Dio's rock-solid 2000 concept album
Magica would have better fit the musical climate 15-25 years beforehand, but a good album is a good album.
Ronnie James Dio's band's previous studio effort, 1996's
Angry Machines, admirably addressed modern, non-traditional heavy metal topics. But the musically superior
Magica is rooted in the dark, mystical themes he perfected on
Rainbow,
Black Sabbath, and early
Dio albums. One important factor is the solid lineup, particularly the return of
Craig Goldy, the best guitarist
Dio's had in his band besides
Vivian Campbell. Bassist
Jimmy Bain and drummer
Simon Wright also return.
Dio seems inspired, and his vocals are more textured than usual.
Magica is a detailed fantasy epic about the struggle between good and evil. Several elements are similar to J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved Lord of the Rings novels, which themselves rely on traditional literary archetypes such as heroes, villains, and mythic quests. "Lord of the Last Day" builds slowly with
Goldy's dirge-like guitar and
Dio's menacing vocals augmented by strings. "Fever Dreams" is tightly arranged and geared for rock radio airplay with
Goldy's crisp, snapping guitar and
Dio's smooth, slightly edgy vocals. "Turn to Stone" is effective, traditional heavy metal based on slow, heavy rhythm guitar and drums. The most musically complex song is "Feed My Head" due to the hypnotic chorus, multi-tracked harmony vocals, clean guitar and cymbal interplay, slashing strings, and
Dio's smooth vocal interlude. Although "As Long As It's Not About Love" has some of the characteristics of a basic power ballad, the arrangement is more detailed and flexible. The album ends with "Magica Story,"
Dio's 18 1/2-minute spoken narrative; the liner notes include a separate sheet with the complete short story. His warm, rich voice is enhanced with a little bit of echo and faint synthesizer touches occasionally add drama. ~ Bret Adams