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Music Theories Recordings/Mascot [Release date 07.04.23]
Six string wizard Paul Gilbert reinterprets some of RJD’s finest moments from his time with Rainbow, Black Sabbath and Dio, substituting the master’s vocals with his own guitar lines.
It’s a hugely brave move and lovingly done by Gilbert who pours his all into the project, paying his own respect to the late, great singer. There’s absolutely no doubting the musical talent here but the album can be seen as a divisive one, after all, how can you replace something that’s an organic force of nature with metal, wood and plastic, no matter how skilled.
For those with a more open and forgiving mind though, this is well worth seeking out to experience. Obviously a lot of fun to record, the phrasing on the guitar mirrors that of the original vocals and viewed as the instrumental album it is, the spirit of the songs is very much there with the added bonus of a modern polish to the production adding a harder edge.
A frantic ‘Neon Knights’ starts things with a bang, the Sabbath classic then giving way to the vibrant ‘Kill the King’ that has a really live feel. By cherry-picking the material, Gilbert is able to choose from some of the greatest riffs in rock too and the heft of huge hitters like ‘Stand Up And Shout’ and ‘Holy Diver’ will have many an air guitarist plugging into their stacks of invisible Marshalls.
Where Gilbert scores most highly is in his lyrical playing on numbers like ‘Long Live Rock And Roll’ and ‘Man On The Silver Mountain’, the fluidity matched with a delicate touch. The arrangements throughout show a real understanding of the material and when you’re dealing with the highs and lows of monsters such as ‘Heaven And Hell’, ‘Don’t Talk To Strangers’ and ‘Last In Line’ you have to pay attention to the smallest of details.
It’s impossible to replace RJD as the soul of these classics but no-one can play like Gilbert and ‘The Dio Album’ shows the guitarist at his most determined and disciplined. Some will see it as unnecessary, others as a perfect addition to their collection, either way, it’s a testament to the power of rock ‘n roll. ***1/2
Review by Paul Monkhouse
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