97: Dio – Dream Evil

My own personal School of Rock respects the Dio. Ronnie James Dio has a set of lungs that could raze a small city. One criterion I have for my favorite 100 albums is the physical damage the original medium suffered from overplaying. Dio's Dream Evil (1987) played so much in my '76 Camaro that I went through three cassette tapes. Thank god for CDs so I can continue to play this masterpiece without watching tape spool out of the player, mocking me.

Dream Evil is an important album because it showcases Dio's trademark vocals but doesn't compromise on the metal. While hair rockers were at the peak of their feminine primping and sang about cherry pies and nothing but having a good time, Dio recorded an album full of introspective, dark, and powerful songs. I wouldn't be surprised to find out "All the Fool Sailed Away" was dedicated to the hair bands.

All of the album cuts are equally powerful and full of all the Ronnie James Dio imagery you can imagine: rain, sunshine, moonlight, rainbows, isolation, and, of course, evil shit. One track is one of my all-time favorite songs: "When a Woman Cries". The song still gives me chills. Other standout tracks are "Naked in the Rain", "Sunset Superman", "Overlove", and "I Could Have Been a Dreamer", which received major airplay in the Dallas market in 1987, before Dallas radio started to suck it (anybody remember Z-Rock?).

Dream Evil is a must-own album and deserves nothing less than to be heard all at once, as all good albums do. Also don't forget the Swedish power metal band Dream Evil took their name from this album.