Dio - Killing The Dragon
2002 Spitfire Records

Track Listing:
1.  Killing The Dragon
2.  Along Came A Spider
3.  Scream
4.  Better In The Dark
5.  Rock And Roll
6.  Push
7.  Guilty
8.  Throw Away Children
9.  Before The Fall
10. Cold Feet

Line-Up:
Vocals:  Ronnie James Dio
Guitars:  Doug Aldrich
Bass:  Jimmy Bain
Drums:  Simon Wright
Keyboards:  Jimmy Bain
Guest Keyboards on "Before The Fall":  Scott Warren

Website:  www.ronniejamesdio.com

Uncle Meat's Rating:  B-
Average Album Rating:  B-

Uncle Meat's Review:
I first became exposed to Dio with Sabbath’s Live Evil.  I had never heard of this singer before, but if he can sing with Sabbath then he must have some chops.  Well he did, and still does.  Whether singing for Sabbath, Dio, or Rainbow (Gates Of Babylon) the man proves he has one of the best voices in rock ‘n roll/metal.

After Dehumanizer I pretty much lost interest in Dio, with the exception of the song Holy Diver.  I just became re-exposed to Mob Rules and had forgotten how much ass it kicks.  I really didn’t have much interest in his brand of D&D fantasy rock.  I bought Killing The Dragon because it was used and I figured what the hell.  While Dio hasn’t changed much, or at all, he really delivers with Killing The Dragon.  Not a perfect album, but worthy to be alongside Mob Rules.

Song summaries include...

1. Killing The Dragon- The main riff in this song sound like 80’s glam rock.  The guitar solo sounds like one of Zakk Wylde’s off of No Rest For The Wicked.  A promising start.  B
2. Along Came A Spider - Despite being extremely straight forward, this song is a lot of fun.  This is one of those songs you and your friends drive down the street blaring out of the windows.  Some nice chord changes in the middle really save this song from being too redundant.  B-
3. Scream - Remember the video for the song Black Velvet that used to be MTV all the time?  I swear Dio stole one of the riffs from that song and made it better.  The screams towards the end and the outro solo are unnecessary.  C
4. Better In The Dark - This song it total Motley Crüe worship.  Jimmy Bain gets in some nice low end on this song.  Simon Wright finally lets loose with the aggression he had been holding in since the first track.  B
5. Rock And Roll - Part ballad.  Part half-baked rocker.  A song that really goes nowhere fast.  This song is the enemy of Along Came A Spider.  C-
6. Push - I’ve been Listening to Mob Rules a lot lately and this song would be a pretty good fit on that album, although it would be a much better song.  B+
7. Guilty - I used to skip this song all the time when I first bought the album.  Listening to it now I remember why.  This song has “last minute addition” written all over it.  Lukewarm riffs, sloppy mood, crap.  Listen elsewhere.  D
8. Throw Away Children - Another ballad, but this time it's done right.  Not too much in the excitement department, Dio should use his voice more in this track.  The King Harbour Children’s Choir do an excellent job singing back up.  B
9. Before The Fall - Similar to Push.  For those of your who were waiting patiently for a keyboard solo and/or more keyboards:  This is your song.  The keys have a John Lord sound to them.  B
10. Cold Feet - A mid-tempo closer?  I think they should have used Push, but I digress.  Doug Aldrich gets a nice fuzzy tone in his solo.  The keyboard accents add nothing to the song.  C+

Uncle Meat's Rating:  B-

Also be sure to read:
Dio - Evil Or Divine:  Live In New York City by Horatio