'Evil or Divine: Live in New York City' is the companion CD to the DVD released in '03 and is a perfect example of a record company cashing in on as much money as they can from an artist. That said 'Dio' live is always a treat and this is no exception, as 'Ronnie' and crew rip through numerous classics with the professionalism and skill you associate with the band. To fit this live recording onto a single CD, there has been a lot of editing, 'Lord of the Last Day' has been omitted, as has 'Simon Wright's' drum solo (although 'Ronnie' does introduce him!), while a lot of the 'Dio' - audience interaction has been cut, which I think leaves a slightly sterile feel compared to the DVD. That said the actual sound recordings and the quality of the performances speak for themselves and this is another great 'Dio' live album.

The excellent 'Killing the Dragon', taken from the album by the same name, is chosen to open the show and is a good choice in my opinion, this lively rocker features some marvellous guitar work from 'Doug Aldrich' while 'Ronnie' delivers the lyrics crisply and powerfully. Even better is a superb run-through of 'Egypt' interspersed with the 'Sabbath' classic 'Children of the Sea', it's a nice change to hear these songs live and they are superbly executed. 'Ronnie' rolls back the years to deliver some amazing vocals, while being excellently supported, with a special nod to 'Scott Warren' whose keyboard work really adds depth on 'Egypt'. 'Push' follows in energetic fashion, while the 'Holy Diver' classic 'Stand up and Shout' is brisk and pulsating, just the way it should be. 'Rock and Roll' follows and is perhaps the only disappointing song on the album, I never really liked the studio version and this live working fails to excite me either. Back on track is a guitar fuelled rendition of 'Don't Talk to Strangers', which gives way to a solid rendition of the stable 'Man on a Silver Mountain'. 'Doug Aldrich's' guitar solo ensues and while it comes across better on the DVD, this is an impressive piece of work. The second and final 'Rainbow' song takes the shape of 'Long Live Rock and Roll' and features plenty of audience interaction and overall is an entertaining version. The only track from 'Magica' is brought about by 'Fever Dreams', personally I would have liked to of heard 'Losing my Insanity', but this is still a decent cut. The classic title track from the first album 'Holy Diver' succeeds and is performed to perfection, despite a slightly different delivery from 'Ronnie'. 'Heaven and Hell' follows seamlessly and fails to disappoint, as the band run-through a cracking rendition of this 'Sabbath' classic. Next up is one of my favourite 'Dio' songs 'The Last in Line' and while this doesn't surpass the superb version on 'Inferno', it's still a strong working. 'Rainbow in the Dark' ensues in solid fashion, while the stable concert closer 'We Rock' concludes on a strong note.

The set list is a little too predictable to truly make 'Evil or Divine' surpass 'Inferno The last in Live', but this is still a splendid live album that any 'Dio' fans will want, but that said, go for the DVD if you only intend to buy one format.