The second live album in two years for 'Dio', this time around recorded live at the Astoria London and features a complete run-through of the 1983 classic 'Holy Diver', as well as some old favourites from 'Rainbow', 'Black Sabbath' and 'Dio'. The line-up differs only slightly from 'Evil or Divine' in that 'Rudi Sarzo' takes over on bass from the longstanding 'Jimmy Bain', while guitarist 'Doug Aldrich' kindly stands in for 'Craig Goldy' who injured his arm on tour. The man himself 'Ronnie James Dio' turns in a gutsy performance, but in all honesty this won't go down as one of his best shows, but by the same token for someone who's been in the music industry as long as he has, he still puts many of the young pretenders to shame.

Disc One feature the 'Holy Diver' run-through, this was originally placed in the middle of the show but, quote from the liner notes “has been moved to avoid ugly edits”, which I think they have successfully done throughout both discs. In true fashion we start with 'Stand Up and Shout' and after a spoken introduction, the band rip through this monumental opener, 'Ronnie' perhaps struggles with the higher vocals parts but still delivers, while 'Doug' tears away with a couple of shredding solos. Following on seamlessly is a fine rendition of 'Holy Diver', sounds a little different at times because 'Ronnie' sings in a slightly lower key, but despite this it still comes across powerfully. Ensuing is one of my personal favourites 'Gypsy' and it doesn't disappointed with 'Aldrich' continuing to impress with some glorious fret work. Regrettably a longwinded drum solo follows and it's predictably pretty dull and worst of all disrupts the flow of the album. Next up is 'Caught in the Middle' and judging by 'Ronnie's' mixed performance he hasn't sung this live too often, but that said the guitar work is splendid and overall still a good effort. The double punch of 'Don't Talk to Strangers' and 'Straight Through the Heart' are next, both are faithful renditions that stick pretty close to the originals and are both nicely executed. 'Invisible' ensues strongly, the spoken intro is still effective and despite losing a little momentum mid track, is graced by more superb fret work and driving rhythm from 'Sarzo' and 'Wright'. The solid run continues with one of 'Dio's' most recognised songs 'Rainbow in the Dark', musically this is just excellent, 'Ronnie' does seem to tire vocally, but still gives it 100%. Last up is the commanding 'Shame on the Night', I think 'Dio' sings this particularly well and ultimately is a fine version, 'Doug Aldrich's' solo is tagged on and despite being way too drawn-out, is most excellent in places, the song concludes with a fitting reprises of 'Holy Diver'.

The second disc opens with the rarely performed 'Rainbow' classic 'Tarot Woman', I've never heard this live before and I'm not disappointed, forget 'Blackmore', 'Aldrich' just rules on guitar and 'Ronnie', well he just sings this wonderfully. Its into the 'Sabbath' back catalogue with 'Sign of the Southern Cross' and as with the previous track, not regularly heard live and although a solid rendition a little unremarkable. 'One Night in the City' taken from 'The Last in Line' makes a nice addition, while the sweetly executed 'Gates of Babylon' makes for another surprise entry. More predictable is 'Heaven & Hell', this rendition is decent but there are plenty of better versions out there, maybe another 'Sabbath' classic like 'Children of the Sea', 'Mob Rules' or 'Falling of the Edge of the World' would have made for a better addition. The album closes well but all too predictably, the 'Rainbow' pairing of 'Man on a Silver Mountain' and 'Long Live Rock and Roll' are nicely executed, while a gutsy 'We Rock' unsurprisingly closes the set.

'Dio' live is always a treat to hear, but in all honesty I would choose 'Evil or Divine' or my personal favourite 'Dio's Inferno Live at Last' over this.