MUSIC REVIEW: DIO – Holy Diver (Joe Barresi Remix)

Over the past several years Greyhound has been getting plenty of paper off my ledger. One thing I can say about that form of transportation is that the rides are never short of some form of cacophony, and one such ride, I heard somebody from the back rows belting out the somber poetic genius found at the introduction to Holy Diver’s deep B-side album cut “Invisible”. Well, thanks to Joe Baresi, “Invisible” is no longer located on the flip side of the first disc, but the extension isn’t out of the usual suspect of a cash grab for yet another reprint of Dio’s debut.

Though the countdown lead-in’s added to a majority of the tracks do sometimes make the transitions feel off, the extended outro’s are worth every second and add validity to the lead-in’s, making the case that this experience of “Holy Diver” is completely different than any other – since it feels like your in the studio with the Rainbow band as they trim the fat off their classic record, but as any nutritionist will teach crash dieters – not all fat is bad.
As a big Nirvana head, I’ve heard all the Butch Vig and Steve Albini mixes on their anniversary releases and couldn’t hear the differences that would warrant the records to even have “remix” attached to the title. Dylan’s Empire Burlesque bootlegs, Ross Robinson’s “Wait And Bleed” being intended for album audiences instead of Terry Date’s toned down version – this I understand. And Barresi’s extensions to these classic Dio tracks are true notable remixes, which is important in when observing from my house in the Hip-Hop genre where a single song might have four remixes and none of them may sound remotely the same.

The differences are notable, and that’s all anyone could ever ask for a remix album. Extending the tape to two discs also gives the tracks more breathing room and allows for another story to be told, given that the sequencing on any great album is an integral part to the storytelling process of the album. And Dio’s “Holy Diver” is the type of story that has been echoed from arenas to Greyhound bus trips for years passed, for years to come.

From the original ’84 cut, to the live LP, to the Z2 graphic novel, and now this Barressi remix of cutting room floor pieces left off the original “Holy Diver” – Barresi’s “Holy Diver” 2022 Remix album is yet another cant miss deviation of Dio’s greatest. And given that Dio had a love for medieval myth and high adventure, this Barresi remix is a path in a choose your adventure book that surely Dio would have enjoyed. And like in any of those types of books, no one path is better than the other and all roads will lead to memorable entertainment, personalized to a point where one day you may find yourself belting out “Invisible” on the highway to hell as well.

Score : 4.5/5

Track Listings

• Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ Rhino/Warner Records
• Original Release Date ‏ : ‎ 2022
• Date First Available ‏ : ‎ May 19, 2022
• Label ‏ : ‎ Rhino/Warner Records

Author Profile

C.V.R. The Bard

Poet. Philosopher. Journalist. Purveyor of Truths.

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