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Dio > Killing the Dragon > Reviews > PseudoGoatKill
Dio - Killing the Dragon

Killing the Dragon-A Show Tune? - 85%

PseudoGoatKill, February 24th, 2005

After being exposed to a couple of songs by Dio them being "Holy Diver" and "Rainbow in the Dark" I decided it was high time that I buy an album by Dio. I was able to find "Killing the Dragon" for $5.99. Ironically enough the album was actually brand new, and sealed. Whoever got it must have lost the CD and didn't want it anymore.

I must say that as a whole this album is pretty good and impressive. The guitars, bass, drums, and vocals combine together to make some impressive heavymetal with power elements. Unfortunately the first half of this album is plagued by bits cheesiness tossed all around. Seriously, listen to the song "Killing the Dragon" and tell me that does not sound like a song they would play for the intro of a cartoon show called "Dragon Slayers".

Hell, I can even picture the damn sequence being played along with music. It's not a good sign when you can imagine in vivid detail a song being played as a children's show tune.

From "Killing the Dragon" to "Better in the Dark" these songs seem to suffer the show tune sound. Perhaps it's the overblatant happy beats in the songs that give the songs this effect. The guitars and bass seem to be tuned awfully high, and give these songs a sickenly happy feel to them.

Before the entire album turns into a syrupy cheeseball cutesy hugfest the song "Rock & Roll" comes on. The heavy/power metal is still here, but now the sounds are much darker and the guitars and bass sound as if though they have been tuned lower than previous songs. The vocals have also become more resolved and not as happy sounding. From this song foward all of the songs have gone from sickenly happy, to happy, to slightly depressing/happy.

"Throw Away Children" has some of the best drum work on the entire album, and is another surpisingly catchy song.

The first half of this album gets an 80% the second half gets a 90% for an average score of 85/100

Serious Metal: Rock and Roll, Throw Away Children, Guilty
Show Tune Metal: Killing the Dragon, Along Came a Spider