1. KILLING THE DRAGON
The beginning of this song, when the guitar comes in, has a distinct Iron Maiden feel too it, in the
sense that a lot of Maiden songs are played while riding their e strings in triplets. But that quickly
gives way to the classic Black Sabbath/Dio sound! Nice and Heavy…I believe this song will
definitely quickly become a Dio classic!
The words, at first glance, conjure up images of battles between dragons and dragon slayers,
castles, knights, etc. But after further consideration, I believe there is a deeper meaning behind
the words; I believe these lyrics are actually referring to Internet addiction, while possibly alluding
also to Internet predators. In this frame of thinking, if you will read the lyrics while keeping the
following concepts and word associations in mind, I think you will see my meaning.
“Silence
We hunt for the queen
Sign of the cross
And pray in between”
Parents obviously want the best for their children, but while parenting doesn’t come with
an instruction handbook, we do our best, and hope and pray that our children will adhere
to our teachings and get the best out of it, and that no outside influences will adversely
affect their inner selves.
In the previous passage, “queen” would represent the perfect product that the child(ren)
could become with our teachings…a “holy grail” of a person, if you will.
“Something's taken a child”
Meaning the addiction to the internet, spending most waking hours on it, takes the
child(ren) away from what their full potential could be.
”And it all must end
Time to be killing the dragon again”
“Dragon” here represents the addiction.
“Oh to be never afraid
Of wolves at the door
Howling for more”
“Wolves at the door howling for more”…Could this be alluding to Internet predators? Or maybe to
the addiction rearing it’s ugly head in the form of temptation?
“Kneel and behold your new king
Digital dreams
And wonderful things
To tease you
Small gods with electrical hearts
And it all will end
Time to be killing the dragon”
"Digital Dreams" - “Small gods with electrical hearts”…Pretty obvious, isn’t it? A computer…the Internet.
On second thought, this song could just be about technology in general, couldn’t it?
Please keep in mind that I could be way off base here, and this is just a concept that came to MY
mind while reading these lyrics. This song could just as easily be about something entirely
different!
2. ALONG COMES A SPIDER
This song has an epic feel to it. It’s right here, in your face, and makes no apologies! (But, to be
sure, It has absolutely NOTHING to apologize for!) The guitar solo is played fast and furious,
precise, and has a touch of Yngwie feel at the end of the solo. This is a very strong song and, if it
doesn’t simply kick you in the ass right away, will definitely grow on you very quickly!
3. SCREAM
This one has a very “Heaven And Hell”ish feel to it in the beginning. Again, nice and heavy. This
is one of those songs that could get so much radio play that it’s over killed.
4. BETTER IN THE DARK
A fast song. One of those songs that will have your feet tapping right along to the beat. Definitely
one that will pick you up and kick you in the ass right away. It’s got a great bass line. The guitar
simply moves right along at the speed of light. Destined to be one of the greats.
5. ROCK AND ROLL
This one has a very nice, slow acoustic and vocal introduction, which sounds great. The main riff
has a very Led Zeppelin feel to it…in the vein of Kashmir. This is the kind of song that you could
sit in the dark, headphones on, eyes closed, volume up all the way, and just lose yourself in. I do
feel, however, that the chorus on this song leaves something to be desired.
6. PUSH
Now here is a strong chorus with a great hook! It’s no wonder spitfire used the chorus of this song
as a sound clip on their website to “push” this album! ;-) This one will have you singing right along
with it in no time flat!
7. GUILTY
Another heavy sounding song. Nice time change just before the guitar solo. This song’s got a
nice hook that will remain with you well after the song has ended. Ronnie does a great job with
his own backing vocals towards the end of the song.
8. THROW AWAY THE CHILDREN
Oh man…what can I say that will do this song justice? A tragic masterpiece! The hook (and
WHAT a hook it is!) is all over this one! The chorus is simply enchanting and exceptional. Doug’s
guitar tone fits the feel of the song very well. This song has a slow steady rhythm, with a Sabbath
feel (especially the guitar solo).
