DIO
Magica (Deluxe Edition)
Niji Entertainment Group (2013)
Rating: 9/10
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The 90s were a rough time for Dio’s less open-minded fans. The decade opened with 1990’s Lock Up The Wolves which was followed by 1993’s Strange Highways and 1996’s Angry Machines. The latter two in particular drew ire for departing from the Dungeons & Dragons format that had put Dio on the map in the decade prior.
Both Strange Highways and Angry Machines featured the angrier, and good bit stranger, guitar work of Tracy G. and are two of the heaviest albums the band ever made, yet many of the traditional elements of metal fell to the wayside during this time and many fans either moved on or lost heart.
As Ronnie James Dio did so many times throughout his career, he seemingly stepped back and re-evaluated Dio as it stood then. Re-enlisting drummer Simon Wright, bassist Jimmy Bain and, most importantly, guitarist Craig Goldy, Ronnie set himself back on track by writing and recording the Magica album. Becoming Dio’s only concept album, it was released in 2000 and became a sleeper hit, having sold over 100,000 copies as of 2013. Dio fans returned rapidly and Magica’s word of mouth promotion helped its successor, Killing The Dragon, become a landmark album in the Dio catalogue as well.
Magica is unquestionably one of Dio’s greatest moments. While the album keeps some of the alien / future theme elements (taking place on another planet etc.) Dio grew fond of the 90s and it primarily focuses on the fantasy elements of classics like Sacred Heart (1985) and Dream Evil (1987) lyrically. They even work in bits and pieces of the religious condemnation that came with Holy Diver (1983).
Lyrically, the story of Eriel and his son Challis’ battle against the evil Shadowcast is told throughout the album, revealing a truly fantastical story that echoes many real-life circumstances when the metaphors are stripped away.
Dio slows it down a bit on Magica musically by turning the controlled chaos of Angry Machines on its head and reviving the thundering drums, plodding bass and virtuosic guitar work of the band’s classic albums. I assume that Magica was done on a much smaller budget than the classic albums, and it’s that lack of slick production that makes this one so endearing. The band sound more aggressive on the faster songs and the slower songs, particularly ‘As Long As It’s Not About Love’, feeling more heartfelt since they couldn’t get so overblown.
‘Challis’ is a certain highlight here with its powerful guitars that hearken back to the traditional metal sound the band helped shape. ‘Fever Dreams’, although a bit plodding for my tastes, has an extremely catchy chorus and a bouncy guitar that is accentuated by a rhythmic march. ‘Otherworld’ is excellent here as well, managing to sound a bit futuristic while utilizing the bass as the driving force and freeing the guitars to create a slightly different atmosphere from the other tunes.
The big issue here is certainly all “the filler”. The short musical pieces that accompany the actual songs aid the story musically but really break your concentration when trying to absorb the story. I would venture to guess that, while this album is loved by diehard fans, it was the more straightforwardness of Killing The Dragon that brought the mighty Dio a hearty new audience of younger fans.
For this deluxe edition of this out of print fan favourite, a second disc is included. The disc kicks off with Ronnie James Dio himself reading the story of Magica. It’s nice to hear the story as it was intended (and it’s written in the liner notes as well). It gives you a real sense of how passionate Ronnie was about this story and what would have (hopefully) accompanied it someday. As we know, Magica 2 and 3, were a great part of that hope.
‘Annica’ (released originally on the Japanese edition of the album only) is a big, guitar piece that sounds great but was thankfully left off the original as it was already “mood setter” heavy. Live bootlegs of ‘Feed My Head’, ‘Fever Dreams’, ‘Lord Of The Last Day’, ‘As Long As It’s Not About Love’, and ‘Losing My Insanity’ are included on this disc as well. As with most things Dio did, the band sound solid, but also like a band trying to find their place in a new music world. This was extremely out of place in the early new millennium and the band sound more reserved than they did in their heyday.
The demo for ‘Electra’ is this edition’s defining moment though. The only recording for a further exploration of Magica, it truly fills you with sadness. The band sound great here, but it’s Dio’s emotional performance that takes it over the top. He does it all here, it’s intimate and searching and it soars like an anthem and it commands your attention as it sets the stage for such an important coming moment that will never come.
As Mick Wall says in the liner notes, “….we are reminded just how much Dio really meant…” and it’s true. Magica came during Dio’s most unpopular years and it’s the sound of him being himself after a decade of exploration. It’s the sound of Dio reconnecting with his fanbase on a level that only he and his fans could understand. Magica was not an album for outsiders or newcomers; it was, and is, an album for the true believers.
Mark Fisher
