Angry Machines

Angry Machines

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
Japanese Release, featuring an Exclusive Bonus Track: God Hates Heavy Metal --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Tracks:

Insitutional Man
Don't Tell The Kids
Black
Hunter Of The Heart
Stay Out Of My Mind
Big Sister
Double Monday
Golden Rules
Dying In America
This Is Your Life

Album Description

Originally released on Mayhem in 1996, and then reissued by Spitfire in 2000, Angry Machines was Dio's first effort away from Warner/Reprise, and it does find Ronnie James Dio looking for subtle ways to push into new territory. The lyrics mostly avoid Dio's familiar medieval-fantasy D&D obsessions, instead directing their attention to more real-world concerns (albeit with the same sense of drama). Similarly, there aren't many of the gothic neo-classicisms present on the band's best-known output; and while there are a few progressive sections, Angry Machines is more of a straightforward metal record, full of pounding rhythms and guitars along with plenty of wailing by Ronnie James Dio.

Customer Reviews:

Why So Angry? Tracy G........2006-10-09

Angry Machines is Dio's 2nd attempt to break his trusted dragons n such routine. It's different than any other Dio album to date. There are few if any references to dragons or Hell on this album. The lyrics include references to real world things like divorce, greed, government and AIDS. That's a strange thing for Dio since he's relied heavily on the usual medieval metaphors. Dio's voice is exceptionally strong and his phrasing is more imaginative than usual. Along with different lyrics, this may all be due to one thing: Tracy Grijalva.

This album features Tracy Grijalva on guitar. Tracy G. seems to opt for a more distorted and un-melodic sound. Whereas Craig Goldy seems to prefer a more traditional Sabbath like guitar sound, Tracy's playing seems deliberately un-catchy at points. Many of his riffs seem inverted or played backwards. He's making a very obvious effort to avoid 80's metal riffs and it just works here. The band seems harder, tighter and more active having to keep up with Tracy and Jeff Pilson (Dokken) on bass. This is an Angry album. The pace is much faster than usual and there's even a couple of "singles" here. I must admit that the album took a little getting used to, but now it's one of my favorite Dio albums. Dio's next cd, Inferno: Last In Live also features Tracy G. and since he's long gone from the band, I'm happy I own it. That's another story though...

Don't Be Scared Because Its Angry and Heavy.......2006-06-04

For all the folks that call themselves Dio fans: The three best Ronnie James Dio albums ever are 1) Angry Machines 2) Strange Highways and 3) Sabbath's Dehumanizer. After listening to Tracy G's cutting edge, sinister guitar work on Angry Machines and Strange Highways it makes me ill to hear the return to rainbows and wizards that came again later. End of story; the above are by far his most angriest and hardest offerings, and yes I have listened to every RJD/Sabbath album a million times.

Angry Machines ~ Dio.......2005-12-19

When I heard this album for the first time, I didn't thought so bad about it. I see all these bad reviews here saying this is even worser then Strange highways, but I didn't thought so then. But when I listened to it more, the album started to annoy me. Some songs are really annoying. These songs are Golden Rules, Dying In America and Big Sister. These songs got into my head, and it took a long time getting them out. The first 4 songs are pretty good. After those 4 good song you get Stay out of My Mind. I don't like the song because of the irritating long keyboard play. Other good songs are Double Monday and This is Your Life. The rest is very bad. And very irritating and annoying too! I hope Dio will never make an album like this again. This is Dio's weakest album, even weaker then Strange highways. I only recommend this to you if you are a diehard Dio fan. If you're new with Dio, you should begin with Holy Diver! I hope this review was helpful to you...

DIO LP #8 ANGRY MACHINES.......2005-11-25

FROM HOLY DIVER- THE LAST IN LINE- TO SACRED HEART- AND THE MINI LP INTERMISSION. MOVING RIGHT ALONG WITH DREAM EVIL WHICH WAS THE LAST RECORDING FOR THE LPS IN 1987. CONTINUING ON A WITH A NEW DECADE BEGINNING AND A NEW FORMAT. CD. THE 1990 RELEASE OF LOCK UP THE WOLVES. THE RECORDINGS CONTINUE WITH THE 1994 RELEASE OF STRANGE HIGHWAYS. TOURING UP THE STATES WITH IS NEXT RECORDING OF ANGRY MACHINES. PERSONLY IN MY OPINION THE SONG BLACK IS A VERY COOL TUNE AND IT MAKES A STATMENT. LIKE RJD SAID. I HAVE WRITTEN SOME PRETTY BAD STUFF. BUT YOU KNOW, I ALWAYS THOUGHT I WROTE THAT BAD STUFF REALLY REALLY WELL. AND HE IS RIGHT. HE IS RONNIE JAMES DIO. SO MY RATING IS 5 STARS FOR THIS ALBUM. KEEP ON ROCKING. RONNIE.

Good but Dio's lowpint.......2005-09-15

Ronnie actually goes into thrash metal with a lot of these songs! Imagine that an operatic sounding singer singing thrash type material!

1.Institutional Man- 10/10 Excellent opener here. Very very evil sounding guitar work with Dio's vocals sounding so sinister put togethor with the great drumming of Vinny Appice and brilliant bass work of Jeff Pilson. The band is very tight. Tracy G throws in a very evil sounding solo too that sounds like something a crazy person is thinking up!

2.Don't Tell The Kids- 10/10 A great thrash track here. Tracy G has a great riff and the rapid fire rythym section of Appice and Pilson combined with Dio's great vocals make this a great track. A very good solo by Tracy G here. Typical thrash type solo and gasp some shredding from Tracy G!

3.Black- 4/10 Probably the worst Dio track ever I don't get this one! The riff is awful and the whole song is a mess the only good thing is Ronnie James Dio singing which gives it the 4 out of the 10 on it's own.

