Artist: Dio, Ronnie James
Label: Spitfire Records
Release: 2005
Rating: 4/5
The new, this time single-disc “live” Dio CD, which first came out as a DVD practically right after it was recorded, took a full three years to find a home on a regular audio CD too. It’s just proof that the classic live CD is slowly on its way out and DVD is taking over its role. Further proof is that some songs, like Lord Of The Last Day, were cut from it and appear only on the DVD, so “Evil Or Divine” is just a single CD, meant to keep the price easy on the masses.
The 2002 tour. Dio! In the lineup, the one and only Doug Aldrich, who was snapped up by David Coverdale (Whitesnake) soon after. The fact that Coverdale only ever recruited the best says everything about Aldrich!
That year Dio was touring the world with their excellent new album “Killing The Dragon”. So the record kicks off with Killing The Dragon, and the rest of the Killing The Dragon material is represented by Push and Rock And Roll, while the only other newer cut here is Fever Dreams from the “Magica” (2000) record. Everything else is old-school classic stuff, exactly what we demand from Ronnie at gigs. The album opens intense, and after the opening Killing The Dragon that intensity ramps up even more, because Dio fire it up and really set the whole concept of “power” balladry in hard rock ablaze! That’s Egipt (The Chains Are On), which flows into the Black Sabbath classic Children Of The Sea, and these two songs are somehow the special-grade “candy” of the whole “live” album. It’s played with an explosiveness that’s simply unbreakable. The set list makes sure of that, built from classics, especially off the first two Dio records “Holy Diver” and “The Last In Line”, but Dio certainly haven’t forgotten the Rainbow days or the undisputed metal ABCs served up in the Black Sabbath classic Heaven And Hell.
Ronnie James Dio holds up superbly on vocals. He’s lost very little of his power, if any at all, because on this recording he’s flawless. He sings with crushing force and passionate commitment, the trademarks of his one-of-a-kind approach that has always taken your breath away. The other core of the band’s sound, next to that unmistakable, unique voice, is of course the guitar. Sure, Aldrich played with Dio for a short time, but he left an indelible mark in that time. Judging by his performance here, it’s not hard to say he’s the best guitarist Ronnie James Dio ever had in his lineup. Doug plays fluid, energetic, with full balls, and his fearsome “pull-offs”, guitar “licks” and hanging off the tremolo are convincing,… Everything is flawless and Doug is a guitarist who simply enchants you with his playing. He actually blows you away to that magical point where routine playing straight out of the school “drill” meets a level of immersion that leads to an absolute “spontaneous switch-off”. And that combination goes by another name: “absolute perfection of performance”. Perfect proof of it is his guitar solo! On this live recording we also have the honor of hearing Jimmy Bain, the legendary bass player who once made up the Rainbow lineup alongside Dio, so he was part of the best possible Rainbow!
“Evil Or Divine” is a live album played in the highest possible gear and form, with a flawlessly tight lineup, with Ronnie in perfect acrobatic vocal shape (after all these years!). The man brilliantly combines his wisdom with the untamed energy of his vocal power. The greatness that experience, know-how and pure, sacred devotion to rock music bring. The greatness only the biggest masters have, like Ronnie James Dio. It’s a complete masterclass in what every true classic “live” rock album should look like.
Lineup
Ronnie James Dio – vocals
Doug Aldrich – guitar
Scott Warren – keyboards
Jimmy Bain – bass
Simon Wright – drums
Track list
1. Killing The Dragon
2. Egypt / Chlidren Of The Sea
3. Push
4. Stand Up And Shout
5. Rock And Roll
6. Don’t Talk To Strangers
7. Man On The Silver Mountain
8. Guitar Solo
9. Long Live Rock And Roll
10. Fever Dreams
11. Holy Diver
12. Heaven And Hell
13. Last In Line, The
14. Rainbow In The Dark
15. We Rock
