The first 'Dio' studio album to feature former 'Guiffra' guitarist 'Craig Goldy' and he fills the boots of 'Vivian Campbell' remarkably well. The script for 'Dream Evil' is less commercial than 'Sacred Heart' as 'Ronnie' toughens the sound up to that of the first two albums. Unfortunately the song writing feels a little weak at times and although there's some pretty promising material, nothing sees to go that one step further and we're left with decent if not remarkable tracks.

The dark opener 'Night People' puts us in good stead with 'Ronnie' ripping through the lyrics and 'Craig Goldy' displaying his talents with some fine solos during this brooding rocker. The title track for me is the best cut, a fine plodder, driven by a massive sing-a-long chorus, that's brilliantly sung and written- great stuff. Next up is 'Sunset Superman' an attempted epic, I say attempted, as although it has some fine moments, just falls a little short due to the frequent static moments and overused chorus. It all comes good though, on the masterful 'All the Fools Sailed Away', after building from a melodic intro, turns into a vocal heavy epic, that exhibits why 'Ronnie James Dio' is one of the finest vocals of his time. The intro to 'Naked in the Rain' lets it down, its pretty uninspired and dull, the track does finishes strongly though, with the guitar work picking up a notch and the gutsy chorus being belted-out with real conviction. 'Overlove' makes for a nice change, with its medieval styled introduction and tasty fretwork, 'Goldy' does a fine job on this number, but lyrically it falls a bit flat. The single release 'I could have been a Dreamer' is too light for 'Dio' and its a pretty blatant attempt at chart success, definitely not one of their best. Better are the closing two tracks, 'Faces in the Window' is fast and gloomy, with solid lyrics and fine strafing, while 'When a Woman Cries' is an overlooked gem, full of glorious rhythm, a fine solo and closing vocals that would go off the "Richter Scale".

Good enough to be in every 'Dio' fans collection but regrettable not another 'Holy Diver'.