Samiksha Jaiswal (Editor)

Holy Diver (song)

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Released
  
August 1983

Genre
  
Heavy metal

Format
  
7", 12"

Length
  
5:51

B-side
  
"Evil Eyes" "Don't Talk to Strangers"

Recorded
  
1983 Sound City Studios, Los Angeles, USA

"Holy Diver" is a song recorded by heavy metal band Dio. It was released in August 1983 as the lead single from the band's debut album of the same name. Although it only reached number 40 on the Mainstream Rock chart at that time, today it is one of Dio's most popular songs. When played on the radio, many stations cut the extended instrumental intro sequence. Following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the song was placed on the list of post-9/11 inappropriate titles distributed by Clear Channel. In 2009, Holy Diver placed 43rd on VH1's Top 100 Hard Rock Songs.

Contents

Music video

The music video for "Holy Diver", directed and edited by Arthur Ellis, features Dio as a hairy barbarian adventuring through a desolate church. First he strikes a shrouded figure and his hobgoblin friend with his sword, but instead of killing them he turns them into rats. He later visits a blacksmith who is forging a sword. He throws his sword in the trash and deftly catches the newly forged one. Walking through a corridor, he encounters three seated hooded figures. As the camera pans across them, the third slowly raises its head to reveal eyes resembling those of a cat. The final shots show Dio exiting the church.

Killswitch Engage version

Killswitch Engage covered the song for the compilation High Voltage!: A Brief History of Rock for Kerrang! magazine. The song was later re-released for the special edition of As Daylight Dies. A live version of the song is also featured on the Special Edition of their 2009 album Killswitch Engage, then in 2014, the song was re-released on the compilation album entitled Ronnie James Dio This Is Your Life. This version of the song as well as the original composed by Dio are DLC for the guitar video game Rocksmith 2014.

Music video

The band released a music video for their version. Directed by Brian Thompson, the video features a comical take on Dio's original music video.

Other versions

  • Pat Boone, on his album In a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy, with Ronnie James Dio himself on backing vocals.
  • Otyg recorded a version and have also performed it live.
  • Eläkeläiset (Humppa band from Finland) reinterpret it in their song Humpparaakki on their album Humppamaratooni.
  • Sum 41 played the song on acoustic guitar for the MTV show Jammed.
  • Children of Bodom paid homage to this theme including its initial riff in the intro to their song "Downfall" in live shows; this can be heard and seen in the Chaos Ridden Years live album/DVD.
  • Sons of Butcher have also performed it live.
  • Tenacious D has performed parts of the song live.
  • Nightwish has performed the song during a soundcheck for a live concert.
  • HolyHell has done a cover of the song at some live performances.
  • Axel Rudi Pell, a good friend of Dio's, recorded a ballad cover on his compilation album, The Ballads IV in 2011 with Johnny Gioeli on vocals.
  • Holy Mother, played a cover of it in the tribute album Holy Dio.
  • Ryan Adams covered the song live, solo and with just an acoustic guitar on March 3, 2012 at Regent Theatre, Melbourne, Australia.
  • Veronica Falls teamed up with Jeremy Warmsley of Summer Camp to cover the song live at a gig in Sheffield, England on 6th February 2013.
  • Pain of Salvation perform a jazz version of it on their 2014 album Falling Home.
  • Foo Fighters use the riff from Holy Diver in their song Something From Nothing from their new album Sonic Highways as Dave Grohl's way of paying tribute to Dio.
  • Steve 'N' Seagulls play a country-version on their album "Farm Machine".
  • Dan Reed covered the song live at The Winchester Music Hall in Lakewood, Ohio. in 2010.

    • References

    Holy Diver (song) Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA