Throw up your "horns", it is Dio time. The late pint-sized metal master released "Strange Highways" in late 1993/early 1994 at a time when interest for heavy metal was minimal at best after the "Grunge" and Alternative onslaught that had changed the musical landscape by mid-1990s. Let's take a look at this "lost
album (it sold horribly and is currently out of print) and decide if it holds up to the Dio pedigree set by such classics as Heaven and Hell by Black Sabbath and 1983s suburb solo effort "Holy Diver".
The first thing that you will probably notice about "Strange Highways" is that the sound is much grittier and nastier compared to previous Dio efforts. Heavy Metal had changed a lot since the prior album by Dio, 1990's "Lock up the Wolves". At this point, Pantera and other contemporaries were making heavier and more aggressive music that many other bands definitely used an influence on their sound. The most important change for Dio on this album is the inclusion of guitarist "Tracy G" in the lead role. "Tracy G" provided a much heavier tone than previous guitarist "Craig Goldy". Other lineup changes affected the band at this point, with Dio replacing all except for veteran "Black Sabbath" era drummer Vinny Appice. Let's look at some specific highs and lows.
"Blood From A Stone" is a classic Dio tune; it contains the hallmarks of the Dio sound. Chugging guitars drive along the soaring and driven vocals that always provide a sense of drama and importance. The bass playing is especially of note here, and seems to be in complete unison with Appice behind the kit. Then bassist "Jeff Pilson" is definitely one of the most underrated bassists in rock today, and this album contains masterful bass work. "Hollywood Black" seems to be a cautionary tale of life in Los Angeles and the associated quest for fame that so many have. The song was quite enjoyable, even if the lyrics are quite vague and almost laughable (as many are by Dio). The guitar is not really a highlight of this track; the guitar solo was underdeveloped and really shows the technical limitations of then guitarist " Tracy G". The album slows down for the title track, "Strange Highways". The song is very Sabbath sounding; and it would not have sounded out of place on 1993's "Dehumanizer" by Dio and Black Sabbath. The track was quite nice; but again really shows that while "Tracy G" is a good guitarist, he lacks the really axe-wielding insanity and technicality of previous Dio collaborates such as Ritchie Blackmore (Rainbow) and of course Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath, Heaven and Hell). "Bring Down The Rain" eases up the tension somewhat;. the song is not heavily detuned and sludgy the way that many other songs on the album are. However; Dio's vocals appear to continue the aggressiveness that dominates the album; he appears to be over singing to match the aggressiveness of Tracy G's playing. Good song. "Jesus Mary And The Holy Ghost" is a fast and groove driven song that actually works. Besides the dated effects on Dio's vocals, the song is a nice addition to the Dio catalog. Dio is always more comfortable with lyrics about religion, mythology, and fantasy. Dio sounds comfortable here and does not try to sound "hard" as he does on a lot of the album. "Give Her The Gun" is actually a cool song; Dio's vocals really excel here and show the pristine elasticity that we all expect from him. The drums hit hard and acoustic guitar fill out the verses. The song does have cheesy 90s keyboards; but they are quite low in the mix and you will likely not hear them at all. The solo is quite bad on the song however; and is way too short for such a dramatic Dio song. Not bad.
The album definitely has some low moments. "Here's To You" almost sounds like Def Leppard at points with its sing along chorus and glossy 1980s sounding production values. The guitar work was quite nice on this song; and Tracy G is finally given the spotlight here and shows that he can in fact rip it on the guitar. The ultra masochistic "Pain" is probably the most aggressive song that Dio ever recorded as a solo artist. The song is really a step in the wrong direction in my opinion; Dio lyrics here are extremely ridiculous and quite laughable. Additionally, the bass and guitar seem to be fighting for dominance of the song; and actually both instruments frequently solo at the same time. Dio sounds in "pain" during this song; and his vocals sound wrecked and distorted compared to the usually silky smooth tones we expect from him. Overall, skip this one. "Firehead" is about some kind of killer that seems to burn people alive. The song is totally out of character for Dio; and it really lame in every sense of the word. The lyrics are very juvenile, and it is hard to head bang to some cautionary tale about a pyromaniac that kills people. The music is almost as bad. Appice is killer as always on the sticks, but Tracy G doesn't add much to this song. He appears to be emulating Zakk Wylde on this track; making heavy use of effects in unison with heavy distortion. Pilson's bass is also distorted; resulting is a very murky and unclear sound. Worst song on the album hands down. The portmanteau titled song "Evilution" is again reminiscent of Black Sabbath's "Dehumanizer". The song is simply horrible; the lyrics are again extremely silly, and contain cautionary tales about the rising depravity of humanity. The use of samples is very out of place for Dio; and provide fuel for those who say that this album was too modern in terms of lyrical content and production. A stinker of a song; and one of the worst in Dio's history. "One Foot In The Grave" lacks any real punch; although has an interesting chorus that does provide some energy and excitement. The guitar solo sounds the same here as other songs; and shows that Tracy G's biggest problem is his lack of flexibility. The lyrics are cheesy, and I could not even tell what the song is about. Not bad, not great.
"Strange Highways" is definitely not "the" Dio to buy if you could buy only one(that honor goes to 1983's "Holy Diver"). However; it does provide some worthwhile material. The biggest problem with this album is the approach taken on the album. People listen to Dio to hear about dragons, knights, religion and teen angst. Most of those topics are ignored here, and he appears to not really believe what he is singing here. There is a reason that this album is largely forgotten; it tried something different from what people expected from Dio and did not really work. Only for fans of Dio.
Rating-6/10
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