Lock Up the Wolves

Dio's fifth studio album "Lock Up the Wolves" is a bit of a black sheep. As stated at the end of my "Dream Evil" review, the entire lineup of "Lock Up the Wolves" is different than all previous lineups, but even more so than that, bassist Teddy Cook and young guitarist Rowan Robertson have one off appearances here, and would never appear on another Dio release. Simon Wright joins them, and even though he only did this one album at the time, he'd be back to be Dio's permanent drummer later in his career. He does his job as a drummer, but besides a small few moments of brilliance here and there, he's not really better than your average drummer. Rowan Robertson is a fairly competent guitarist for his age and experience when he recorded for this album. He has some cool riffs here and there, but he also is trying to fill some pretty big shoes that came before him that he just might not have had the ability to do. When I first saw the keyboardist for this album years ago, I had to double take. Jens Johansson?! Yes! THE Jens Johanson who'd go on to show his true skill in Stratovarius. This is before he joined Strato, and quite honestly, he might as well not even be credited on the record because he barely does anything on it. Dio got maybe the greatest keyboardist ever...and he is used less on this album than Claude Schnell or even when he played keys himself on "Holy Diver." A true shame, but maybe Jens' legendary skill wasn't known yet.

Now, when everyone talks about Dio's solo material, almost everyone you meet says that "Angry Machines" is the 'bad' album. And while I certainly wouldn't call "Angry Machines" a standout album (we'll get there), it is WORLDS better than "Lock Up the Wolves" is. This record is by far the worse album Dio's voice graces in a full time capacity. "Lock Up the Wolves" is not a downright dreadful record, but it is so boring and passed its prime. "Lock Up the Wolves" is like room temperature milk. Everything about it was dated and stale the very moment it came out. This album is almost like Dio parodying himself. There is not one moment of brilliance or Dio magic on this entire album, yet the entire record sounds like he is rehashing his older albums. It sounds like Dio is rewriting his old songs and just changing little things here and there. However, every song sounds extremely fatigued, lifeless and soulless. If Dio ever just went through the motions to record a record for a paycheck, it was on "Lock Up the Wolves."

Never have I been so bored to tears listening to Ronnie James Dio's voice and music as whenever I go back to this record. "Why Are They Watching Me" is the absolute epitome of a filler track. And having a filler track on a 'filler' album is even worse. A stock and standard hard rock riff greets us and just goes through the motions from there. As mentioned, Dio is pretty much just mimicking verse riffs he has used in the past, and the chorus is abysmal. To say it's a stupid chorus would be an understatement. It's meaningless, has no emotion to it, and goes nowhere. The song is beyond forgettable in every regard. "Night Music" starts with an alt-rock sounding intro that Dio sounds incredibly out of place on. The verses are sappy, dull, and once again, just sound like a rehashing. Robertson's riffs on this particular song really sound more like a jam. It sounds like he's just kind of trying out different things behind Dio and hoping they stick. Once again, the chorus is purposeless and goes nowhere. It's not a climactic chorus that is a culmination of what the song has been building to. It is Dio going "Hey! I think these two words will be catchy if we sing them in this way." Not the worst track on the record, but another soulless and tired song.

"Hey Angel" is your expected 'single' that Dio always tries to throw in there. But we are an extremely long way from "Rainbow in the Dark." This is another example of Dio just taking two words, multi-tracking his vocals, and going "That's all it takes to make a good chorus, right?" Again, I'll point out that it's not satisfying, it's not the culmination of anything interesting before it, and it's not memorable. The riffs are also just your stereotypical chugging behind him. "Hey Angel" is boring, predictable, and easily one of the worst of the worst. It's another filler track desperate to be seen as a single. The title track is yet another unforgiveable mess. Dio has so many classic title tracks for fans to debate on. All four before this one have been extremely unique and memorable in their own right, and some of Dio's title tracks after this record are extremely underrated as well. But I can guarantee you when someone debates the best Dio title track, no one is going to throw "Lock Up the Wolves" into the conversation. Why? It's one of Dio's longest songs, yet it does nothing and goes nowhere. The over one minute intro doesn't add anything, and then the opening section that comes after it just flat out sucks. The band is playing a few notes before pausing and then continuing. When things like this are usually done, they're done to feel epic, powerful, or otherwise give a certain mood to a song. But the notes themselves aren't interesting, and the pauses are WAY longer than they should be. It's like the band tried to create anticipation, but the material just isn't good enough to make the listener care. Dio tries to create some emotion and passion with some cool screams after the chorus, but there's nothing that can save this overly long, repetitive, dull, rambling mess of a song.

