Dio’s ‘5 Classic Albums’ is a Good Start for New Fans! | Box Set Review

I’m no expert on the band Dio. I know that Ronnie James Dio was the lead singer and Vivian Campbell, from Def Leppard, was the lead guitarist at one point, but that’s about it. I wouldn’t even consider myself a Dio fan. So, why did I buy this set if I’m not a Dio fan? Well, recently, I’ve been obsessed with Sea of Tranquility, a music content Youtube channel. In one episode titled; “The Hudson Valley Squares: Bad Band Decisions in Rock History,” they talked about Ronnie James Dio leaving Black Sabbath after the Dehumanizer (1992) album was released, which I bought as well.

Someone on the panel also brought up Holy Diver (1983); and how good that album is, so I searched for it on Amazon and found this set for $18.75. I ordered it on February 13, 2021, and it arrived on February 18, 2021. 

I thought it was cheaper when I bought it, but $18.75 for five albums is a good deal; that’s $3.75 per album. I thought the CDs would be in jewel cases, but instead, they came in cardboard album cases with a nice box to keep them together. I’m not sure about the cardboard cases because who knows how much protection they provide for the CDs. Also, I grew up with jewel cases, so it’s sad seeing the transition from that to cardboard cases. Why do things keep on changing? AHHHH!!! But on the plus side, none of the CDs came cracked.

Last year, I had some issues with Amazon where a few of my CDs never showed up, and a few of them arrived cracked. Thankfully, Amazon took my phone calls with them into consideration, and they are handling my orders properly by wrapping my CDs in bubble wrap. The bubble wrap will provide some protection for them and lessen my worries that they’ll get destroyed on the way to my house. 

The set is pretty straightforward. It comes with Dio’s first five albums: Holy Diver (1983), The Last in Line (1984), Sacred Heart (1985), Dream Evil (1987), and Lock Up the Wolves (1990). What’s cool about this set is that Campbell is on the first three studio albums, while Simon Wright, who played with AC/DC from 1983 to 1989, is on the fifth studio album. I’m excited to dive into these albums because I’ve heard positive things about Campbell’s playing in Dio and Ronnie James Dio’s voice, so bring it! There are no bonus tracks, and the set doesn’t feature a booklet, which was disappointing. However, this set is a good start for new fans like myself to check out Dio’s early catalog.

To conclude this review, I’d give the set 4 out of 5 stars because it is a great deal for five Dio albums. However, I wish it came with a small booklet featuring background information on the band and albums. But again, for music lovers who are just getting into Dio, this is a fantastic set to have. I’ll be reviewing these studio albums after I finish my AC/DC series. I may not be a Dio fan yet, but we’ll see if that changes once I start the new series. 

Take care and see ya real soon!

Lana