Strange Highways
	Produced by Mike Fraser
	Released on February 1, 1994
	US CHART POSITION #142
	Find it at GEMM
45527-2 cover

F resh from a reunion with their old Sabbath mates, Ronnie and Vinny decided to continue the Dehumanizer experiment (i.e., updating their sound to match the ‘90s metal scene) with Dio. The pair recruited the mysterious Tracy G and Dokken bassist Jeff Pilson and released one of their heaviest, sludgiest efforts to date. Strange Highways isn’t quite the revelation that Dehumanizer was, if only because Dio doesn’t have the sort of history to draw from that Sabbath has. It is, however, a heavenly musical onslaught to behold some of the time, from the opening “Jesus, Mary & The Holy Ghost” to the dark slumbers of “Give Her The Gun.” I had the good fortune to catch this tour at a modest venue in upstate New York (where the jello shots flowed like congealed wine), and the power this quartet generated in person was pain inducing. Much of that comes through on disc as well, Tracy G up to the task of guitar hero for hire while Jeff Pilson’s bass rattles on the lowest rung of the arrangements. Ronnie’s voice has lost some of its range over time but little of its power, and his lyrics sound as good as ever (although the lack of a lyric sheet with the CD is a bit distressing). As heavy as it is, Strange Highways stays true to the Dio aesthetic of mayhem and melody, featuring state-of-the-art production that invites comparison to Soundgarden and the new wave of melodic metalheads. Underneath all the glossy production value are the same elements that always made Dio appealing, except maybe the optimism. This effort is more nihilistic than usual, perhaps a concession to the medium of ‘90s metal. I’ve always thought this was an album that should have garnered more attention, seeing how Dehumanizer had given Dio higher visibility. Instead, it appealed mostly to the faithful, who were no doubt pleased to hear Dio (the band) alive and well in the modern metal age. If you haven’t checked Dio’s pulse since the ‘80s, venture down Strange Highways -- in the dark if you dare.

45527-2 back picture sleeve

TRACK LISTING

1. JESUS, MARY & THE HOLY GHOST    (Ronnie James Dio/Tracy Grijalva/Jeff Pilson)    4:13
2. FIREHEAD    (Ronnie James Dio/Vinny Appice/Tracy Grijalva/Jeff Pilson)    4:06
3. STRANGE HIGHWAYS    (Ronnie James Dio/Vinny Appice/Tracy Grijalva/Jeff Pilson)    6:54
4. HOLLYWOOD BLACK    (Ronnie James Dio/Vinny Appice/Tracy Grijalva)    5:10
5. EVILUTION    (Ronnie James Dio/Vinny Appice/Tracy Grijalva/Jeff Pilson)    5:37
6. PAIN    (Ronnie James Dio/Vinny Appice/Tracy Grijalva)    4:14
7. ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE    (Ronnie James Dio/Vinny Appice/Tracy Grijalva/Jeff Pilson)    4:01
8. GIVE HER THE GUN    (Ronnie James Dio/Tracy Grijalva/Jeff Pilson)    5:58
9. BLOOD FROM A STONE    (Ronnie James Dio/Vinny Appice/Tracy Grijalva/Jeff Pilson)    4:14
10. HERE'S TO YOU    (Ronnie James Dio/Vinny Appice/Tracy Grijalva/Jeff Pilson)    3:24
11. BRING DOWN THE RAIN    (Ronnie James Dio/Vinny Appice/Tracy Grijalva/Jeff Pilson)    5:45

CREDITS

VINNY APPICE -- drums
RONNIE JAMES DIO -- vocals
TRACY G -- guitars
JEFF PILSON -- bass & keyboards
Mike Fraser -- engineer, mixing
Wil Rees -- illustration
John Harrell -- photography
Janet Levinson -- art director

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