"Born on the Sun" seems to be trying a little harder than a lot of the rest of the album, but still has nothing to show for itself. Once again, in every single sense, this is a standard Dio song that sounds like it's copying past tracks. The verses and the riff fit a little better together, and Dio is adding some intensity to the song to give it a little of the intended fire, but it's a little lacking. And then the chorus hits, and everything about it sounds like "The Last in Line." The actual riff itself, Dio's vocal melodies, and the beat behind them all sound like they were ripped directly off of his second title track. It's so blatant to me that sometimes I question if this was an intentional parody or not. The song had a few ideas here and there, but seemed hastily thrown together. The reason I mention the intentional parody is because the closing track "My Eyes" has very blatant and obvious references to some of Dio's past songs. References to "Falling Off the Edge of the World," "Man on the Silver Mountain," "Heaven and Hell," and "Stargazer" are all made clear and deliberate, as examples. Now, despite these cool references, the song, unfortunately is WAY too sappy and quite repetitive, so I can't call it a good song. In fact, every time I hear it, all it does is make me want to go back and listen to those other songs. Whenever I hear this song, after the line "Seen it from the eyes of a Stargazer" I always wish Cozy Powell's infamous drum intro from that song started playing and led into that instead of continuing on with the rest of "My Eyes." That's certainly not a good sign.

The one and only track I ever listen to off "Lock Up the Wolves" with any regularity at all is "Between Two Hearts." It really is close to the only redeemable piece of material on the whole record. That's really because Robertson comes up with a really catchy riff that is just smoothness personified. The riff is slick and cool and lays a really good foundation for Dio to sing on. The song actually progresses decently nicely through its runtime, and it has a good handle on what it's doing right, so it ends up being an okay track on a lackluster album. The opening track "Wild One" is the only other song on the album I'd really give a pass to. Once again, Robertson has a pretty cool riff. "Wild One" is very much a standard Dio opening track like I pointed out as being done to death, but creative riff work really makes this one stand out a bit more. Maybe I'd like this song less if it was on a better album, but on "Lock Up the Wolves" this song is definitely one of the best there is to offer. If I was FORCED to pick a third track I'd give a pass to, it'd be "Twisted" for having a solid chorus over a catchy riff, but that's only if you forced me.

To me, "Lock Up the Wolves" shows that Dio needed a break. He was clearly bankrupt of ideas at this point, and was getting desperate. I honestly think Dio just made this album because he needed to make a living, rather than releasing this album because he genuinely thought it was brilliantly made. Luckily for him, Sabbath came calling right around this time, and it would be just the jolt Dio needed to get him out of this funk he was in. Not only did rejoining Sabbath for "Dehumanizer" light some fire back under him, but I also think the anger he felt about that whole situation spilled over into his solo band for another few releases until he got his legs back under him. While the call from Sabbath might have been just what he needed to kickstart the 'second half' of his career, if you look at "Lock Up the Wolves" at the time it was released, it certainly feels like he was on his way down. Fortunately, this was a one time flop for Dio, and he'd be back strong as ever soon.

Dio's 1990 record Lock Up the Wolves seems to be a bit underrated by many metal fans for reasons I'm unsure of, but I can say with confidence that this is one of my favorites from the Dio band. This album saw a complete lineup change, including slick 18 (18!) year old guitarist Rowan Robertson and AC/DC drummer Simon Wright. While the band is completely different from that of the previous Dio records, they actually meld together quite well, bringing a straightforward heavy metal sound akin to the older Dio style but with a bit of a bluesy swing. The album reflects this heavily, as there is a strong presence of slower, more absorbed bluesy sections throughout. A few of these tracks lack aggression and edge, but there are also some fierce rockers to spice things up when needed. Lock Up the Wolves stands on its own quite nicely, and it's actually one of my favorite Dio albums.

