| Strange Highways | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 25, 1993 | |||
| Studio | Rumbo Recorders (Los Angeles) | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal | |||
| Length | 53:36 | |||
| Label | Vertigo | |||
| Producer | Mike Fraser | |||
| Dio chronology | ||||
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| Ronnie James Dio chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 8/10[2] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B−[3] |
Strange Highways is the sixth studio album by American heavy metal band Dio. It's also their first album since Ronnie James Dio and Vinny Appice's reunion tour with Black Sabbath. The European release was on Vertigo Records, in October 1993; the U.S. release was on Reprise Records, in January 1994.
After the short-lived reunion with Black Sabbath for the recording of the album Dehumanizer (1992) and the subsequent tour, Dio and Appice returned to Dio's solo group, hiring Tracy Grijalva as new guitarist. Former Dio bassist Jimmy Bain was to make a return to the band, but he was soon sacked by Dio and replaced by Jeff Pilson.[4]
"Hollywood Black" was demoed by Black Sabbath during the Dehumanizer sessions. "Whether it's the same, I don't know…" Tony Iommi remarked of Dio's version (before hearing it). "Could be the same lyrics – probably is. I wouldn't think he would use the same music."[5]
- ^ Anderson, Jason. "Strange Highways - Dio". AllMusic. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
- ^ Popoff, Martin (August 1, 2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 121. ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9.
- ^ Sinclair, Tom (January 28, 1994). "Strange Highways Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 21, 2009. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
- ^ Metal Rules - Jeff Pilson interview
- ^ Southern Cross No.19, March 1997