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Ronnie James Dio is back with a new album, "Killing The Dragon". This is the successor to "Magica", a very good but very slow tempo album released in 2000. Like Dio said in some interview, "Killing The Dragon" is a little bit faster (slightly) than "Magica" with moderately fast songs like the opener "Killing The Dragon" and "Better In The Dark". "Killing The Dragon" contains 10 songs and lasts about 45 minutes.

"Killing The Dragon" welcomes the arrival of Doug Aldrich on guitar. He did a very good job; his playing melts very well with Dio’s style. His lead guitars are also very good. My favourites tracks are "Scream", this is my preferred one with his very strong Dio-esque chorus, "Rock & Roll" and "Throw Away Children" a slow song related to "Children Of The Night", a foundation that Dio has been supporting for many years. "Push" is a good mid-tempo heavy song and it’s the first single and promo video released for this album.

Like Michel Renaud said in his review, this CD sounds (music-wise) like it was released in 1985! Not 1984, not 1986, really in 1985! (-: It sounds like it was the successor of "The Last In Line" (1984). This album could have been released instead of "Sacred Heart" (1985), which was the weakest Dio album in the 80s. The album is very guitar riffs and vocal oriented with just a little bit of keyboards unlike "Magica" and "Dream Evil". Sound-wise, this album sounds very good. This is the first Dio album recorded entirely in digital format.

The main bad thing about this CD is that there are no really refreshing ideas on the album. Sure, the songs are good but Dio doesn’t offer new ideas or concept here. He takes the very same paths he did on "Holy Diver" and "The Last In Line".

However, two thumbs up for Ronnie James Dio who still is still releasing a new album and touring in his sixties! His vocals are still amazing on this album. This is really the strongest point on "Killing The Dragon". He’s a true legend in the heavy metal and rock & roll history. He’s a great singer and a very good songwriter. He never turned his back to heavy metal even in the darkest years of this music in the mid-90s.

In conclusion, "Killing The Dragon" is a good purchase with really no bad songs, however, it’s an album with no new ideas. If you like Dio’s style in the 80s or you’d like to know what Dio’s style sounds like, this album is for you.