Paul Gilbert: “The Dio Album” (2023) – Album Review

Summary

Rock guitar virtuoso Paul Gilbert (Mr. Big, Racer X) covers a dozen amazing Ronnie James Dio tunes in a collection of guitar-driven heavy metal instrumentals. These Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and Dio classics remain sacred and nigh-untouchable, but Gilbert imbues the project with passion, energy, and his signature impeccable shredding.

Album Info

Hot-Take Review

Hey gang, this review will be a quick one, and that’s no slight on today’s subject. That’s right, we’re looking at The Dio Album from legendary metal guitarist Paul Gilbert. For those of you not in the know, Gilbert is a renowned and respected guitar instructor and solo artist, but for many he’s best known as the shredding metal legend from Racer X and Mr. Big.

(Your intrepid reviewer remembers eagerly devouring Gilbert’s column in Guitar Player magazine as a teenage would-be guitar legend. To this day I still can’t play worth a crap, but it’s the journey, not the destination, right? I keep telling myself that…)

Moving on now… Gilbert’s latest release, The Dio Album, basically requires little in terms of explanation. Tackling all instruments except drums (provided by Bill Ray), Gilbert selected and performed a dozen well-known and deep-cut songs from Dio’s tenure with Rainbow (“Kill The King”, “Man On The Silver Mountain”, “Long Live Rock ‘N’ Roll”, “Starstruck”), Black Sabbath (“Neon Knights”, “Country Girl”, “Heaven And Hell”, “Lady Evil”), and of course Dio (“Stand Up And Shout”, “Holy Diver”, “Don’t Talk to Strangers”, “The Last In line”).

Listen: any self-respecting Ronnie James Dio fan knows each of those tunes to the letter. That particular catalog of metal classics from 1975-1984 remains essentially sacred and nigh-untouchable. We’re talking Ronnie James Dio’s epic collaborations with talents like Ritchie Blackmore, Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, Vinny Appice, Jimmy Bain, and Vivian Campbell, resulting in a host of landmark albums in the heavy metal pantheon.

As a musician, Gilbert easily stands with all of them. But nothing, and no one, can do justice to Ronnie James Dio’s vocals. The man’s style was entirely distinct and nigh-inimitable. Nigh! As such, Gilbert conceived the album as an instrumental project, letting his guitar do the singing and, as such, eschewing some of the longer, more instrumentally-complex pieces that (attempt to) draw attention away from Dio’s vocal melodies.

The end result is a spirited and highly engaging album that does justice to this collection of tunes. You can’t improve perfection — why would you want to? — and Gilbert knows this well. So instead of presenting any kind of new or radical interpretation of these tunes, he pays tribute by performing the hell out of them.

The result is pretty cool. I won’t pretend that I wouldn’t just rather listen to the originals if I had to choose, but a tribute album like this isn’t competing for attention. Rather, it’s paying attention and homage, and doing so in a buttkickingly shredding way.

So yeah, The Dio Album is a fun listen. The best thing a tribute album can do is remind you of how much you love the original artist’s work, and while there’s not much updating, reworking, or reinterpretation going on, The Dio Album overflows with joyous appreciation that is nothing less than infectious. RJD fans of any flavor should definitely give this one a stream or a spin.

Bring on Volume 2!

What similar albums does ChatGPT recommend?

While it behooves me to remind my readers that everything you just read is 100% Mills, let’s ask our friendly neighborhood AI for some similar album recommendations.

1. “Holy Dio: A Tribute to the Voice of Metal – Ronnie James Dio” (2000) This tribute album is a compilation of various artists covering songs from Dio’s career, including his work with Black Sabbath, Rainbow, and his solo material. Notable tracks include Anthrax’s rendition of “Neon Knights” and Blind Guardian’s take on “Don’t Talk to Strangers.”

2. “Nativity in Black: A Tribute to Black Sabbath” (1994) and “Nativity in Black II” (2000) These two tribute albums consist of covers of Black Sabbath songs by various artists. The first volume includes covers by artists like Type O Negative, Sepultura, and Megadeth. The second volume features artists such as Pantera, Slayer, and System of a Down.

3. “Catch the Rainbow: A Tribute to Rainbow” (2014) This tribute album features various artists performing covers of classic Rainbow songs. Artists like Glenn Hughes, Joe Lynn Turner, and Doogie White lend their talents to create a fitting homage to the legendary band.

4. “This is Your Life: A Tribute to Ronnie James Dio” (2014) This album celebrates the life and music of Ronnie James Dio with covers by artists such as Metallica, Motörhead, and Tenacious D. Proceeds from the album’s sales went to the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund.

5. “The Dio Years: A Tribute to Ronnie James Dio” (2012) This tribute album features covers of Ronnie James Dio’s work with Black Sabbath, Rainbow, and his solo career. Artists such as Jorn Lande, Tony Martin, and Oni Logan contribute their interpretations of Dio’s iconic songs.

Output from ChatGPT, OpenAI to Mills, 12 April 2023.