Dio
The dark elf in the woods of metal, Ronnie James Dio has always fused fantasy with fury. He began his career in metal with the aptly named Elf, followed by prominent stints in Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow and, later, Black Sabbath. In the early '80s, Ronnie and drummer Vinny Appice left Sabbath to form Dio, recruiting ex-Rainbow bassist Jimmy Bain and guitarist Vivian Campbell to flesh out the band. This quartet released some of the best metal from the mid '80s, centered on Dio's mystical imagery and melodic mini-epic arrangements. Holy Diver and Last In Line (which introduced keyboardist Claude Schnell to the fold) remain classics in the '80s metal canon. Dream Evil featured new guitarist Craig Goldy, and Lock Up The Wolves found Ronnie the lone original member looking into the '90s. A reunion with Black Sabbath in 1992 led to Vinny's return to Dio for Strange Highways and Angry Machines. Though no longer the commercial force they once were, Dio continues to release quality metal; Killing The Dragon appeared in 2002.
| Date | ALBUMS / Singles |
|---|---|
| 1983 May | HOLY DIVER |
| 1983 August | Holy Diver |
| 1983 October | Rainbow In The Dark |
| 1984 | The Last In Line |
| 1984 July | Mystery |
| 1984 July | THE LAST IN LINE |
| 1984 August | We Rock |
| 1985 July | Rock 'N' Roll Children |
| 1985 August 13 | SACRED HEART |
| 1985 October | Hungry For Heaven |
| 1985 | King of Rock and Roll |
| 1985 | Like The Beat of a Heart (live) |
| 1986 May | Hiding (From) The Rainbow |
| 1986 July | INTERMISSION |
| 1987 July | I Could Have Been A Dreamer |
| 1987 July 7 | DREAM EVIL |
| 1987 | INTERVIEW PICTURE DISC |
| 1990 May 15 | LOCK UP THE WOLVES |
| 1990 June | Hey Angel |
| 1990 | Wild One |
| 1992 | DIAMONDS - THE BEST OF DIO |
| 1993 | STRANGE HIGHWAYS |
| 1994 | Evilution |
| 1996 October | ANGRY MACHINES |
| 1997 | ANTHOLOGY |
| 1998 February 24 | DIO'S INFERNO: THE LAST IN LIVE |
| 2000 March 21 | MAGICA |
| 2000 October 3 | THE VERY BEAST OF DIO |
| 2001 February 27 | ANTHOLOGY VOLUME TWO |
| 2002 May 21 | KILLING THE DRAGON |
| 2003 May 23 | STAND UP AND SHOUT: THE DIO ANTHOLOGY |
| 2004 September 7 | MASTER OF THE MOON |
| 2005 February 22 | EVIL OR DIVINE: LIVE IN NEW YORK CITY |
| 2005 June 27 | THE COLLECTION |
| 2005 October 4 | METAL HITS |
| 2006 April 18 | HOLY DIVER LIVE |
| 2007 | ROCK LEGENDS |
| SEE ALSO... |
|---|
| Iron Eagle: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack |
| Vision Quest Original Motion Picture Sound Track |
| BLACK SABBATH discography |
| RAINBOW discography |
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