30 Years On - 1984 Killer Albums (Part 6)

Dio - The Last in Line

Trying to follow up an album such as Holy Diver, which in itself was attempting to follow up what Ronnie James Dio had produced with Black Sabbath, which was (somewhat) trying to follow up what Dio produced with Rainbow, is no meat feat. In hindsight, almost impossible. Holy Diver had sold and performed well, on the back of relentless touring from the new band, and many of the tracks on that album had already become classics. To then come out a year later, and release an album that would be as remotely well received as it was quite a task. A task that was met and matched.

There's not much you can say about the opening two tracks to the album that hasn't been said somewhere else a thousand times. "We Rock" became one of Dio's anthems, drawing the band and audience together through the lyrics and making you feel a part of the legacy. This is followed by the masterpiece that is "The Last in Line" - heavy, loud, melodic, booming. Ronnie's vocals power the song along, Vinnie Appice's heavy-handed drumming beats down hard along with Jimmy Bain's gutteral bass guitar, and topped off by Vivian Campbell's squealing guitar licks. Still an absolute classic thirty years later.
Just as awesome as these opening tracks are the follow ups. "Breathless" is dominated by Vivian's guitaring, and despite all of the brilliant songs on this album, this remains my absolute favourite. I love Ronnie's vocals here, and the rhythm ties it all together magnificently. This is followed by "I Speed at Night", which runs along at a speed that is worthy of the title. This is a brilliant example of the best that Dio can produce. While the band (and most of Dio's work in general) don't usually dabble in such fast-paced songs, this is a beauty, and one of my only regrets with Dio's volume of songs is that he, and the band, didn't do more fast songs like this. Completing side one is "One Night in the City", a more subdued song after the frantic opening, but still a great one that hung around set lists for some years.
Just like Holy Diver, the strength of this album is not just in the songs that everyone knows, it is in the heart of the album, the songs that mightn't have been heard by casual listeners of the band's work. Not every song on an album has to be an epic. It doesn't have to be that you try and fit nine songs as memorable as "We Rock" on an album. Not every song has to be absolutely unforgettable, or considered a timeless song in the anthology of the band. Not everyone would consider Iron Maiden's "Quest For Fire" or "Ganglands" as top shelf Maiden songs, but they contribute to the brilliance of the albums they are a part of. And so it is here on The Last in Line. Songs such as "Evil Eyes" and "Egypt (The Chains Are On)" may not be the first songs you think of when it comes to Dio's best, but they help to make this album as great as it is, because they meld into the fabric of the tracklist, and become enmeshed in the whole listening experience. What's more, if these songs happen to come up on a random mix at home or at a party, they immediately stand out to you, because although you may not think of them often especially in the framework of listening to the album from first track to last, when you hear them on their own out of that environment you absolutely appreciate them. I love them both.
"Mystery" was one of the singles from the album, and was often slated as one that was written directly for the commercial market. Whether or not this is true I don't know, but while it is the less heavy song on the album, I have always loved and still love it. I used to sing it to my daughter when she was little, and it still forms that bond with me when I hear it now. As a retaliator, listen to Ronnie's vocals on "Eat Your Heart Out". Heavy lyrics, which Ronnie spits out with emotion. He really dishes it out on this song especially, in a fashion like those of the two opening tracks.

Ronnie's vocals here are at their peak, soaring at velocity. Vivian's guitaring too is just brilliant, driving the songs and taking over during the solo breaks. Those that only know him through his work with Def Leppard would not believe he could be this good. He is just brilliant on this album, unbelievably excellent. And, though you may not necessarily notice them between these two legends, Vinny's drumming and Jimmy's bass are as solid as ever here, providing the foundations for the other two to work their magic.
On first glance, when balancing the worth of the tracks on the first two Dio albums, you would probably say that Holy Diver was the better album, hands down. On closer inspection and listening, there is really not that much between the two of them. The Last in Line is a creeper, because the balance of the less famous songs stands up pretty well against those of the debut album. When push comes to shove, I find it very difficult to separate the two when it comes to choosing a favourite. Suffice to say that I still think this is a brilliant and, perhaps in many instances, underrated album.

Rating: You've been hungry all of your life - so eat it out!  5/5