DREAM CHILD – Until Death Do We Meet Again

On the surface, this Frontiers Records born project seems like yet another band comprised of former Dio members fronted by a new, but very Dio inspired, vocalist. And that’s exactly what it is. Dream Child, like some of the other bands in this Post Dio genre (Last In Line, Resurrection Kings), blends several classic Dio band members (Simon Wright, Rudy Sarzo, and Craig Goldy) with a couple of newer guys (Diego Valdez and Wayne Findlay) to create a new, full album of classic Dio sounding material.

The songs on Until Death Do We Meet Again are very Rainbow inspired. Valdez does an admirable job of emulating Dio’s voice, and the band is, naturally, a perfect fit for the genre. Even the album production captures that big, organic sound that the classic Dio-era Rainbow and Black Sabbath albums had. All of the songs are well put-together and are essentially indistinguishable from the material that they are drawn from. For Dio fans, this album is a no-brainer.

As enjoyable as Until Death Do We Meet Again will be for the classic fans, one can’t help but wish that the classic Dio band members would get a bit more out of their comfort zone. To suggest that all they have to offer is a rehash of their old material is an insult to their musicianship and their creativity. Although Rudy Sarzo has done a number of different projects recently, the majority of the other Dio band members keep returning to the same formula. Dio’s legacy will stand the test of time with or without new material. Perhaps it’s time for the rest of the gang to seek out new horizons and new sounds.

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