Strange Highway

Description

Strange Highways is the sixth studio album by the American heavy metal band Dio. It is also their first album since the reunion tour of Ronnie James Dio and Vinny Appice with Black Sabbath. The original European release was published on Vertigo Records in October 1993; the American release took place on Reprise Records in January 1994. After the brief reunion with Black Sabbath for the recording of the album "Dehumanizer" (1992) and the subsequent tour, Dio and Appice returned to Dio's solo band, hiring Tracy G (rijalva) as the new guitarist and Jeff Pilson on drums. "Hollywood Black" was demoed by Black Sabbath during the Dehumanizer sessions. "If it's the same, I don't know..." Tony Iommi noted about Dio's version (before hearing it). "Maybe the lyrics are the same - that's probably the case. I don't think he would use the same music." The album is produced by Mike Fraser, a Canadian record producer, engineer, and mixer, famous for having recorded and mixed six albums for AC/DC, including the classic AC/DC anthem: "Thunderstruck." Other notable projects of Fraser include: Franz Ferdinand, Metallica, Aerosmith, Zac Brown, Joe Satriani, The Cult, Van Halen, Elvis Costello, and Led Zeppelin. The album marks a significant shift from the band's previous work, showcasing a darker and more modern sound compared to Dio's more traditional heavy metal style.