Lock Up the Wolves features a mixture of styles ranging from fast and energetic like "Walk on Water" to slower and bluesy like on "Twisted". Immediately upon listening to this album, something will strike you: this 18 year old guitarist can play. In fact, he kind of steals the spotlight from Ronnie. His riffs are creative and possessive of a driving quality while also having a bit of an improvised feel. Instead of the riffs being static and straightforward, Rowan throws in lots of fills and licks in between, making for an interesting and exciting feel that suits this style of heavy metal very well. In addition, most of these tracks feature lots of different musical sections and some energetic hooks and solos that add some further spice to some already creative songs. The solos are also pretty damn impressive, and they honestly are the best parts of each track on here. He has a vicious sense of melody and his licks are always a bit outside-of-the-box in a really tasty manner that hammers everything home with a bang.

So with a powerful performance like that, the rest of the band makes sure not to let his talents go to waste. While there are a few tracks that don't impress me on high levels, the majority of them definitely do. Most of Lock Up the Wolves features an energetic and aggressive feel that was touched upon on the previous Dio records, but totally blossoms here. Tracks like "Wild One" tap into a loose and driving energy that reminds me of classics like "Stand Up and Shout", and even the less aggressive songs still tap into the bluesy and creative vibe emanated by this line-up. This record shines the brightest when the songs are more creative and loose, as portrayed on each of the best tracks. The lyrics are also a bit more personal and deep compared to the fantasy element that ran rampant on the older material, and the atmosphere is locked together by Jens' subtle keyboard work. Generally, this album is a bit of a deviation from the typical Dio sound, but it's pulled off spectacularly and even the weaker moments have their own charm.

As you might guess, these weaker moments lie in the longer, slower tracks on the album such as "Evil on Queen Street" and the title track, which are nice and bluesy but severely lacking in terms of overall creativity and drive. I can't help but feel as if parts of the aforementioned tracks and "Between two Hearts" drag on a bit too long, and with minimal creativity or musical expression, relying too much on atmosphere and emotion. This same approach works best on songs like "Hey Angel" and especially "Born on the Sun" which combine this slower, more absorbed feel with catchy licks and soaring vocals to propel them along. However, the tracks lacking this extra mile tend to feel a bit mediocre with their limited expression and musicality. This is most obvious on the long title track which just sort of meanders about for the majority of its running time with minimal changes and musical sections.

All in all though, Lock Up the Wolves brings a heaping helping of quality, especially on the best tracks which would stack up to be some of the best tracks in the entire Dio catalog - especially tracks like "Walk on Water", "Wild One", "Born on the Sun", and my favorite Dio song ever: "Why are They Watching Me". The bluesy take that is added in here is quite unique, and it's pulled off exceptionally. The star of this album in my opinion isn't even Dio himself, but Rowan Robertson, whose phenomenal soloing and ever-changing riff style is seriously note-worthy. Overall, things come together excellently, and despite some of the weaker tracks, this ends up being a very enjoyable and badass metal album. I'd definitely recommend picking this album up if you haven't done so yet, as this set of interesting and creative songs should definitely come as a pleasant surprise. It's really a shame that this young guitarist never really made more of a name for himself, but his work is at least immortalized on this album. Even if it doesn't sit among your favorites, this will definitely be a more than worthy addition to your collection.

Like many, I had grown accustomed to the Dio of "Holy Diver", "Last In Line", "Sacred Heart", & "Dream Evil", so naturally I was expecting more of the same.

Upon first listen of "Wolves" I was so disappointed I was going to trade it in for credit at my local record shop. It sported more slower, bluesy tempos. Sure, these days I'm into blues, but back then I wanted my metal music fast and powerful. The occasional slow or mid-tempo number was okay if, and ONLY if, the singer was something special. There aren't any much more special than Dio. Other than Freddie Mercury I can't think of any rock singer that matches him. It's the "sound" of his voice, not just his range and powerful rasp. It must feel great being able to scream and stay on key.

