Ronnie James Dio would have turned 80 years old today (July 10th). Among the greatest heavy metal singers of all time, Dio’s career spanned five decades, touched millions of fans and pioneered his signature “devil’s horns,” one of the most popular hand gestures in the world. Dio also provided vocals and lyrics for some of the most iconic rock albums of all time with Black Sabbath and Rainbow, before establishing his own band Dio as a metal force with their 1983 debut Holy Diver.

With the new Super Deluxe Edition release of Dio’s iconic debut, Holy Diver, legendary drummer Vinny Appice spoke to BraveWords’ Streaming For Vengeance about this “exciting” moment and the interview airs today! 

“It's just amazing to me that after 39 years there's so much interest in this album, and the band itself, and all the music,” Appice begins. “And then it's Ronnie's 80th birthday, which is incredible. Wow, where did the years go? Yeah, you it's exciting, you know? All the interest in it and it's still going and it just went double platinum, so it's a good, good time. We thought, we're making a good record, it sounds good, as as we put it together it was like, 'Yeah, this is pretty good'. And people were saying, 'Well, it'll probably go platinum', and we were like, 'I don't know. Sabbath went platinum, but I don't know about this. This is good, but we'll see what happens'. Because it was all new, it was a new band, new songs, new everything, so we didn't know it was going to become one of the cornerstone albums of rock, like it seems to be. It's so exciting, I wish Ronnie was around to see this. He'd be real proud. 39 years later, I mean it's going on 40 years next year, man that's a long time, and it's still selling."

The collection comes with two versions of Holy Diver. The first is a new mix of the album made by Joe Barresi. He used the original analog tapes to remix all nine tracks on the album. The second is a newly remastered version of the original 1983 mix. The Super Deluxe Edition also features unreleased live performances and outtakes, along with a selection of rarities from the era. 

“Back then it was simple times,” Appice reminisces about the moment. “It was a new band, and we'd rehearse at seven o'clock every night, at Sound City, and it was like a hangout. Every night we went there at seven o'clock and had some fun. We kind of destroyed Sound City, doing crazy stuff there. People would come over and hang out, we'd jam, we'd record stuff. It was a great time, it was very simple. Now you look back and you go 'That was just one of those windows of great writing and great playing, and a great time'. Ronnie was happy. Things changed as albums went on, they weren't quite as much fun, each album, but you know the first two were great. And that shows in the music, a reflection in the music, and even the record sales. You can tell it's a great vibe on the record. We were having fun. Holy Diver was like, we were ready to kick ass all the time."

Holy Diver was a platinum-certified smash and one of the late singer-songwriter’s most groundbreaking achievements. Rhino revisits this epic metal moment on Holy Diver: Super Deluxe Edition, available on July 8 as a 4-CD boxed set ($59.98) and digitally. 

The collection comes with two versions of Holy Diver. The first is a new mix of the album made by Joe Barresi (Tool, Queens of the Stone Age, Slipknot). He used the original analog tapes to remix all nine tracks on the album. The second is a newly remastered version of the original 1983 mix. The Super Deluxe Edition also features unreleased live performances and outtakes, along with a selection of rarities from the era. 

Barresi’s new mix of “Holy Diver” is available today digitally as a preview to the new album mix. Stream the song here, and below.

In addition, Barresi’s new mix of Holy Diver will be released the same day as a 2-LP set on 180-gram vinyl ($34.98). It includes the original nine tracks, plus the 1983 B-side version of “Evil Eyes” as a bonus track. Side four is decorated with an etching of the legendary demon Murry that graces the album’s iconic cover. The vinyl is kept in a gatefold sleeve that shows off newly commissioned artwork by longtime Dio artist, Marc Sasso. The same artwork is also used for the 4-CD Super Deluxe Edition.

Critically acclaimed and a commercial success, Holy Diver contributed two timeless classics to the heavy metal canon – “Rainbow In The Dark” and its title track. The album also ranks #16 on Rolling Stone’s current list of “100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time.” 

