Originally released on Mayhem in 1996, then reissued by Spitfire in 2000, Angry Machines was Dio's first effort away from Warner/Reprise, and it does find Ronnie James Dio looking for subtle ways to push into new territory.
The lyrics mostly avoid Dio's familiar medieval-fantasy D&D obsessions, instead directing their attention to more real-world concerns (albeit with the same sense of drama).
Similarly, there aren't many of the gothic neo-classicisms present on the band's best-known output; and while there are a few progressive sections, Angry Machines is more of a straightforward metal record, full of pounding rhythms and guitars along with plenty of wailing by Ronnie James Dio.
The main problem is that the band often seems to concentrate on sound more than songwriting -- the album sounds good while it's playing, but not enough of the riffs or melodies stick with the listener afterwards to judge it a complete return to form.
Yet there are enough moments here to make it worth the time of Dio diehards.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Institutional Man | Dio | Play | 05:09 | 11 MB | 36 MB |
| 2 | Don't Tell the Kids | Dio | Play | 04:19 | 9 MB | 32 MB |
| 3 | Black | Dio | Play | 03:10 | 7 MB | 22 MB |
| 4 | Hunter of the HeartRonnie James Dio | Dio | Play | 04:13 | 9 MB | 28 MB |
| 5 | Stay Out of My Mind | Dio | Play | 07:11 | 16 MB | 48 MB |
| 6 | Big Sister | Dio | Play | 05:35 | 12 MB | 39 MB |
| 7 | Double MondayVinny Appice, Ronnie James Dio | Dio | Play | 02:55 | 6 MB | 20 MB |
| 8 | Golden Rules | Dio | Play | 04:54 | 11 MB | 32 MB |
| 9 | Dying in America | Dio | Play | 04:38 | 10 MB | 31 MB |
| 10 | This Is Your Life | Dio | Play | 03:24 | 7 MB | 16 MB |
| 45 mins | 104 MB | |||||
| 45 mins | 308 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vinny Appice | Composer, Drums |
| 2 | Eddie Ashworth | Engineer, Second Engineer |
| 3 | Wyn Davis | Engineer |
| 4 | Dio | Primary Artist |
| 5 | Ronnie James Dio | Composer, Producer, Vocals |
| 6 | Tracy G | Guitar |
| 7 | Paul Gregory | Illustrations |
| 8 | John Harrell | Photography |
| 9 | Jeff Pilson | Bass |
| 10 | Darian Rundall | Second Engineer |
| 11 | Eddy Schreyer | Mastering |
| 12 | Peter Tsakiris | Artwork, Design, Layout Design |
| 13 | Scott Warren | Keyboards |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |