1043. Dio / Sacred Heart. 1985. 5/5

When it comes to the year that most influenced my love of music, of the type of music that became what I loved more than any other, and in the discovery of artists and bands who became the most important in my music-loving life, 1986 is the year that wins hands down. In particular two such events could be appraised as perhaps the most important. The first was the discovery of the artist named Ronnie James Dio, his then-current band named Dio, and their third studio album which was entitled Sacred Heart.

The five piece band that wrote and recorded this album was at the very top of their form. Though there was tension between Dio and his talented guitarist Vivian Campbell, all of which has been well documented in the year since, it didn’t stop the band putting together an album that had the best of everything that the era had to offer. Some listening to the album now some 30+ years after its release may feel it is dated, or at the very least tied to the era in which it was released due to some of its elements. There is probably some truth to this, but that doesn’t detract from just how good an album it is.
As with most albums you can split it into two sections, one with the best known and most loved songs, and the other with the lesser known songs that carry the rest of the album. The best known songs here are the heavyweights, the songs that still resonate after all of these years. The album kicks off with “King of Rock and Roll” which brings the energy and drive that starts everything off perfectly. The studio-dubbed ‘live’ audience on the track works perfectly, giving the impression that the band is firing this up in a live environment. Great stuff. The title track “Sacred Heart” is a Dio epic, with its moody, melodic yet heavy theme throughout, with Dio himself stretching his vocal chords, while Campbell’s solo work is a delight.
The two singles from the album come together back to back and are still quintessential Dio from the outset. The video clip for “Rock ‘n’ Roll Children”, showing Dio in an old magical shop where the two star-crossed lovers enter and are transported to another reality is just fantastic, but even without it the song itself still speaks to the young and young at heart. This is followed by “Hungry for Heaven” which utilises many of the same elements in the music as its sister song.
Away from these heavy hitters in the Dio catalogue, a great album can only be great if the other songs on the album hold up as well, and in the case of [sacredheart] that is absolutely true. “Another Lie” is a ripper, with Dio giving us a great mid-range vocal effort that is well supported by tough riffs from Viv. “Like the Beat of a Heart” is a simple slower tempo song that chants along rather than flowing throughout. “Fallen Angels” and “Shoot Shoot” are often seen as the villains of the album with many people not believing they are up to standard, but for me they are still a major part of what is enjoyable about this album.
Apart from these eight songs, my favourite on the album has pretty much always been “Just Another Day”, a straight-up guitar song with a great riff and great vocals from Ronnie. I was taken by the lyrics as much as anything from the first time I heard the song, and after the staccato feel of “Like the Beat of a Heart” its punchy start kicks the album into gear again.
For the third successive album, this quintet put together a great show. Vinny Appice continues to pound the beat that allows the rest of the band to put their pieces together, and his big drum sound again works perfectly here. On bass Jimmy Bain again found a rhythm that laid the groundwork for each song, and his writing contribution again cannot be overlooked. Claude Schnell’s keyboards sound like they have more of an influence on this album, which given it is the mid-1980’s does fit in with the period.
Vivian Campbell is again an out-and-out star here. His guitar riffs, licks and solos are as much the sound of Dio the band as the man whose name adorns the band. That he parted ways with the band after this album is a regret for all fans of the band. Dio had some good guitarists play in the band over the following twenty years, but none rivalled Vivian and what he produced on these first three albums. Ronnie as always is magnificent. His vocals soar, his lyrics tell stories and his passion reigns supreme.
I started by saying there were two events in 1986 that rounded my love of music. The second? Well, Dio toured Australia on this album in September 1986, and it was the first band I ever saw live. Regrettably there was no Vivian by that time, replaced by Craig Goldy, but it was a spectacle I have never forgotten.

There are many who don’t enjoy this third instalment in the Dio lineage, and I really believe that most of those came onto this album after its heyday and judge it on how the music sounds now rather than how it sounded when it was released. That’s understandable and fair, but for those of us that grew up with this album, and had it burned into our psyche playing it over and over a thousand times, it will always be a great album. It may not be as dramatically awesome as Heaven and Hell or Holy Diver, and the saturation of Claude Schnell’s keyboards may date it well and truly to its time, but it still hits all the right places for me. Eight years on from the passing of the great man, Dio’s legacy is still a part of this album.

Rating: "You don't believe in someday, and the truth is what you prove". 5/5