Killing The Dragon (2002) (SPITFIRE RECORDS) (10 TRACKS) Dio
Album Description:
Sword-and-sorcery maven Ronnie James Dio keeps trucking in these Lord Of The Rings/Harry Potter times with KILLING THE DRAGON. Retaining the same line-up as 2000's MAGICA, the only change comes in the shape of guitarist Doug Aldrich, who had previously performed with Burning Rain and subsequently went on to join the band Whitesnake. Previous guitarist, Craig Goldy, co-wrote some of the songs before leaving the band. He returned for 2004's MASTER OF THE MOON. Although it's easy to dismiss Dio the lyricist as some guy who tends to write about rainbows, spells and other fantasy-linked matter, this particular outing has him penning allegories firmly rooted in the 21st century. The galloping title track alludes to electronic serfdom and digital dreams while taking aim at the grip computers and the internet have on society. "Rock & Roll" addresses the knee-jerk self-censorship some radio stations perpetuated immediately following 9/11's tragic events.
KILLING THE DRAGON is Dio's ninth studio album. It was released May 21, 2002 through Spitfire Records and was produced by frontman Ronnie James Dio. In an interview on Uranium, Dio stated that the "dragon" of the album title refers to technology. He expressed concern with it threatening society in the future. Dio elaborated that the title track refers to "those who perpetrate injustices and what the world is doing to stop them. In fantasy tales, dragons were notorious for stealing children and feeding them to their babies. During the first part of the song, I sing "Someone has taken a child." The second part is about a cruel feudal lord. The third part is about "electronic serfdom."" He also expressed belief that the computer has become a god in modern society. "It is a small god with an electrical heart... It is time to rebel against it." The song "Push" was a hit and had a music video that featured Tenacious D performing a humorous cover of Ronnie James Dio's biggest song from his time with Black Sabbath, "Heaven and Hell". Dio approaches them to tell them that he will pay them to play Tenacious D music. Apparently, according to an interview with Dio in 2005, during filming of this music video, Ronnie James Dio became friends with Tenacious D frontman Jack Black, who told Dio about his plans to make a Tenacious D film and asked him to perform in the film if anything became of it. In 2005, Dio received a letter from Jack Black informing him that production of the film was starting and requested that he play himself. This film is TENACIOUS D IN THE PICK OF DESTINY. The video was directed by Bill Schacht (who has directed other videos for Alice Cooper, Amon Amarth, Sister Sin, Yngwie Malmsteen, Saxon, etc.) for Aestheticom. The video was listed as #54 most metal moment of all time on a Top Metal Moments of all time Vh1 ran, hosted by Ed Trunk.
The longtime supporter of the charity THE CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT enlisted the aid of the King's Harbor Church Children's Choir to deliver the poignant-but-heavy "Throw Away Children." The rocking "Push" features an Aldrich guitar solo that cleaves closely to predecessor Vivian Campbell's penchant for tossing in Middle Eastern-flavored flourishes, while Scott Warren's keyboard runs on "Before The Fall" bring to mind Deep Purple great Jon Lord.
Dio: Ronnie James Dio (vocals); Doug Aldrich (guitar); Jimmy Bain (keyboards, bass); Scott Warren (keyboards); Simon Wright (drums).
Recorded at Total Access, Redondo Beach, California, USA.
Produced by Ronnie James Dio.
Track Listing:
1. Killing the Dragon - 4:25 2. Along Comes a Spider - 3:32 3. Scream - 5:02 4. Better in the Dark - 3:43 5. Rock & Roll - 6:11 6. Push - 4:08 7. Guilty - 4:26 8. Throw Away Children - 5:35 9. Before the Fall - 3:48 10. Cold Feet - 4:11
Killing The Dragon (2002) (SPITFIRE RECORDS) (10 TRACKS)
ReplyDeleteDio
Album Description:
Sword-and-sorcery maven Ronnie James Dio keeps trucking in these Lord Of The Rings/Harry Potter times with KILLING THE DRAGON. Retaining the same line-up as 2000's MAGICA, the only change comes in the shape of guitarist Doug Aldrich, who had previously performed with Burning Rain and subsequently went on to join the band Whitesnake. Previous guitarist, Craig Goldy, co-wrote some of the songs before leaving the band. He returned for 2004's MASTER OF THE MOON. Although it's easy to dismiss Dio the lyricist as some guy who tends to write about rainbows, spells and other fantasy-linked matter, this particular outing has him penning allegories firmly rooted in the 21st century. The galloping title track alludes to electronic serfdom and digital dreams while taking aim at the grip computers and the internet have on society. "Rock & Roll" addresses the knee-jerk self-censorship some radio stations perpetuated immediately following 9/11's tragic events.
KILLING THE DRAGON is Dio's ninth studio album. It was released May 21, 2002 through Spitfire Records and was produced by frontman Ronnie James Dio. In an interview on Uranium, Dio stated that the "dragon" of the album title refers to technology. He expressed concern with it threatening society in the future. Dio elaborated that the title track refers to "those who perpetrate injustices and what the world is doing to stop them. In fantasy tales, dragons were notorious for stealing children and feeding them to their babies. During the first part of the song, I sing "Someone has taken a child." The second part is about a cruel feudal lord. The third part is about "electronic serfdom."" He also expressed belief that the computer has become a god in modern society. "It is a small god with an electrical heart... It is time to rebel against it." The song "Push" was a hit and had a music video that featured Tenacious D performing a humorous cover of Ronnie James Dio's biggest song from his time with Black Sabbath, "Heaven and Hell". Dio approaches them to tell them that he will pay them to play Tenacious D music. Apparently, according to an interview with Dio in 2005, during filming of this music video, Ronnie James Dio became friends with Tenacious D frontman Jack Black, who told Dio about his plans to make a Tenacious D film and asked him to perform in the film if anything became of it. In 2005, Dio received a letter from Jack Black informing him that production of the film was starting and requested that he play himself. This film is TENACIOUS D IN THE PICK OF DESTINY. The video was directed by Bill Schacht (who has directed other videos for Alice Cooper, Amon Amarth, Sister Sin, Yngwie Malmsteen, Saxon, etc.) for Aestheticom. The video was listed as #54 most metal moment of all time on a Top Metal Moments of all time Vh1 ran, hosted by Ed Trunk.
The longtime supporter of the charity THE CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT enlisted the aid of the King's Harbor Church Children's Choir to deliver the poignant-but-heavy "Throw Away Children." The rocking "Push" features an Aldrich guitar solo that cleaves closely to predecessor Vivian Campbell's penchant for tossing in Middle Eastern-flavored flourishes, while Scott Warren's keyboard runs on "Before The Fall" bring to mind Deep Purple great Jon Lord.
Dio: Ronnie James Dio (vocals); Doug Aldrich (guitar); Jimmy Bain (keyboards, bass); Scott Warren (keyboards); Simon Wright (drums).
Recorded at Total Access, Redondo Beach, California, USA.
Produced by Ronnie James Dio.
Track Listing:
1. Killing the Dragon - 4:25
2. Along Comes a Spider - 3:32
3. Scream - 5:02
4. Better in the Dark - 3:43
5. Rock & Roll - 6:11
6. Push - 4:08
7. Guilty - 4:26
8. Throw Away Children - 5:35
9. Before the Fall - 3:48
10. Cold Feet - 4:11