FWIW if we were including Dio's work with Rainbow and Sabbath then he'd get my vote over Priest.

Priest, if we're only considering the band Dio.

RJD if I'm taking everything into account. Yes, even Fight and Two don't bring Mr. Rob Halford up to Dio's level.

kicker_of_elves wrote: Wed Dec 31, 2025 12:38 pm

jakethesnake wrote: Wed Dec 31, 2025 12:20 pm

kicker_of_elves wrote: Wed Dec 31, 2025 12:13 pm Sad Wings of Destiny, Sin after Sin and Stained Class is a trifecta that is pretty hard to beat by any standard. Priest, no WF.

Yup, second only to Sabbath as far as 70s metal goes and while their 80s was more inconsistent, I wouldn't want to live without Screaming for Vengeance or side 1 of Defenders of the faith. Meanwhile, it may not be a cool opinion here but I really dug Painkiller too (well, songs/riffs/solos, wish dude would have laid off the double kicks at times)

Agreed. Not gonna lie, Turbo has its moments.

I'm with you there. I couldn't resist a clean vinyl copy some time ago. It's no Screaming for Vengeance, but there's some good shit on Turbo.

Can someone post some "good" RJD, in any band/era, without posting "Holy Diver"? I'm just not hearing it.

I never got that into either and I actively disliked Priest when I was younger but while I respect the hell out of Ronald James Padanova and his place in the metal pantheon, Priest is just more enjoyable. I've liked Dio songs but I can't say I "enjoyed" them.

ChudFusk wrote: Fri Jan 02, 2026 7:43 pm Can someone post some "good" RJD, in any band/era, without posting "Holy Diver"? I'm just not hearing it.

Sabbath's Heaven and Hell.

iembalm wrote: Sat Jan 03, 2026 1:07 am

ChudFusk wrote: Fri Jan 02, 2026 7:43 pm Can someone post some "good" RJD, in any band/era, without posting "Holy Diver"? I'm just not hearing it.

Sabbath's Heaven and Hell.

"Wishing Well" has brought me untold amounts of happiness.

https://youtu.be/d5TBlieup-4?si=c_YHCR3fWRNk9Chw

the older i get, the more i understand just how awesome Judas Priest was.

i think to grow up in the late 80s when Metallica/Megadeth/Slayer were considered the kings and would reference Priest, it was really weird to then hear a song like Breaking the Law, which is so much slower and different.

Now i seriously can’t get enough. Absolutely love the drumming on those songs. Don’t look up the drummer thought :/

This is a very interesting 1994 interview in which Dio opines the albums he made (at around 14:15). Some of the opinions are really surprising, especially in regards to Rising, which I won't spoil here. The entire interview is worthwhile watching, but especially the album discussion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBazyRIHGSk

Interesting interview, thanks for that.

I'd rather listen to Holy Diver than any Priest album, so Dio takes it for me. Add in his stints with Rainbow and Sabbath and he's unfuckwithable.