Holy Diver by Dio Song Info
This song is the title track to Dio's debut album in 1983. Ronnie James Dio was at the height of his popularity at the time since he had just finished his two album tenure as Black Sabbath's lead singer at the time of this album's release. This song remains the most recognizable and popular song by the band. In 1989, Japanese video game company Irem made a game based on this song, featuring a protagonist who resembles Ronnie James Dio. The game was never released outside of Japan. The song is prominently featured on the soundtrack to the radio station V-Rock in the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories and is also one of the tracks on the game Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s. It was also played in the South Park episode Hooked on Monkey Phonics, and Philadelphia Phillies slugger Pat Burrell used the song in 2005 and 2006 as his at-bat music. The song was also the lead off song in the Matchstick Films Ski Movie trilogy. The music video for Holy Diver, directed and edited by Arthur Ellis, features Dio as a barbarian adventuring through a desolate town. First he strikes two rascals with his sword, but instead of killing them he turns them into rats. He later visits a blacksmith who reforges his sword. Artists who have covered the song include: * Pat Boone, on his album In a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy, with Ronnie James Dio himself on backing vocals. * Metalcore band Killswitch Engage covers the song on a compilation album entitled High Voltage!: A Brief History of Rock for Kerrang! magazine. They also perform this song in their live shows. The song is also in the re-release of the band's As Daylight Dies album. It is KSE's first top 20 single on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Charts and also includes a music video which is a slightly comical take on the original Dio version. * Folk metal band Otyg have also performed it live. * Eläkeläiset (Humppa band from Finland) reinterpret it in their song Humpparaakki on their album Humppa Til We Die. * 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 (band) have also performed it live. * Tenacious D has performed parts of the song live. * HolyHell has done a cover of the song at some live performances. * Fire In The Hole has done a cover of the song, blending elements from the original song and the popular cover by Killswitch Engage. One possible interpretation of the song, (per user busagane) follows: This song is about Satan, and his descent to Hell (his "dive"). The lyrics deal specifically with Revelations 12:9 where Satan was cast to the earth. The tiger is symbolic of the wild beast that comes out of the sea, as mentioned in Revelations 13:1. The album cover depicted Satan whipping a priest with a chain. The priest was shackled and drowning in a turbulent sea. This caused some controversy, although not as much as one might think. This was covered, ironically, by Gospel singer Pat Boone on his In a Metal Mood album. Acknowledging the subject matter, the song ends with Pat reciting Psalm 23:4. Dio sang backup vocals this - he thought it was hilarious.
