Paul Gilbert – The Dio Album
Paul Gilbert – The Dio Album
Music Theory Recordings
Release Date: 07/04/23
Running Time: 66:31
Review by Paul Hutchings
6/10
Paul Gilbert is a legendary guitarist. No challenge to that fact from the start. So, what the hell possessed him to do this record is beyond my scope of comprehension. Sure, it’s a novelty, and I’m sure it cured a creative itch. But there is something unerringly wrong about this record.
The virtuoso fret wizard, best known for his work with Mr Big and Racer X, was apparently driving when he saw a baseball cap with the word Dio emblazoned on it. As his EPK states, ‘Sometimes, even for the biggest of guitar legends, it’s the little things that hit us in the most profound ways’. Well, this is an album that despite his fluid brilliance, really should never have been given the necessary air to maintain any form of life.
Musically it’s as tight as those halcyon days when Ronnie James Dio unleashed a young Irishman called Vivian Campbell on the world. Those magical days of “Holy Diver” and “Last in Line”, when Ronnie ruled the metal world with his horns, castles, dragons, and those stunning vocals. But Gilbert has replaced Ronnie’s vocals with his guitar, and whilst the technical brilliance is astonishing, one must wonder about the need to do it. To quote the great Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park, “they were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should”. A cross between Sweep from Sooty & Sweep and Swanny Kazoo, it’s a terrible idea which flounders from the start of ‘Holy Diver’ all the way through to the final bars of ‘The Last in Line’.
Quite honestly, it’s an exercise in self-indulgence which would have been better left alone. But Gilbert isn’t content with just Dio songs. Oh no. We get A few from Sabbath including ‘Neon Knights’ and a straggling ‘Country Girl’, as well as a couple of Rainbow classics. All of them are musically on point, as you’d expect. Hell, Gilbert isn’t just aping Ronnie, but taking on Iommi, Blackmore and Campbell as well. The latter is a task that he’s well up to. But, and I return to it again, what possessed him to replace Ronnie’s singing with guitar? It may be technically precise, and I have no problem with that element of his work, which is incredible. He is a stunning musician and to take on these tracks by himself shows balls of steel. However, if you are a fan of the legendary Ronnie James Dio, you may well wish to take a very deep breath before even considering indulging.
TRACKLISTING:
01. Holy Diver
02. Neon Knights
03. Kill the King
04. Stand Up and Shout
05. Country Girl
06. Man on the Silver Mountain
07. Heaven and Hell
08. Long Live Rock ‘N’ Roll
09. Lady Evil
10. Don’t Talk to Stranger
11. Starstruck
12. The Last in Line
LINE-UP:
Paul Gilbert – Everything
LINKS:
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