Strange Highways

For the collection of the same name by Dean Koontz, see Strange Highways (story collection).

Strange Highways
Studio album by Dio
Released	October 25, 1993 (1993-10-25)
Studio	Rumbo Recorders (Los Angeles)
Genre	Heavy metal
Length	53:36
Label	Vertigo
Producer	Mike Fraser
Dio chronology
Lock Up the Wolves (1990) Strange Highways (1993) Angry Machines (1996)
Ronnie James Dio chronology
Dehumanizer (1992) Strange Highways (1993) Angry Machines (1996)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal	8/10[2]
Entertainment Weekly	B−[3]

Strange Highways is the sixth studio album by American heavy metal band Dio. It's also their first album since Ronnie James Dio and Vinny Appice's reunion tour with Black Sabbath. The European release was on Vertigo Records, in October 1993; the U.S. release was on Reprise Records, in January 1994.

After the short-lived reunion with Black Sabbath for the recording of the album Dehumanizer (1992) and the subsequent tour, Dio and Appice returned to Dio's solo group, hiring Tracy Grijalva as new guitarist. Former Dio bassist Jimmy Bain was to make a return to the band, but he was soon sacked by Dio and replaced by Jeff Pilson.[4]

"Hollywood Black" was demoed by Black Sabbath during the Dehumanizer sessions. "Whether it's the same, I don't know…" Tony Iommi remarked of Dio's version (before hearing it). "Could be the same lyrics – probably is. I wouldn't think he would use the same music."[5]

Track listing

All lyrics written by Ronnie James Dio.

All music is composed by Dio, Vinny Appice, Tracy Grijalva, and Jeff Pilson, except where noted.

Strange Highways track listing

No.	Title	Music	Length
1.	"Jesus, Mary & the Holy Ghost"	Dio, Grijalva, Pilson	4:13
2.	"Firehead"		4:06
3.	"Strange Highways"		6:54
4.	"Hollywood Black"	Dio, Grijalva, Appice	5:10
5.	"Evilution"		5:37
6.	"Pain"	Appice, Dio, Grijalva	4:14
7.	"One Foot in the Grave"		4:01
8.	"Give Her the Gun"	Dio, Grijalva, Pilson	5:58
9.	"Blood from a Stone"		4:14
10.	"Here's to You"		3:24
11.	"Bring Down the Rain"		5:45

Personnel

Dio

• Ronnie James Dio – vocals
• Tracy G – guitars
• Jeff Pilson – bass, keyboards
• Vinny Appice – drums[6]

Production

• Recorded at Rumbo Recorders, Los Angeles, California
• Produced, engineered and mixed by Mike Fraser
• Assistant engineered by Andy Udoff
• Mixed at Record Plant, Los Angeles, California
• Originally mastered by George Marino at Sterling Sound, New York City
• Cover illustration by Wil Rees
• Sigil design and cover artwork by Ed Holding for Mainartery

Charts

Chart performance for Strange Highways

Chart (1993)	Peak position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[7]	79
US Billboard 200[8]	142

References

1. Anderson, Jason. "Strange Highways - Dio". AllMusic. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
2. Popoff, Martin (August 1, 2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 121. ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9.
3. Sinclair, Tom (January 28, 1994). "Strange Highways Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 21, 2009. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
4. Metal Rules - Jeff Pilson interview
5. Southern Cross No.19, March 1997
6. Saulnier, Jason (March 24, 2012). "Vinny Appice Interview". Music Legends. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
7. "Offiziellecharts.de – Dio – Strange Highways" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
8. "Dio Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 February 2021.