DIO 'HOLY DIVER' LP (Rhino Reserve)

LABEL: Rhino/Warner Records
RELEASE DATE: 05/01/2026
VARIANT: Rhino Reserve, Black Vinyl LP

While 1983’s Holy Diver is Ronnie James Dio’s debut LP with his eponymous outfit, it only reinforced what music fans had known about the iconic Metal Elf for years — the former Black Sabbath and Rainbow singer was a hell of a frontman. Backed by the rock-solid ensemble of bassist Jimmy Bain, guitarist Vivian Campbell and drummer Vinny Appice, Dio delivers grandiose, operatic, instantly horns-raising wailings above a bed of searing NWOBHM and anvil-clanking anthems. Featuring lightning-strike rippers like “Stand Up and Shout” and the enduring title track, Holy Diver is a perfect marriage of fantastical lyricism and street-level Eighties metal grit.