Time to throw some devil horns up and prepare to immerse yourself in metal classics. Dio’s historic run of albums for Mercury Records are being reissued together in the new box set The Complete Albums 1983-1993, which will see release on March 29. The set is available for pre-order now.
The Complete Albums 1983-1993 includes seven releases spanning nine LPs, starting with Dio’s monumental 1983 debut album Holy Diver (1LP), and MTV mainstay thanks to hits like “Holy Diver” and “Rainbow In The Dark.” From there the assortment continues to 1984’s The Last In Line (1LP), 1985’s Sacred Heart (1LP), the 1986 live album Intermission (1LP), 1987’s Dream Evil (1LP), 1990’s Lock Up the Wolves (2LP), and 1993’s Strange Highways (2LP). Together, the records represent an epic journey through one of the most storied discographies in metal.
Fronted by heavy metal icon Ronnie James Dio fresh off his tenures singing for Rainbow and Black Sabbath, Dio carved out a legendary catalog, channeling the energy and power of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal into melodically charged, hard-hitting music. The band’s recordings were matched only by their illustrious, prop-filled live show, which contributed mightily to the genre’s tradition of emphatically theatrical performance. Despite reunions with Black Sabbath and the later formation of Heaven & Hell, Dio always returned to the band that bore his name, all the way up to his death in 2010.
The Complete Albums 1983-1993 tracks the band’s early development, featuring an evolving cast of bandmates including Vivian Campbell, Jimmy Bain, Vinnie Appice, Craig Goldy, Rowan Robertson, Simon Wright, and Teddy Cook, among others. At the center of the action was Dio, whose fiery howls and medieval-themed lyrics helped to mold the shape of the genre.
Order Dio’s The Complete Albums 1983-1993 now.