I listened a second time and songs like "Wild One", "Hey Angel", & "Walk On Water" got to me, so I knew I had to keep at least those, but I didn't have a cd burner or computer at the time so I would only be able to save those songs on cassette. Might as well be a bloody 8-track tape (cassettes were about to suffer near total death thanks to the compact disc). So because those three songs were keepers, I listened again several times as it was the only cd in my car at the time and I grew to love this album from start to finish. Dio's voice is amazing and even the slow, bluesier songs grew on me.

The title cut is epic. The sound is huge and the mix is perfect. Just like they whined over "Dream Evil", some have complained that Vivian Campbell's presence was missed, but I didn't notice. I play closer attention to singers than guitarists anyway. 19 year old Rowan Robertson shreds like an old pro here. There's other personnel changes. Gone were keyboardists Claude Schnell and Jimmy Bain (replaced by Jens Johanson), as well as drummer Vinny Appice (replaced by former AC/DC drummer Simon Wright, but he retains writing credit on "Born On The Sun").

Reading other reviews, I've noticed this album has aged quite well.

"Holy Diver" may be seen as Dio's classic album and "Sacred Heart" may be their most commercially successful, but I always find this effort to be one of the band's most criminally underrated. Released in 1990, it has been constantly overlooked due to the music industry's changing times in spite of it being one of the band's strongest releases to date. It is also the first album to feature AC/DC drummer Simon Wright and the only one to feature bassist Teddy Cook, Stratovarius keyboard legend Jen Johansson, and DC4 guitarist Rowan Robertson.

Just as "Dream Evil" was an expansion of elements on "Sacred Heart," this album seems to expand on several things that were merely hinted at on "Dream Evil." Despite the presence of the talented Johansson, the keyboards have been pushed into the background and result in a more sinister and less dated sound when compared to previous efforts. There is also a subtle blues/doom metal influence to be found and mid-tempo groove based songs like the title track and "Evil On Queen Street" are featured more prominently than in the past. Of course, the slower approach is nothing compared to what would come on the next few Dio albums and the frontman's second stint with Sabbath...

Even with the slower tempos brought in, this album still has a great deal of variety and familiarity in the presentation of songs. Songs like "Wild One" and "Walk On Water" show off fast speeds in the vein of "Stand Up And Shout," "Born On The Sun" is a triumphant number similar to "The Last in Line," "Between Two Hearts" is a somber ballad with acoustic melodies contrasting building blues licks, and "My Eyes" shares an epic flair with some of the group's past closers. There are also no filler tracks to be found and every song is strongly written and performed.

The band itself pulls off a great performance and comes together as a unit in the face of the more legendary line-ups. Robertson is an excellent shredder comparable to Vivian Campbell and Craig Goldy and Wright is a surprisingly competent replacement for the great Vinny Appice. On the other hand, Cook's bass playing isn't as flashy as Jimmy Bain's and it'd be cool if the keyboards were a bit more prominent in the album's sound (This is the Stratovarius guy, after all...). And I don't think I need to say anything about Dio himself. He sounds as great as ever and these are some of his most intriguing lyrics since the "Holy Diver" days.

Even though I have a soft spot for "Holy Diver," I think this may be my overall favorite Dio album. It is an underrated effort that shows a band soldiering on in the face of a complete member/style overhaul. Too bad it's the only album to feature this line-up...

Pros:
1) A great mix of old and new elements
2) A darker, less dated atmosphere
3) Excellent band performance
4) Great songwriting

Cons:
1) I wish the keyboards were a little more prominent
2) Why didn't they do more with this line-up?!

My Current Favorites:
"The Wild One," "Born On The Sun," "Between Two Hearts," "Night Music," and "Evil On Queen Street"

Soon after the release of their strongest 80s album "Dream Evil", the entire band that was Dio completely self-destructed, leaving singer/songwriter Ronnie James Dio on his own to pick up the pieces. Suffice to say, he did an amazing job and picked a great bunch of musicians to fill the void. Simon Wright is arguably the biggest surprise, going from the minimalistic and dry drumming style of AC/DC to a more technical challenge with Dio, and would prove to be one of RJD's more reliable bandmates in later years. Jens Johannsen also had found himself on his own after parting ways with Rising Force and appears on this album, although we see a more reserved and atmospheric set of keyboard lines out of him on here, rather than the shred lines he is better known for. Bassist Ted Cook is probably one of Ronnie's more active bassists and is a suitable replacement for ex-Rainbow member Jimmy Bain.

