Review Summary: You never sing for pleasure, you only make the sounds
By the time Sacred Heart came out in 1985, the guys in Dio knew they were hot ***. The group was riding on the wave of two major classics on top of their singer’s deep resume and the pseudo-live “King of Rock and Roll” feels like a reflection of how far they’d come. It may not have the staying power of “Stand Up and Shout” or “We Rock,” but it’s an opener that works great in the heat of the moment, celebratory but still acknowledging the fans who got them there to keep from looking too cocky.
The scale of the spectacle that ol’ Ronnie had in mind is fully revealed as the title track comes stomping in. It’s very much in the mold of title tracks before it with a mid-tempo stadium metal beat, a simple but memorable refrain, and a somehow ominously bright atmosphere that feels like the bridge between Rainbow and Sabbath. However, the song is marred by overproduction as the vocals completely smother the mix and the keyboards come off brassy. It’s still a pretty good song that no doubt sounded awesome when the band was slaying a twenty-foot mechanical dragon on stage, but this sort of arcane escapist metal was more thoroughly explored by groups like Manowar and Queensryche by then.
That loftiness can also be seen through a decidedly cynical lens with “Hungry for Heaven,” originally released on the soundtrack for Vision Quest. The track is essentially a “Mystery” rewrite with similar chords and emphasized keyboards, but you can certainly feel an attempt to be the next “Eye of the Tiger” with its even more motivational lyrics and triumphant aura. However, the execution stifles those aspirations as the rhythm feels too stiff and the chorus isn’t involved enough to take it to the next level.
But once “Another Lie” comes and goes with nary an impression made, the cracks in the facade become impossible to ignore. Much has been made of the band’s conflicts at the time between the musicians’ unstable hierarchy and transparent creative burnout. “Like the Beat of a Heart” and “Another Day” still have an endearing quality to them, but the former is essentially “Straight Through the Heart” with a heavier punch and the latter’s lyrics are this close to admitting that they’re all just so tired of this nonsense. Just imagine if that track had been given the fake-live opener treatment instead of “King of Rock and Roll…”
Fortunately, there are a couple more tracks that manage to fight against the fatigue. Lead single “Rock ‘n Roll Children” (no “and” for this one I guess) incorporates the keys more tastefully and the driving Dokken-esque chug works with the teenage runaway narrative. “Fallen Angels” may be among the more filler tracks but the guitar work has a nice spark to it.
Alas, the album ends on its most sour note as “Shoot Shoot” might be one of the weakest tracks under the Dio banner. The stop-start AOR chug is decent enough to work off of, but the band’s tendency to just recite the title as a chorus falls flat on its face when the words you’re having to repeat over and over are ***ing “shoot shoot.” It’s also kinda funny to close out with lyrics that are all but Ronnie literally telling his bandmates to *** off, especially since guitarist Vivian Campbell took him up on it halfway through the tour.
Sacred Heart has an odd status in Dio’s overall discography. It led to some of the band’s most extravagant shows and some fans even group it in with the classic albums by virtue of it featuring the same lineup, but the release is ultimately colored by mixed writing and tired performances. The band’s formulaic tendencies had come home to roost with trusted templates yielding diminished returns even on the best songs. It isn’t a wild departure like Turbo or Somewhere in Time, but the stagnancy only reinforced them becoming outclassed by their peers. This is still something of a comfort listen for me, but it is an undeniable mixed bag.
