“We never thought [Holy Diver] was going to be such a classic record”

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Photo Credit: PG Brunelli

1982 marked the end of Ronnie James Dio’s affiliation with BLACK SABBATH. The Heavy Metal vocalist wasted no time assembling the talent and music that would appear on his first album under the DIO moniker, 1983’s Holy Diver.

Flanked by Vinny Appice (BLACK SABBATH) on drums, Vivian Campbell (SWEET SAVAGE) on guitar, and bassist Jimmy Bain (RAINBOW), Holy Diver went on to achieve gold status in 1984, platinum status in 1989, and established DIO as one of the legendary acts in Heavy Metal.

While DIO went on to release 10 studio albums and shuffle line-ups over the next 20 years, Holy Diver remains the act’s landmark release. Now on the cusp of the album’s 40th anniversary, Rhino Entertainment is giving the album an upgrade.

The Holy Diver: Super Deluxe Edition 4CD Box Set features a 2022 remaster of the album, a remixed version of the album by Joe Barresi (TOOL, QOTSA), an unreleased 1983 live performance, and a disc of outtakes, singles, and B-Sides. Digital and vinyl editions of the remixed album are also available.

I had the chance to catch up with original DIO drummer Vinny Appice to talk about the history of, and the current version of, Holy Diver.

Highlights include:

-How the members of DIO came together
-The frat house atmosphere at the recording studio
-Were any of the songs leftover from BLACK SABBATH?
-No filler or limitations appearing on the album
-The real expectations prior to the album’s release
-Discussion of Holy Diver: Super Deluxe Edition
-Risks of remixing classic albums
-Playing drums from a high altitude
-“Rainbow in the Dark” appearing in latest Thor movie
-Easter Egg in original mix of “Shame On The Night”
-Formation of LAST IN LINE
-New music from the band
-Drum Wars with his brother CARMINE APPICE
-And much, much more

www.vinnyappice.com
www.ronniejamesdio.com

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