Dio (2) – Holy Diver

Originally released on 25 May 1983.

The same way Ozzy delivered a classic debut album after its participation to Black Sabbath, Dio created his best work and a monument for the heavy metal genre.

The original vinyl release included an inner sleeve showing a photo-montage with images from both Rainbow and Black Sabbath days.

The cover, with art by Randy Berrett, features the band mascot "Murray" spinning a priest in chains around waves.
Murray is featured on several other Dio albums.

"Holy Diver" At its surface, this song is about Satan, and his descent to Hell (his "dive"). But according to Dio, there's a lot more to it, and the main character isn't really The Devil. "The song 'Holy Diver' is really about a Christ-figure, who on another place, not Earth, has done exactly the same as we've apparently experienced or were supposed to have experienced on Earth: dying for the sins of man so that man can start again and be cleansed and do it properly," he told Sam Dunn for the film Metal: A Headbanger's Journey.

"Caught in the Middle" shares the main guitar riff with Campbell's previous band Sweet Savage's song "Straight Through the Heart" (1983), whose title was used for another song in this album.

In 2005 the album was remastered and re-released by Rock Candy Records.

The album was certified gold in the US on September 12, 1984, and platinum on March 21, 1989.

In the UK it attained Silver certification (60,000 units sold) by the British Phonographic Industry, achieving this in January 1986, at the same time as The Last in Line.

In 2017, it was ranked 16th on Rolling Stone's list of "100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time"

Vinyl releases:

1983
promo

1984
Japan

1985 Brazil

1988
Argentina

1991 Spain

2008 EU

2010
US picture disc

2011 EU picture disc

2013 solid grey, red, white & blue speckle

2018
black

2021
Italy