DICTATOR

A good album Haunting and Instrument of Hell are the best for me even if the new version of some songs are not very original but the hole is good

...in a good way. I first read about Dio in CURE MAGAZINE and was curious to check them out. I watched a few of their PVs on You Tube and was rather impressed at how heavy they were, until I heard HAUNTING and then wondered "WTF"???? So curiosity getting the better of me, I purchased this compilation featuring two PVs. Dio is obviously a visual band on a mission. They might have all the trappings, but obviously they're not satisfied with just one style or sound, which makes this compilation somewhat schizophenic--in a good sonic, teeth-rattling way. Dio does the melodic heavy thing, then they let loose a blistering barrage on other songs which lets you know these aren't just pretty boys on guitars. Vocalist Mikaru might be beautiful to look at, but don't let that fool you. This guy is SCARY, especially with those death metal growls that would have many American and European bands giving him big kudos. Liked it and can't wait to see what comes next with this band.

I was actually quite hyped up by the prospects of dio releasing a new album. However the album didn't really live up to my expectations. First of all there are too few songs on the album. Furthermore many of the songs are remakes of previously released songs. No doubt the older releases were good but most of the retakes on such songs just don't feel very spectacular. The newer songs on the album also feel abit rushed out. I think they could have been better though some of the songs were pretty nice. However, one song that caught my attention was the album rendition of last dance. I prefered this edition to the original one. It was given a big makeover and I thought it was a brilliant remake.