Ronnie James Dio. One of the greatest metal vocalists who ever lived. Saved Black Sabbath's skin when they were looking for a new front man too. And sadly, he is no longer with us. But he nonetheless left an incredible legacy - just listen to Heaven and Hell by Black Sabbath and you'll see why I think his voice is just the cat's freckle - I love it. He didn't sound like Ozzy Osbourne at all, but he certainly reinvigorated the band with a refreshingly new sound and unlike Van Halen's Van Halen III, the transition to a new singer was an irrefutably successful one, one that worked perfectly, just as AC/DC's Back in Black refreshed the band for the better. His debut album with his own band, Holy Diver, opened up further opportunities for metal and hard rock lovers to savor his incredible voice, which to this day is one of the best in the business, sitting up there with the likes of Rob Halford and Bruce Dickinson. And it ain't a bad album either - "Holy Diver" and "Rainbow in the Dark" are the songs I'm the most familiar with. But there's also "Don't Talk to Strangers" "Straight Through the Heart" and the epic opening track " Stand Up and Shout" that also need a mention here, because they're all you need to listen to in order to get the best of out the album, although the other tracks are by no means fillers of any sorts. The album does tank somewhat as you play through it, but that's not to say it gets terrible by any means, but it certainly doesn't save the best songs until last. All up, a good album by a great singer. B+
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