Not much else I can add - this is a classic, classic album!!!!

Not much to add but this album is indeed a classic. It's hard to believe this is the same Viv that plays in Def Lep.

I saw Def Leppard last August and Vivian Campbell tore it up! It's the same guy.

Dio was one of the first metal bands I got into. I just really dug their style - very memorable songwriting, great voice. I think it was actually The Last In Line that was my first exposure to them but Holy Diver is a great album.

Holy Diver isn't my favorite DIO, but wow, what a debut! Very strong songwriting and atmosphere out the ying-yang. The world knew that RJD meant business! A true classic album.

The only DIO solo stuff I own is an autograhphed 2-disc anthology. It has a few songs on there from his Elf days which are pretty entertaining although quite different from his metal years. I could listen to an album of that.

That's about all I have to contribute to this topic. See ya later.

I enjoy 'Holy Diver', but I feel like at times the band is just a bit flat. Obviously Dio should be up front, but aside from he and Vivian's stuff, the band doesn't sound all that full of life, which is definitely a departure from the musicians of Sabbath and Rainbow, who brought a lot of feeling and noticable chemistry to each song. Songwriting wise, this debut is about what one would expect - some epic heavy metal, a filler or two, and some more rock 'n roll influenced tracks that can be hit or miss, though Dio typically does a good job at them. The album is more or less an amalgam of his tenure with Rainbow and with Black Sabbath, but noticably more modern for the time. While this has the *makings* of a classic I don't think it goes quite that high, a few songs such as 'Don't Talk To Strangers', though one of my favorites, occasionally feels lost structure-wise, and then a few songs like 'Caught in the Middle' just don't seem to be as good in general. 'The Last In Line' would see an improvement on almost every worthy fault I hear in 'Holy Diver'.

Does anyone know if the upside down DIO logo spelling out the word "devil" was done on purpose to stir up some controversy or was is just a case of someone seeing what they wanted to see?

Mmmm, maybe it's like a Rorschach test or something but I'm not seeing it.

Holy Diver is in my top ten albums of all time. Amazing songs, a terrific band performance and a huge, boomy sound. Sometimes even a bit too bottom-heavy especially the drum sound, but the guitar sounds great.

Someone mentioned the lyrics are great, too, but they really don't make much sense. Dio is a one-of-a-kind lyricist, for sure.

My favourite track has to be Holy Diver. Amazing stuff.

I also upgraded my old CD to the remastered version.

Glad to get this one on the ground floor. Except for live albums and Elf material, I have every Dio album and this is the first since Maiden/Savatage where I can participate in almost every one here). Holy Diver is the definative Dio album for sure. It took me forever to finally get this (just last year to be exact-though I've heard all but 3 of the songs long before then). Favorite songs are Holy Diver, Caught In The Middle, Don't Talk To Strangers, Straight Through The Heart, Invisible, Rainbow In The Dark, and Shame On The Night.

Yeah, this is truly a classic album. It just doesn't get much better than this when it comes to heavy metal.

Anyone who calls themself a true 'metalhead' and doesn't start drooling over this album calls into question their metallic authenticity.

J/K - but I'm seriously saying ... this album freekin OWNS YOU!!!

Holy Diver is a classic Dio album and my favorite of his solo records. The songwriting is really what sets this album apart, as Dio had a bunch of memorable tunes ready for this release.

Vivian was a pretty big deal when this album came out, the early 80's was full of older vocalists searching out hot-shot youngster guitarists to inspire them. I think this is Vivian's best album as well.

Straight Through The Heart, Holy Diver, Stand Up & Shout and Shame On The Night are my favorite tracks. Never could get into Rainbow In The Dark...

I'm a little tired of "Rainbow in the Dark" after years and years of overplaying (turn on "Metal Mania" on VH1 Classic and watch for a while, you're bound to see that video sooner or later!) but otherwise HOLY DIVER is a rock solid album. Total class. Hail Dio.

Apparently, it's a little easier to see on the Dream Evil album where the logo was slightly modified.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-find-the-Hidden-Word-on-the-Dio-80s-Metal/

I just remember someone showing me back in high school and thought the idea of it was pretty cool. Snooping around on the web about it, RJD claims it was just a coinsidence.

To this day, despite being a Dio fan, I don't own Holy Diver. Undisputed classic, but I guess I've heard enough of it over the years that I don't feel I need to own it.