“Holy Diver” by Dio

"Holy Diver" opened the account for Dio in 1983, the lead single and title track of the band's debut album, and it lumbers in like a war machine in no hurry. Ronnie James Dio wrote it, produced it and sang it, backed by Vivian Campbell's scything guitar, Jimmy Bain on bass and keyboards and Vinny Appice pounding the drums.

Dio said it was about a Christ figure on a distant planet who gives himself up to save his people, only for them to beg him to stay when he means to move on and save others. The video, directed by Arthur Ellis, cast him as a sword-swinging barbarian in the burnt-out shell of St Mark's Church in Silvertown, east London. It stalled at 40 on Mainstream Rock at the time, but in March 2023 Rolling Stone placed it 9th among the greatest metal songs ever.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.