DIO - Sacred Heart ( 1985, Europe ) 12" Vinyl LP Album

Musicians:

• Ronnie James Dio - Vocals
• Ronnie James Dio – Vocals

  I always loved how he could turn a one-word hook into scripture, then grin and hit you again. Read more...

  Ronnie James Dio, the pocket-sized volcano whose voice could turn a pub into a cathedral, and whose phrasing hit like a boxer's jab. I watched him climb from Ronnie Dio and the Prophets (1961-1967) and the hard-touring Elf (1967-1975) into Rainbow (1975-1979), where he helped bottle that mix of medieval melody and street-fight hard rock. He rebooted Black Sabbath in two spells-1979-1982 and 1991-1992-then ran his own ship with Dio (1982-1991; 1993-2010), delivering anthems like "Holy Diver" without ever sounding cute. Late in the game he returned with the Sabbath lineup as Heaven & Hell (2006-2010), still singing on stage like the lights might go out mid-chorus.

  Ronnie James Dio Wiki
• Vinny Appice - Drums
• Vinny Appice – Drums

  Vinny Appice hits like a wrecking ball that somehow keeps perfect time—tight, loud, and annoyingly tasteful. Late-70s grind with Rick Derringer (1976–1977) and Axis (1978) turned into the real deal with Black Sabbath (1980–1982), then that classic jump with Ronnie James Dio into Dio (1982–1989; back again for the 1994 and 1996 records). Read more...

  Vinny Appice, Brooklyn-born and raised on the kind of grit that doesn’t need a press release, has always sounded like he’s driving the whole band from the drum throne. First heard him properly when he slid into Black Sabbath on the Heaven and Hell tour in 1980 and then stamped his name on Mob Rules (1981) and the Live Evil chapter (1982). Late 1982 brought the big pivot: leaving the Sabbath orbit with Ronnie James Dio to build Dio, where my turntable still keeps coming back to that early run—Holy Diver (1983), The Last in Line (1984), Sacred Heart (1985), Intermission (1986), Dream Evil (1987)—before he stepped away in December 1989. The story didn’t end there, because heavy metal loves sequels: he flew back into Sabbath for Dehumanizer in 1992, reunited with Dio for Strange Highways (1994) and Angry Machines (1996), and later rode with the same core crew as Heaven & Hell from 2006 to 2010—proof that his groove isn’t a “style,” it’s a structural beam.

  Vinny Appice Wiki
• Jimmy Bain - Bass
• Jimmy Bain – Bass

  Jimmy Bain is one of those bass players I call “quietly essential”: he doesn’t steal the spotlight, he just makes the whole thing hit harder and feel bigger. His lines have that no-nonsense weight that lets the guitars fly and the vocals preach without the bottom end turning to soup.  Read more...

  Jimmy Bain, for me, is a perfect example of how a great bassist can be both glue and engine at the same time—solid timing, fat tone, and just enough bite to keep things from getting polite. Timeline-wise, I always track him from Harlot (early 1970s) into Rainbow (1975–1977), then a long stretch with Dio (1982–1989, plus later returns like 1993–1994 and 2004), with plenty of side quests in between—most famously with Riverdogs band (1990–1993). Jimmy Bain Wiki

• Vivian Campbell - Guitar
• Vivian Campbell – Guitars

  I can spot his playing in five seconds: melody first, muscle second. Read more...

  Vivian Campbell, the Belfast-raised guitarist who plays with a surgeon's precision but still sounds like he means it. I first heard him tearing it up in Sweet Savage (1979-early 1983), then he stepped into Dio (1983-1986) and helped carve the classic early records. His trick is melody: he threads hooks between power chords, so the songs sing even when the amps are rude. He jumped to Whitesnake (1987-Dec 1988), got the full arena circus, then chased soulier grooves with Riverdogs (1989-1992; 2003-present) and Shadow King (1991). Since April 1992 he has been Def Leppard's lead guitarist, and he also did a Thin Lizzy stint (2010-2011) before reviving the old Dio chemistry in Last in Line (2012-present).

  Vivian Campbell Wiki
• Claude Schnell - Keyboards
• Claude Schnell – Keyboards

  The secret weapon who made Dio sound twice as huge without stepping on the riffs. Read more...

  Claude Schnell, the Dio keyboard man who knew when to glitter and when to punch, played like he was painting light on top of heavy riffs. I first clocked him in the early-80s with Rough Cutt (circa 1980-1983), then he stepped into Dio (1983-1986), adding those ominous pads, churchy stabs, and quick runs that made tracks like "The Last in Line" and "Sacred Heart" feel bigger than the room. He wasn't there to steal the spotlight; he was there to widen it, turning choruses into stadium-sized weather systems. That tasteful restraint is exactly why his parts still sound expensive decades later. On the mid-80s tours he made space for the guitars and bass, never cluttering the mix.

  Claude Schnell Wiki

Tracklisting Side One:

1. King of Rock and Roll
2. Sacred Heart
3. Another Lie
4. Rock and Roll Children

Tracklisting Side Two:

1. Hungry for Heaven
2. Like the Beat of a Heart
3. Just Another Day
4. Fallen Angels
5. Shoot Shoot