from Dio... hard and heavy rock/metal music with fantasy themes, big guitar solos and the voice which separates Ronnie James Dio himself from the crowd.
This was the last Dio album to feature Northern Irish guitarist Vivian Campbell and some people say that his playing isn't as good here as on the first two albums, but to my ears his performance is great and the guitar solos on the album are strong and, crucially, memorable.
In a move similar to Heart's 'Cook With Fire,' the album opener 'King Of Rock And Roll,' is inexplicably either live or live in the studio with crowd noise on top (not explained in the notation) but luckily the performance is absolutely incendiary... especially on drums, Vinnie Appice absolutely destroys his drum kit in one of the most energetic performances I've ever heard... it isn't even overly flashy but he plays the absolute hell out of the kit and proves himself years ahead of his time, with a modern approach to drumming that wasn't necessarily present on a lot of early 80s music. Incidentally, aforementioned track is one of the best songs Dio ever released.
The rest of the album, back in studio recording territory, is equally good. The music is a little more keyboard driven than the band's first two albums (perhaps keyboardist Claude Schnell had integrated into the band more at this point), but still has a hard, rock centric attitude and plenty of interesting and memorable riffs.
All the early Dio albums had at least one foray into 80s commercial territory, and Sacred Heart is no different, with 'Hungry For Heaven,' and 'Shoot Shoot,' adding some diversity to the trademark Dio sound. Some listeners may care to skip these tracks for not being heavy enough or their slightly cheesy keyboard sounds, but I find them to fit quite well with the heavier and faster material, providing contrast.
To summarise, Sacred Heart is a great album and if you enjoyed any other Dio album then you really ought to check out Sacred Heart too; more lyrical references to rainbows, more guitar solos and generally great songs... what more could a Dio fan possibly want ?
The album may not feature trademark-Daemon Murray on the art work (like on the band's first, second and fourth albums) but don't let that lead you to expect anything from the band that you didn't want or expect. Sacred Heart takes the formula of the first two albums pretty strictly, giving you exactly what you want from Dio... hard and heavy rock/metal music with fantasy themes, big guitar solos and the voice which separates Ronnie James Dio himself from the crowd.
This was the last Dio album to feature Northern Irish guitarist Vivian Campbell and some people say that his playing isn't as good here as on the first two albums, but to my ears his performance is great and the guitar solos on the album are strong and, crucially, memorable.
In a move similar to Heart's 'Cook With Fire,' the album opener 'King Of Rock And Roll,' is inexplicably either live or live in the studio with crowd noise on top (not explained in the notation) but luckily the performance is absolutely incendiary... especially on drums, Vinnie Appice absolutely destroys his drum kit in one of the most energetic performances I've ever heard... it isn't even overly flashy but he plays the absolute hell out of the kit and proves himself years ahead of his time, with a modern approach to drumming that wasn't necessarily present on a lot of early 80s music. Incidentally, aforementioned track is one of the best songs Dio ever released.
The rest of the album, back in studio recording territory, is equally good. The music is a little more keyboard driven than the band's first two albums (perhaps keyboardist Claude Schnell had integrated into the band more at this point), but still has a hard, rock centric attitude and plenty of interesting and memorable riffs.
All the early Dio albums had at least one foray into 80s commercial territory, and Sacred Heart is no different, with 'Hungry For Heaven,' and 'Shoot Shoot,' adding some diversity to the trademark Dio sound. Some listeners may care to skip these tracks for not being heavy enough or their slightly cheesy keyboard sounds, but I find them to fit quite well with the heavier and faster material, providing contrast.
To summarise, Sacred Heart is a great album and if you enjoyed any other Dio album then you really ought to check out Sacred Heart too; more lyrical references to rainbows, more guitar solos and generally great songs... what more could a Dio fan possibly want ?
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
The Last In Line was a high water mark for Dio in his solo career and nothing subsequently has come close to touching it's level of sheer craftsmanship and energy. Following it up was always going to be tricky and Sacred Heart really isn't up to the job. Whereas LIL crackled and sparkled with ideas, this is a fairly straightforward delivery of some pretty basic arrangements (in Dio terms). Opener `King of Rock n Roll' is a frenetic kick off, harping pack to Dios Rainbow harder moments. However it is dogged throughout by an annoying fake crowd noise which is designed to give a live energy feeling to the song but simply sounds electronic. The title track Sacred Heart is up second as Holy Diver, Last In Line and Dream Evil all sat in their respective albums running order. This plodder is distinctly the weakest of the aforementioned armoury of title tracks. It's not bad but it just isn't up to Dio's normal standard, lumbering as it does to a conclusion through a jarring and annoying keyboard effect. `Another Lie is a straight forward rocker and distinctly a high point in terms of catchiness and power. `Rock N Roll Children' is a keyboard layered melodic radio friendly single which closes out what was side 1 on a fairly high note. `Hungry for Heaven' is twaddle and quickly despatched before the pairing of `Beat of a Heart' and `Just Another Day' redeem the album back to 3 stars (the latter's opening riff copied straight from Black Sabbath's Neon Nights). Finally the album fizzles out with `Fallen Angels' and the wholly lamentable `Shoot Shoot'. The main problems with SH are that firstly Dio has a massive canon of quality work to compare it to and secondly the production is pedestrian so really doesn't lift the songs. I am happy I own it but is really isn't as involving as his earlier work.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
When this album came out Dio had the brilliant "Holy Diver" and "The Last in line" to follow up. His briliant work with Sabbath and Rainbow as well. Following this couldn`t have been easy, but Dio made it. I always thought of this album to be a bit more mainstream than his previous work but in later years I`ve changed my mind, just like Dio was changing in the 80`s. "Sacred Heart" is the album I`ve really enjoyed lately. Catchy hard rock songs with great musicianship, good production and overall: Songs that stick to your mind for a while. Dio has the best voice in rock, we all know that, but this is proof that not many can write music like him either. Following two strong albums with a third one like this is fantastic. Dio, influenced by the 80`s hard rock scene, but it`s still Dio. The King of rock`n roll..
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