However, the truly biggest surprise on this album is 18 year old metal newcomer Rowan Robertson, who would not grace the metal scene again afterwards sadly. This guy really wrote some impressive and memorable riffs, not to mention some rather dramatic solos. The best way I can describe his style is a combination of Eddie Van Halen and Rhandy Rhodes, complete with all the screaming pinch harmonic bends and blues driven licks.

One plus to this album is the rather sizable collection of faster tracks. "Walk on Water" reminds alot of classic Dio cookers such as "Stand up and Shout" and "King of Rock and Roll". "Wild One" features one of the fastest drum beats I've ever heard put out by Dio, not to mention RJD's vocal delivery is amazing, especially the high scream just before the solo.

We also have some great mid-tempo epics loaded with great lyrical metaphors. "Hey Angel" has a thick texture, particularly in the vocal tracks, and is loaded with driving power chord riffs. "Born on the Sun" is has alot of blues driven riffs, and is highly comparable to epic Dio classic "The Last in Line". This song has Rowan's best guitar solo, and has an amazing ending fade out, complete with a similar background choir drone that was found on the title track of the 2nd album.

Not one to rely completely, Dio has a good collection of slower and more doom sounding tracks. "Between Two Hearts" is probably the darkest song lyrically on this album, depicting an abusive relationship involving some sort of celebrity I'm guessing. The acoustic guitar part is extremely gloomy sounding, and is contrasted with a down tempo blues driven section that moves equally slow. "Lock Up the Wolves" is another gloomy song with a good deal of blues in the riffs, although a lot more atmospheric due to some rather weird keyboard lines. Ronnie gives another rare performance where his range jumps into the quasi-soprano range from time to time, and helps to paint the illustration of wolves ready to pounce on their next hapless victim.

The highlight of this album, however, is the closing track "My Eyes", which includes on of the most memorable and poignant sounding acoustic guitar parts I've ever heard. The solo on this one is highly melodic, it doesn't have much in the way of shred licks, but what it lacks in speed it makes up for in sheer passion. This track is one of my 3 favorites ever by Dio for it's lyrics, which describe the deep and often somber experience of being cast out by society. It is a bit similar, in terms of lyrics, to "Invisible" off the debut album, though I would say it is less metaphorical and also alot stronger.

The rest of the music on here is solid, but not quite as amazing as the rest. If I had to pick a favorite out of the bunch, it would probably be "Why are they watching me". Pretty much your quintessential mid-tempo Dio rocker with a solid guitar riff and a rather weird keyboard intro. Lyrically it's a tiny bit corny, but it's easy to bang your head to and will please greatly in the musical department.

In essence, a solid release from a band that was not what it was before, and unfortunately probably never will be again. Out of the 4 musicians on here, only Simon Wright would have further appearances with Dio, starting with his year 2000 magnum opus "Magica". Jens Johannsen would go on to play the keys for Stratovarius, and the other 2 pretty much went off the metal radar and started doing their own thing. This album is recommended highly to fans of traditional 80s metal, and fans of shred and Van Halen might find some nice treats in some of these tracks. Enjoy!

The fifth full length Dio album and for one reason or another also one of the least popular ones - even though in my opinion this is a large step forward compared to "Dream Evil" (on which Ronny & Co. somehow seemed to lack creativity, energy and ideas).

Main and most interesting newcomer in the band is guitarist Rowan Robertson (only 19 when picked up by Dio) who gives the album a somewhat heavier and bluesier feel than usual ("Twisted" and "Evil On Queen St.") - it can be considered to be quite a shame that this collaboration ended so abrubtly because I really would have liked to hear more from this talented guitarplayer.

As far as i'm concerned this is easily one of the better Dio albums songwise - with excellent tracks as the fast opener "Wild One", the mid-tempo "Born On The Sun", the balladesque "Hey Angel" and "Between Two Hearts" and the excellent closing song "My Eyes". Well worth a buy if you are able to track it down.