Holy Diver
| Holy Diver | |||||
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| Studio album by Dio | |||||
| Released | May 25, 1983 | ||||
| Recorded | Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, California, 1983 | ||||
| Genre | Heavy metal | ||||
| Length | 41:36 | ||||
| Label |
Warner Bros. (North America) Vertigo (UK) Mercury (Europe and Japan) |
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| Producer | Ronnie James Dio | ||||
| Dio chronology | |||||
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| Ronnie James Dio chronology | |||||
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| Singles from Holy Diver | |||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 10/10 |
| Kerrang! | very favourable |
| Mojo |  |
Holy Diver is the debut album by American heavy metal band Dio, released in 1983. Vocalist Ronnie James Dio had just finished his first tenure in Black Sabbath, whose drummer Vinny Appice he took with him to put together his own band. The roster was completed by his former band mate in Rainbow Jimmy Bain on bass and by the young guitarist Vivian Campbell, coming from the NWOBHM band Sweet Savage. The album was acclaimed by the music press and is the most successful of the band.
Released on May 25, 1983, the album has been hailed by critics as Dio's best work and a classic staple in the heavy metal genre. The album was certified Gold in the US on September 12, 1984, and Platinum on March 21, 1989. In the UK it attained Silver certification (60,000 units sold) by the British Phonographic Industry, achieving this in January 1986, at the same time as The Last in Line.
The original vinyl release had a photo-montage LP-liner, with images from both Rainbow and Black Sabbath days.
The album was remastered and re-released by Rock Candy Records in 2005. The only notable addition to the original album is an audio interview with Ronnie James Dio. Tracks 10-19 on the 2005 edition are Dio's answers to various questions about the album. The questions are not posed during the interview itself, but can be found inside the CD's booklet instead. The album, along with The Last in Line and Sacred Heart, were released in a new 2-CD Deluxe Edition on March 19, 2012 through Universal for worldwide distribution outside the U.S.
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