Artist: Dio
Album: Holy Diver
I can’t really remember how I got into Dio. I seem to remember that it was kind of similar to how I found Bon Jovi–through Deadliest Catch. As I recall, it was because I had heard Edgar Hansen talking about Rainbow In The Dark, and once again I got curious. (That is one terrible picture of Edgar.)
The thing that I love most about Rainbow In The Dark is the wonderful hook that it has. It stands up, slaps you in the face and declares that you are about to experience metal. You can’t do anything else but headbang when you hear this song.
The lyrics are also a battle cry for anyone who’s feeling abandoned. The song embodies a relationship that has drifted apart or fallen apart, without descending into maudlin glop like pop music. Only heavy metal can take a subject as emotionally weighted as an unraveling relationship and turn it into something gloriously dark.
The lyric “do your demons, do they ever let you go” is an unflinching confrontation of the personal issues that destroy so many relationships. The song doesn’t gloss over what the demons did to the relationship. There’s anger about the failure of the relationship, and it’s angry at the other person for letting their demons win.
The open way that metal songs, like this one, unflinchingly explore and even revel in the darker emotions is part of what drew me to the genre in the first place. Pop songs about failed relationships are inevitably dreary and sad. Metal introduced me to music that shone a light on feelings that other songs hadn’t explored.
The guitars in this song are also spectacular. Yes, it does use synthesizers, but it’s the guitar work in this song that shines as only heavy metal guitar can. The technical skill required to play a guitar like that is awe-inspiring.
This kind of song is what helped me appreciate the depth and breadth of what music could be, after having grown up during the unfortunate Age of Grunge.
Related posts:
- Random Song: Strange Highways
- Random Song: Two Story Town
- Random Song: Temptation
- Random Song: Life is a Lemon and I Want My Money Back
- Random Song: Night Drive
Tags: Deadliest Catch, Dio