This song takes on the task of portraying the life (and death) of
one runaway child, used as an example of the nightmarish life of neglect and abuse that way too
many children, (indeed, even one is too many!!!), must endure at the hands of uncaring, selfish,
unscrupulous, perverted predators that infest this world and prey on the lives of these poor lost
children. These so called people pretend to be someone that will care for these children, and say
that they will provide for them, all so that they can profit from there evil plans of what they have in
store for the children…usually prostitution. Then when these children are no longer profitable, or
their “usefulness” has expired, they turn their backs on these children. The song doesn’t touch on
what caused the death of this particular child, be it A.I.D.S., drug abuse, murder, or whatever, but
that, I believe, is because all of these things (and more) are causes of death every single day that
ends the lives of these innocents.
If the words and feel don’t make you hate anyone and everyone that has ever taken advantage of
a child…and make you want to donate to Children Of The Night, then the
children’s voices at the end will have you whipping out your wallets so fast you’ll have friction
burns on your behind! This song tugs very efficiently at the heartstrings. It can and does have the
tears straining to break free from the confines of your eyelids…my advice? Let ‘em flow! And
make sure to visit Children Of The Night and make your donations to help these poor,
unfortunate children who so desperately need our help! EVERY PENNY COUNTS!!!
The children’s chorus has helped Ronnie give this song just the edge it needs to be one of the
most emotional cries for help that this listener has ever heard. Any cry for help is a sad event, but
when a cry for help comes in the form of a song, such as this one, it does it’s cause justice and
helps bring relief…And though the reason for this song’s existence is a sad one, the song is a
pleasure to listen too…this is one that will stay with me for years to come!
Dio said “Let there be a masterpiece of a song”, and there was. Dio looked at it, and saw that it
was good! And he called the masterpiece “Throw Away The Children”.
9. BEFORE THE FALL
This song has a good riff, the two Hammond solos have a very Deep Purpleish sound to them,
with a touch of old Uriah Heep thrown in for good measure. And though this is a good song, after
the first spin, it doesn’t strike this listener as one that will be one of my favorites…but who knows,
given the chance of a few more spins, maybe all that will change. But for now, the review for this
song ends like this…”And on the ninth song, Dio rested.”
10. COLD FEET
Great groove and hook…It has the feel of a great sing-a-long! I could well imagine sitting around
the campfire with a guitar in hand…and everyone belting out the lyrics for this at the top of their
lungs into the night’s darkness. Curious eyes glowing from the darkness, as they watch with
puzzlement the humans dancing around the open fire.
This song has the unmistakable sound of another band Ronnie fronted for several years…Elf!!
I can’t help wondering if this song is meant to get us ready for another Elf album in the not too
distant future? Now THAT would be something! But would also have this listener worried that
maybe Ronnie was thinking of retirement, as it could easily mark a career that’s come full circle.
Let us hope that this would not be the case, as I’d like to look forward to new material from
Ronnie for years to come!
This one also has the sound and feel of the Sacred Heart era, which is a very good plus in my
book!
Now I know there are a few out there who didn’t especially like the Sacred Heart era (a very small
number, one would hope)…but really, I mean seriously, COME ON! Someone should very
lovingly, but sternly, slap some sense into these misguided souls! ;-)
(This was a joke people, please no one get their shorts all bunched up over this! I realize people
have a right to their own screwed up opinions, and heaven knows……I have mine!!)
So, to conclude this listeners review, Ronnie is in top form on this album! But, of course, he never
fails to simply astound! This album, I believe, will continue Dio’s climb back up the charts. I
predict that this will be the best album of the year…PERIOD.
Doug, the newest member of Dio, is technically precise, delivers just the touch each song needs,
be it fast, furious, and in your face, or slow, melodic, and emotional. This is one fan that hopes
Doug will stick around for a VERY long time to come!!
This album is easily one of the best albums I’ve heard in years…literally! It is a pleasure to listen
to, and I predict that it won’t leave my CD player for months to come…(and then, and only IF it
happens, that’ll only be for short intervals!!)
Grab this one immediately! You don’t want to miss out!
Always,
--Mark K. Rakes (Strype)
\w/ Horns Up!
Please remember to visit Children Of The Night (Please give what you can, EVERY PENNY COUNTS!!)
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