We almost take it for granted at this point that an artist's best work is done when they are young, and their older days are spent trying to recapture the magic, and largely disappointing the fans they've made along the way. But is that always true? It seems to me a lot of that falls on us as listeners, because we reach a saturation point where we have heard enough music from certain artists and their style, we begin to tune out the new stuff regardless of its quality.
When it comes to Ronnie James Dio, there is no denying the greatness he exhibited from Rainbow's "Rising" through his own "Holy Diver". It's as good a run of albums as anyone in rock or metal has ever had, and I would never dare to insinuate it isn't his best work.
It's not his only great work, though.
Dio had fallen from the top of the mountain by the time he passed, and now that enough time has elapsed since then, it's easier to look back at the last few records he made with fresh eyes. The results aren't quite the disappointment we might be inclined to believe they were.
Granted, there was a definite slump with records like "Angry Machines" and "Magica", despite that one getting a better reception than some of the others. Dio's one true effort to make a concept album was perhaps the worst album of his career, as it got bogged down in storytelling without much in the way of songs to back it up. The only silver lining that came from his death was that his plan for two sequels didn't come to fruition.
The last record he made with the Dio band is far different. "Master Of The Moon" was another mature record, which most people will use as a synonym for 'slow'. Yes, it doesn't rip with the energy and speed of his early days, but it was a confident record from a storyteller who wanted the extra time to spin his yarns. Dio said he preferred slower songs, and I understand why. There was more room for his voice and melodies, and that is exemplified on this record. Songs like "I Am" boast some of the best choruses Dio ever wrote, and the rest of the record is a definite upswing from where he had spent the last decade.
But it was the reunion with Black Sabbath that really said something about where Dio was in his later years. The group wrote three new songs for their best-of compilation, and they were every bit as good as the material they wrote twenty and thirty years prior. "Ear In The Wall" was the barn-burner people had been asking for from Dio, complete with, pardon the pun, an ear candy chorus. Then there's "Shadow Of The Wind", which is a glorious doom stomper where Dio weaves a tale as only he can. When he bellows "it's a half truth, still a whole lie", it's magical.
That didn't quite carry over the "The Devil You Know" album, but the differences were slight. "Bible Black" came out of the gates as one of the groups best songs, and the rest of the record was a group of veterans playing to their strengths. I think, especially when compared to the "13" album they made with Ozzy later, Dio's version of the band still had far more left in the tank. The band was finding their feet again after a long time apart, they were killing in on stage, and the momentum seemed to point to one last masterpiece being possible.
We never got that, obviously, but these last few releases Dio was a part of let him go out on a high note. Listening to them now, you can hear age, but you can also hear a craftsman who knows exactly how to achieve his goal. They aren't records that will ever overpower the nostalgia for the classics, but they deserve to be heard on their own merits.
I'll take these final words from Dio over "Sacred Heart" or "Lock Up The Wolves" any day.
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