Dream Evil (Dio)

Dio's fourth album was a fairly interesting turning point in the band's history and sound. It is the first to feature Rough Cutt guitarist Craig Goldy, the last to completely feature keyboardist Claude Schnell, and the last to feature drummer Vinny Appice and bassist Jimmy Bain until 1994's "Strange Highways" and 2000's "Magica" respectively. Musically, the album retains the theatric keyboards of past efforts but uses them to create a dark, menacing sound that the band has continued to elaborate upon in the modern era. The lyrics have also changed and appear to hint at personal conflicts overcoming Dio's infamous fantasy metaphors.

Night People: As expected, this album's first song is a strong speed metal number. The song features brightly prominent keyboards during the introduction, fast paced guitar riffs and solos, soaring vocals, and a steady drum beat through it all. One of the album's greatest tracks, even if its lacks a truly outstanding chorus.
9 out of 10

Dream Evil: Bluesy guitar melodies open this song in a way similar to Rainbow's "Man On The Silver Mountain", the verses and pre-choruses continue at an upbeat pace with excellently delivered vocals and chugging guitars/bass, the chorus provides an excellent hook and a return to the introduction's style, and a few odd effects are thrown in for good measure. An excellent example of a great Dio title track.
10 out of 10

Sunset Superman: Dramatic keyboards open this song's introduction before a particularly bright guitar gallop makes its way into the piece, the verses continue in a similar style with Dio at his most erratic, the chorus suddenly goes to a mid-tempo pace and throws in an arena ready drum beat and refrain, the solo section features some solid guitar experimentation, and the ad libbing features some neat though dated vocal layering in the vein of "One Night In The City". A pretty cool track.
9 out of 10

All The Fools Sailed Away: Now we come to what is often considered to be the album's centerpiece. The introduction and opening verse feature atmospheric keyboards and accoustic guitars accompanied by a somber vocal performance, the following verses bring in almost symphonic mid-tempo riffs and more aggressive vocals, the chorus is simple but uplifting, the bridge returns to the ballad style before going into a theatrical solo section. A great Dio epic
9 out of 10

Naked In the Rain: While this song is nowhere near as epic as the song before it, it retains a hint of its drama. The introduction fades in with more keyboards and a more subtle guitar riff, the verses and pre-choruses continue with more drawn out vocals and bombarding chords and keyboards in the background, and the chorus is another great one-liner. Not as hard hitting as the songs before it, but a great addition.
9 out of 10

Overlove: I find this track to be quite similar to Rainbow's "Kill The King" (If Dio hadn't been a member of that group, I'd be a tad concerned). The introduction comes in with more bluesy guitar riffs, the verses suddenly bring in more aggressive riffs and soaring vocals, the chorus keeps the speed flowing with another one-liner, and the solo section throws in some great shredding and neat rhythm fills. Slightly derivative, but another great song.
8 out of 10

I Could Have Been A Dreamer: Like "Mystery" and "Hungry For Heaven" before it, this song is the album's blatantly commercial track. Fortunately, it has a darker tone not seen on those songs and features sinister but catchy guitar playing, more great vocal lines, and slightly overwhelming keyboards during the chorus. Still a solid addition that reminds me of what would come on the band's next effort. . .
8 out of 10

Faces In The Window: This song returns to the speed metal style. The introduction starts off slow but leads into more energetic riffs and solos, the verses bring in some catchy vocal lines, the chorus provides another great refrain, and a melodic bridge leads into some varied ad libs. You could consider it to be more of the same, but it's another cool track that makes a catchy anthem.
8 out of 10

When A Woman Cries: Closing the album out is another dynamic mid-tempo track. The introduction comes in with strange sound effects and solid guitar/drum patterns, the verses bring in more excellently drawn out vocal lines and plodding riffs beneath, the chorus is another one-liner with more keyboard emphasis, and the bridge goes in a more uplifting direction with the solo section continuing in the same style. Probably my least favorite track but a good closer.
8 out of 10

Overall, this album gets 78 out of 90, 87%, and 4 stars. I think this album may be one of Dio's strongest efforts and stands up to the classic "Holy Diver" as their greatest album of the 80's era. The only flaws I can point out are a few dated effects, the heavy keyboard emphasis (Dream Theater, this is not. . .), and a few simplistic song structures. Unfortunately, it would soon introduce an era typically seen as being the band's downward spiral. . .