The Classic Metal Album Review:
Title: The Last in Line
Artist: Dio
Label: Warner Brothers Records
Release Date: 1984

Rating: 5 Skulls
  • Read the Review of Killing the Dragon
  • Read the Reviews of Magica
  • Read the Reviews of Holy Diver
  • Official Website for this Artist
  • Discuss on the Metal Judgment Web Board
  • Submit/Read Reader Reviews of this Album

    • Death's Review:
    There's no denying that ex-Rainbow and ex-Black Sabbath vocalist Ronnie James Dio is one of the all-time great heavy metal frontmen. The praises of Dio's debut solo classic, Holy Diver, have been sung on these pages before; but the follow-up, The Last in Line, is almost right up there with it and is another example of Dio at his finest. Opener "We Rock" is the quintessential arena metal opener, with a cool, minor-sounding and fast-picked main riff and plenty of opportunities to shout as you raise the trademarked Dio devil horns in the air yelling "We rock!" The title track, "The Last in Line," is absolutely fantastic, a criminally underrated epic tune on par with Sabbath's "Heaven and Hell." The old-school MTV video is pretty fun too. "Breathless" is a great song and classic Dio. I love chanting "Evil! Evil!" at the end of "Evil Eyes," and the album-closing wistful epic, "Egypt (The Chains Are On)" is a must hear for any Dio fan. Guitarist Vivian Campbell shreds, and Jimmy Bain (bass) and Vinnie Appice (drums) lay down ass-kicking rhythms that propel the album further at critical junctures. This is clearly the most classic and most potent Dio lineup, so if you don't have this album yet, go seek out a used copy and enjoy it while you get yourself up to speed with another important chapter in heavy metal history.
    5 out of 5 DEATH  Email Death

    [- Metal Judgment Home -]    [- Email Metal Judgment -]
    ©1999 Metal Judgment. All rights reserved.