Dio – “Holy Diver”

Dio’s Magnum Opus

Written in 1983, Dio’s ‘Holy Diver’ is to metal as Led Zeppelin’s ‘Stairway To Heaven’ is to classic rock – there’s something incredibly sacred about it that renders it nearly untouchable to other bands who respect Dio too much to even consider covering it. ‘Holy Diver’ was featured on the band’s debut album Holy Diver, and to this day the 6 minute fantasy epic is widely regarded as the highlight of the late Ronnie James Dio’s career and a prime example of his musical genius.

Holy Diver’s Impact At A Glance

If ever there was a perfect album, Dio’s 1983 Holy Diver would be it! Here’s what critics have been saying for over 30 years:

• “Holy Diver remains the undisputed highlight of Dio’s career, and, indeed, one of the finest pure heavy metal albums of the 1980s.” – Allmusic
• “It is one of metal’s best albums and it spawned two of the greatest metal songs of the 80s – ‘Holy Diver’ and ‘Rainbow in the Dark’.” – IGN
• “Quintessential traditional metal”, with Ronnie James Dio “almost single-handedly reinventing gothic hard rock for the ’80s.” – Martin Popoff

Dio had one of the most distinctive voices in heavy metal, and combined with subject matter that reads more like a Tolkien epic than anything else, ‘Holy Diver’ had all of the elements to craft the quintessential traditional metal tune. Maybe that’s why over 30 years after its release, this Dio classic still endures for both seasoned metal fans and burgeoning metal fans alike!

+ Holy Diver lyrics +

Holy Diver
You’ve been down too long in the midnight sea
Oh what’s becoming of me

Ride the tiger
You can see his stripes but you know he’s clean
Oh don’t you see what I mean

Gotta get away
Holy Diver

Shiny diamonds
Like the eyes of a cat in the black and blue
Something is coming for you

Race for the morning
You can hide in the sun ’till you see the light
Oh we will pray it’s all right

Gotta get away-get away

Between the velvet lies
There’s a truth that’s hard as steel
The vision never dies
Life’s a never ending wheel

Holy Diver
You’re the star of the masquerade
No need to look so afraid

Jump on the tiger
You can feel his heart but you know he’s mean
Some light can never be seen

Holy Diver
You’ve been down too long in the midnight sea
Oh what’s becoming of me

Ride the tiger
You can see his stripes but you know he’s clean
Oh don’t you see what I mean

Gotta get away
Holy Diver