After departing Black Sabbath in early 1982, Dio began composing songs that would eventually appear on the album. After writing both “Holy Diver” and “Don’t Talk To Strangers,” Dio then assembled an amazing group of musicians, two familiar faces and one fresh recruit, with drummer Vinny Appice (Dio’s Black Sabbath bandmate), bassist/keyboardist Jimmy Bain (Dio’s Rainbow bandmate) and guitarist Vivian Campbell joining him to record the Holy Diver album.

In the illustrated liner notes that accompany the Super Deluxe Edition, music journalist Mick Wall shares the album’s creation story, including the making of its crown jewel, “Rainbow In The Dark.”

He writes: “Lyrically, it was Ronnie James Dio at his poetic best…Musically, ‘Rainbow In The Dark’ was also the band’s first truly collaborative endeavor. The inspiration for the monster guitar riff came from something Viv had written when he was 16. Vinny added his distinctive battle-cry beat, and Jimmy added the final touch with the infectiously simple keyboard motif.” The song was finished in 10 minutes, he adds. 

Holy Diver: Super Deluxe Edition goes beyond the original album with a previously unreleased recording of the quartet performing live in 1983 at Selland Arena in Fresno, California during the Holy Diver Tour. Wyn Davis mixed the concert recording, which spotlights live versions of songs from Holy Diver (“Stand Up And Shout” and “Rainbow In The Dark”), Rainbow classics (“Man On The Silver Mountain” and “Starstruck”), and Sabbath staples, (“Children Of The Sea” and “Heaven And Hell.”)

The Super Deluxe Edition also revisits the Holy Diver recording sessions to uncover unreleased outtakes for several album cuts, including unheard takes for “Invisible,” “Straight Through The Heart,” and a version of “Rainbow In The Dark” that boasts an alternative guitar solo. There’s also an early version of “Evil Eyes,” a song that would resurface on Dio’s 1984 follow-up album, The Last in Line. A selection of rarities rounds out the new collection with mono and stereo 7” single edits for “Rainbow In The Dark” and a version of “Evil Eyes” that was released in 1983 as the B-side to “Holy Diver.”

Holy Diver: Super Deluxe Edition
CD Tracklisting

CD1: Holy Diver (2022 Joe Barresi Mix) *
CD2: Holy Diver (2022 Remaster)
“Stand Up And Shout”
“Holy Diver”
“Gypsy”
“Caught In The Middle”
“Don’t Talk To Strangers”
“Straight Through The Heart”
“Invisible”
“Rainbow In The Dark”
“Shame On The Night”

CD3: Live at Selland Arena, Fresno, CA, 1983 
Intro *
“Stand Up And Shout” *
“Straight Through The Heart” *
“Shame On The Night” *
“Children Of The Sea” *
“Holy Diver” *
“Heaven And Hell” – including guitar solo *
“Rainbow In The Dark” *
“Man On The Silver Mountain” *
“Starstuck” *
“Man On The Silver Mountain” – reprise *
“Don’t Talk To Strangers” *

CD4: Outtakes, Singles & B-Sides
Tracks 1-7 unreleased
“Evil Eyes” – Wyn Davis remix *
“Don’t Talk To Strangers” – Take 1 (Joe Barresi mix) *
“Invisible” – Take 1 (Joe Barresi mix) *
“Invisible” – Take 3 (Joe Barresi mix) *
“Rainbow In The Dark” – Alternative Guitar Solo Version (Joe Barresi mix) *
“Straight Through The Heart” – Take 2 (Joe Barresi mix) *
“Straight Through The Heart” – Take 3 (Joe Barresi mix)*
“Rainbow In The Dark” – 7” Mono Edit
“Evil Eyes” – 1983 Version. B-Side of “Holy Diver”
“Rainbow In The Dark” – 7” Stereo Edit

* previously unreleased

Holy Diver: 2022 Joe Barresi Mix
2-LP Clear Vinyl Track Listing

LP1: Side One
“Stand Up And Shout”
“Holy Diver”
“Gypsy”
“Caught In The Middle”

LP1: Side Two
“Don’t Talk To Strangers”
“Straight Through The Heart”
“Invisible”

LP2: Side One
“Rainbow In The Dark”
“Shame On The Night”

Bonus Track
“Evil Eyes” – 1983 Version. B-Side of “Holy Diver”

LP2: Side Two
Etching

"Holy Diver" 2022 Joe Barresi Remix: