Heavy Maytal : Dio's "Killing the Dragon"

 

Back in 2002 the dragon Dio was referring to was technology which he felt was a danger to mankind, so it's good that he is not alive to see where we are today. There is a more focus gallop on the first song than they used on the previous album.  Whitesnake guitarist Doug  Aldrich plays on this album, which also finds Bain and Wright holding it down behind him. "Along Comes a Spider" lyrically a little darker it's more of a typical Dio rocker but it works. with songs like "Scream" and "Better in the Dark" he was working off the theory that if it was never broke why fix, and trends allowed him to go back to something closer to his original style. 

For the song to be called "Rock N Roll" the verse throb more like "Kashmir" .  The chorus is a little cheese filled. "Push" is more of an anthemic rock song.  The palm muted chug on the verse is accented by a more rock riff. I'm going to blame Doug for the parts that sound like they belong in a Ratt song. There is also a very 80s feel to 'Guilty' with the vocal production being the big difference. It's a darker song than the bulk of what we have heard so far on this album so it works for me, along with it being pretty catchy. "Throw Away the Children" sounds like he was reflecting back on his time with Black Sabbath which works for me. I prefer it to the more rock n roll feel of "before the Fall" . The organ solo was unexpected but makes sense. 

The last song is pretty middle of the road, more rock than metal, but flashy enough guitar, though it feels like the same guitar riff could be applied to todays pop country. Overall though this album works better than the previous one and I think it was a smart move on his part to just embrace who he is. I will give this one a 9.5.