Strange Highways
Strange Highways is the sixth studio album by American heavy metal band Dio. It's also their first album since Ronnie James Dio and Vinny Appice's reunion tour with Black Sabbath. The European release was on Vertigo, in October 1993; the U.S. release was on Reprise Records, in January 1994.
| Strange Highways | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 25, 1993 | |||
| Recorded | Rumbo Recorders (Los Angeles) | |||
| Genre | Doom metal, heavy metal | |||
| Length | 53:36 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Mike Fraser | |||
| Dio chronology | ||||
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| Ronnie James Dio chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 8/10[2] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B−[3] |
After the short-lived reunion with Black Sabbath for the recording of the album Dehumanizer (1992) and the subsequent tour, Dio and Appice returned to Dio's solo group, hiring Tracy Grijalva as new guitarist. Former Dio bassist Jimmy Bain was to make a return to the band, but he was soon sacked by Dio and replaced by Jeff Pilson.[4] It is considered Dio's heaviest and darkest album.
"Hollywood Black" was demoed by Black Sabbath during the Dehumanizer sessions. "Whether it's the same, I don't know…" Tony Iommi remarked of Dio's version (before hearing it). "Could be the same lyrics – probably is. I wouldn't think he would use the same music."[5]
Track listing
All lyrics written by Ronnie James Dio.
All music is composed by Dio, Vinny Appice, Tracy Grijalva, and Jeff Pilson, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Jesus, Mary & the Holy Ghost" | Dio, Grijalva, Pilson | 4:13 |
| 2. | "Firehead" | 4:06 | |
| 3. | "Strange Highways" | 6:54 | |
| 4. | "Hollywood Black" | Dio, Grijalva, Appice | 5:10 |
| 5. | "Evilution" | 5:37 | |
| 6. | "Pain" | Appice, Dio, Grijalva | 4:14 |
| 7. | "One Foot in the Grave" | 4:01 | |
| 8. | "Give Her the Gun" | Dio, Grijalva, Pilson | 5:58 |
| 9. | "Blood from a Stone" | 4:14 | |
| 10. | "Here's to You" | 3:24 | |
| 11. | "Bring Down the Rain" | 5:45 |
Personnel
Dio
- Ronnie James Dio – vocals
- Tracy G – guitars
- Jeff Pilson – bass, keyboards
- Vinny Appice – drums[6]
Production
- Recorded at Rumbo Recorders, Los Angeles, California
- Produced, engineered and mixed by Mike Fraser
- Assistant engineered by Andy Udoff
- Mixed at Record Plant, Los Angeles, California
- Originally mastered by George Marino at Sterling Sound, New York City
- Cover illustration by Wil Rees
- Sigil design and cover artwork by Ed Holding for Mainartery
Charts
| Chart (1993) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[7] | 79 |
| US Billboard 200[8] | 142 |
References
- Anderson, Jason. "Strange Highways - Dio". AllMusic. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
- Popoff, Martin (August 1, 2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 121. ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9.
- Sinclair, Tom (January 28, 1994). "Strange Highways Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
- Metal Rules - Jeff Pilson interview
- Southern Cross No.19, March 1997
- Saulnier, Jason (March 24, 2012). "Vinny Appice Interview". Music Legends. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
- "Offiziellecharts.de – Dio – Strange Highways" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
- "Dio Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 February 2021.