Search - Dio :: Magica

A step back in the right direction!

Schenker is God | Los Angeles, CA United States | 05/04/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A lot of people will tell you that MAGICA was a glorious comeback for Dio after several lackluster albums in the 1990s. Personally, I think this album was more the BEGINNING of a comeback which continued with KILLING THE DRAGON and culminated with the awe-inspiring MASTER OF THE MOON.



MAGICA is a great album that is in some ways very similar to classic '80s Dio, but very different in other ways. The vocals, lyrics and the lead guitar style are very much in the classic Dio vein. Gone are the industrial/modern metal tendencies from the Tracy G era. Dio has also toned down his use (overuse) of dissonance from the last two albums, opting for a more pleasingly melodic vocal approach. The songwriting is very different, much more dramatic and complicated than the straight-forward Dio albums of old. The songs are very good but not quite as easy to rock out to as some of the simpler, older material. Also, the use of synthesizers tends to add atmosphere at the expense of heaviness at times.



The guitar riffs and solos are back to the classic style thanks to Craig Goldie's return. Goldie's solos are melodic and tasteful without sacrificing speed and energy. Overall he puts in a masterful performance. My only complaint is that his guitar tone seems overly processed at times: I would have preferred a more classic and natural tube tone, but that may have hindered the whole sci-fi/fantasy atmosphere Dio was going for with this album.



The songs "Lord of the Last Day" and "Fever Dreams" are my two favorites from this album. Both are absolute 5-star Dio classics in my opinion. "Fever Dreams" in particular reminds one of classic '80s Dio, yet is still fresh and original. The lyrics, vocals, riffs, solo, bass, and drums are all absolutely perfect. In fact, "Fever Dreams" is probably my choice for the best Dio song of all time. Every other song on the album is good in my opinion, but none of them are really "greatest hits" material. If there were just one or two more truly great songs, this would have been a five star album. Still, MAGICA is a classic on the album level, with the lyrics, musical interludes, and brief narrations between tracks bringing the individual songs together into a very pleasing whole. The only caveat to my rating is Ronnie's 14+ minute narration of the story of Magica. The story is interesting enough within the context of the songs, but seems a bit silly on its own. Also, unfortunately and unexpectedly, Ronnie is not a very good narrator. We all know he can sing lyrics in a song just the right way to bring home the point and the emotional content, but this ability just doesn't cross over to his narrating skills. Sorry Ronnie!



MAGICA stands alone in Dio's catalog as a unique album stylistically speaking. Yet it has enough in common with classic Dio, and its experimental aspects are carried out well enough, that any Dio fan should thoroughly enjoy MAGICA!



A final addendum: the bonus track "Annica" found on the Japanese edition of MAGICA, while only an instrumental, is absolutely fantastic, and features some of my favorite guitar work ever by Craig Goldie!



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