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Dio > Strange Highways > Reviews > TheHumanChair
Dio - Strange Highways

Recovering from Highway Robbery - 80%

TheHumanChair, November 30th, 2021

Dio's solo band was put on hold post "Lock Up the Wolves" for him to briefly rejoin Sabbath for the incredible "Dehumanizer" album. However, egos reared their heads again, and after being asked to essentially play a supporting role for Ozzy on tour, Dio felt his dignity was robbed, and left Sabbath. As before, he took Vinny Appice with him, and they reformed Dio together with Jeff Pilson on bass and Tracy G on guitar to create "Strange Highways." This album is in a bit of an odd place. The follow up to this album has a very bad reputation, so I feel like tons of Dio fans just skip over "Strange Highways" because they assume "Angry Machine's" bad reputation will hold true for this one too. "Strange Highways" is very different, however, and deserves a much closer look.

Stylistically, "Strange Highways" is a very natural progression coming off the extremely angry "Dehumanizer." Dio is still as pissed off on this album as he was during his brief second run with Sabbath. Tracy G is also a fantastic guitarist at complementing this style. Tracy, in my opinion, is probably the best pure riff writing guitarist of Dio's solo career, but he suffers in other places. I don't think he's a versatile guitarist by any degree. He does one style and does it quite well, but I could never see Tracy G being a long term guitarist for Dio. He is quite formulaic in his transitions and solos. I think things would have gotten stale with him if he'd stayed on much longer than he did. Jeff Pilson is also a wonderful bassist, and a great addition to the band. However, this is really where I get to rest my case on what I said about Dio in my "Holy Diver" review. It's very obvious that he was trying to make this a follow up to "Dehumanizer." Without Tony Iommi to elevate him, though, "Strange Highways" can't hold a candle to what it's trying to essentially one up. That's not to say the record is bad. Far from it. It's just that Dio absolutely was at his best when he had another legend that he could compete with directly.

"Pain" is one of the most aggressive and pissed off songs that Dio has ever come up with. It starts with a great buildup and Dio pouring his all into the coming anger that the song will represent. Tracy G gives us a really smooth and memorable core riff as well. The track also has a wonderful balance of instrumental heaviness and breathing room for Dio's voice to shine through on. It might be the pinnacle track for this new lineup gelling and all meshing together. The opening track "Jesus, Mary, and the Holy Ghost" is another very memorable track for this lineup. For once, the very standard and done to death Dio opening track formula is broken here, and it really is for the better. This song is definitely a little bit of a quicker one for the album, but it still has a lot of room to show off the power and aggression that "Strange Highways" in general comes to represent. It's a great showcase of the new sound. Enough classic Dio sound to please old school fans, but it also never goes without the heavy nature either. I could do without the false ending with a middling fadeout over false animal panting, but it's a small blemish on a very good track.

For me, "Blood from a Stone" is the most overlooked and underappreciated track this Dio lineup has ever done. The core riff is catchy on top of the heaviness, and Dio pulls out one of his most memorable choruses. He still presents it with that throat ripping pissed off anger, but he adds the perfect amount or his normal singing voice and melody to it to make the chorus an extremely catchy and memorable one. There's nothing about "Blood from a Stone" that I think would make it a classic or a staple, but it's just a really enjoyable track in which everything just comes together extremely well. "Hollywood Black" has another really fantastic chorus. The song in general is a stomping grooving track that gives Pilson and Appice a lot of room to standup on. It builds up nicely, and the mixture of the chorus riff and Dio's melody over it give an electric chorus. It's sleek and a bit darker, but still quite catchy at the same time. "Hollywood Black" is a refreshing mix of classic Dio and the new style from this rejuvenated lineup. It tells just the right musical story.

The title track starts off with an acoustic and somber intro, which is pretty different from most of the album. It does a good job in making the title track feel special from the rest of the record. The remainder of the song features a fantastically heavy riff from Tracy G and a driving bassline from Pilson. Pilson really is the highlight here. He connects everyone together and keeps the listener focused between the rest of the parts. He and the crushing riff are really the meat of the entire song. I honestly think Dio is a bit dull on this particular track. In general, I find the title track takes a bit too much time to say its piece. It's a good song, but the fat needed trimming. Especially during the last two minutes. It could easily have been shaved down. "Give Her the Gun" also has an acoustic intro, but falls much flatter than the title track. It's a much more melodic song. Almost unfittingly melodic for what the rest of the album represents. The chorus kind of comes out of nowhere and doesn't really make any sense in terms of where it was placed and why. The song just kind of bounces between this melodic acoustic part and a sudden burst of dull heaviness for the chorus and doesn't leave much of an impact. The heavier parts feel really forced and don't have the punch they should have had. The song is also far too long on top of it. "Give Her the Gun" isn't an unacceptable track, but it is definitely a muddy and unfocused experience.

"Here's to You" is the biggest headscratcher on the record. It comes out of the gate with a layered and celebratory chorus that makes it feel like it's meant to be a classic Dio sounding song, but as mentioned before, Tracy G is not the guitarist for classic Dio. Dio still tries to put a bit more aggression on the verses to make it fit the rest of the album's mood, but both the chorus and a lot of the melodies themselves SCREAM of older Dio and don't match up. Tracy's riffs flounder about. He seems almost confused trying to come up with a good part to fit what Dio presented. Luckily, the song is short, and the last new riff is probably what the entire song should have been like, so it's again not an awful experience. Just a bit confused. "Evilution" is another that is on the duller side on the record. This is another track that Pilson is really holding up, but a lot of the track comes out like a jam to me instead of a crafted song. Dio has some cool verse melodies, but the riffs behind him are pretty stock and dull. Again, the chorus just kind of comes out of nowhere and falls very flat. The song is probably the most formulaic and repetitive on the entire album. The whole thing only has two core parts and neither of them are particularly impactful. I don't think much would be missing off the album if this one was left on the bench during the recording sessions.

As a total experience, "Strange Highways" is another very worthwhile Dio album to add to his bag of tricks. Much like "Dream Evil," there really isn't a terrible moment across the whole album. Even the worst of what "Strange Highways" offers is simply okay and a bit stock while never dipping below. It definitely felt like, whether intentionally or subconsciously, Dio had some old habits that snuck their way onto the record when maybe they shouldn't have. It was also pretty clear that the band needed to work out some kinks and adjust to each other. "Strange Highways" definitely has a bit of a 'getting to know you' feel to it. One would think that the follow up with the same lineup would have been tighter and fixed these slight hiccups. However, "Angry Machines" would go on to have the worst reputation of any Dio album, so something didn't go as expected. In any case, "Strange Highways" is a very good record and well worth your time and attention.