4.Hunter Of The Heart- 8/10 A good track but not a classic. Not a filler either but not one that deserves to be in the set list or a best of collection.

5.Stay Out Of My Mind- 6/10 A slow track that doesn't do anything and when a track is 7:11 and doesn't do anything than it's a filler. Of course vocals and good lyrics but not a memorable track

6.Big Sister- 6/10 Another slow filler that never does anything. Good vocals but thats it

7.Double Monday- 10/10 A great rocking track! Again very thrashy but Dio's vocals are great on this and the lyrics are good aswell and a good soft section aswell which shows signs of classic Dio. Not too long either at just 2:55 but this song is better like that.

8.Golden Rules- 8.5/10 A great sinister intro leading into a classic Dio roar. More poetic lyrics by Dio aswell and a great rocking arrangement here too. And it mentions the album name here too. Some parts are great and some parts are just average.

9.Dying In America- 9/10 Brilliant haunting intro and a great thrashy riff by Tracy. Great lyrics by Dio and great vocals too. Very dark as is most of the album.

10.This Is Your Life- 10/10 A beautiful ballad here written by Jeff Pilson. This is the first real ballad Dio's done since 1978! Great vocals and lyrics here.

The band is

Ronnie James Dio- Vocals
Tracy G- Guitar
Vinny Appice- Drums
Jeff Pilson- Bass

Good album overall but Dio's worst album so don't start with this album!

Average customer rating:

Angry Machines (1996) / ELF (1972)

Manufacturer: CD Maximum
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000HCMUYU

Product Description

2 albums on 1CD-18trx total-DIO "ANGRY MACHINES"-10trx & ELF "ELF"-8trx.Rare official release made exclusively for Russia,in English. "ANGRY MACHINES": 1. Insitutional Man. 2. Don't Tell The Kids. 3. Black. 4. Hunter Of The Heart. 5. Stay Out Of My Mind. 6. Big Sister. 7. Double Monday. 8. Golden Rules. 9. Dying In America. 10. This Is Your Life. "ELF": 1. Hoochie Koochie Lady. 2. First Avenue. 3. Never More. 4. I'm Coming Back For You. 5. Sit Down Honey. 6. Dixie Lee Junction. 7. Love Me Like A Woman. 8. Gambler, Gambler.

Average customer rating:

Angry Machines

ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Hard Rock & Metal | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0006VFDDW
Release Date: 2007-05-29

Album Description

Out of print in the U.S.! Former Rainbow/Black Sabbath vocalist's 1996 outing, his first album since parting ways with Warner Brothers after a series of successful albums. 10 tracks including 'This Is Your Life' and 'Institutional Man'. Sum.

Average customer rating:

Angry Machines

ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Hard Rock & Metal | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000267ZCS
Release Date: 2007-05-29

Average customer rating:

Dio Tries A Different Direction
Not Up To Par
Dio Starting To Get His Sight Back
Very underrated
Complete Letdown

Angry Machines
Dio
Manufacturer: Poly
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Hard Rock & Metal | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Lock up the Wolves
Sacred Heart
Strange Highways
Dream Evil
Magica

ASIN: B000006Y89
Release Date: 1996-10-25

Album Details

Japanese Release, featuring an Exclusive Bonus Track: God Hates Heavy Metal

Customer Reviews:

Dio Tries A Different Direction.......2007-01-16

Dio leaves (or is dropped) from his major label home and moves to Spitfire records for this release. He also tries to branch out into a different territory than his fans were used to hearing. Gone are the sword and fantasy lyrics that Dio is mostly known for. In their place are songs about real world issues and images. Does it work? Well....to an extent. The album is very heavy with bottom end guitar provided by Greg Goldy and the rhythm section of Appice and Jeff Pilson. This album actually reminds me somewhat of Black Sabbath's "Dehumizer" album which I was personally disappointed with. Overall I find this album to be pretty average although there are a few standout tracks. "Stay Out Of My Mind" clocks in at over 7 minutes with an almost proggy sounding middle section. "Dying In America" is another cool track. The album closer is a ballad with just piano as accompaniment. This is defiantly different from anything Dio has done before, but for me it works and I like the song. Other than that I don't find a lot here that blows me away. This is a decent album for the Dio completest, but far from essential in my opinion.

Not Up To Par.......2006-09-23

Every once in a while even the best golfer slices one into the woods and looks like a amateur. Luckily, this man has earned a mulligan or two, or three from his previous work. While Strange Highways started this direction toward heavier, slower chugging but did so with quality songs, conviction and still enough melody to carry the day. Angry Machines expands upon the ideas broached on Strange Highways but falls short in almost every way imaginable. I'ts an interesting album for sure but one that simply does not stack up with other Dio works.

Of course, this man is talented enough that even on his worst day a few sparks of inspiration appear. Black, Hunter Of The Heart and Double Monday are all pretty decent songs and even a few others can be listened to but Stay Out Of My Mind, Golden Rules and This Is Your Life can pretty much be skipped with regularity.

Dio Starting To Get His Sight Back.......2005-12-01

Sticking with Tracy G is Dio's biggest setback on this album. Without a doubt, Dio's worst guitar player, Tracy G should be shot or forced to take a few million lessons. His riffs are all slightly out of tune which is way f*cking annoying, that is why this album is so unmemorable, because there are no hooks. Ronnie Dio moves away from his Swords & Sorcery bread and butter and tries to tackle real-world issues with these songs, but the key elements are still missing. This album sounds very ponderous and heavy, like being beaten with a pillowcase filled with door-knobs. Not very melodic, soundz like Dio after a bad drunk. Once Tracy G is outta the way, Dio will start to pick up the pieces of his career and see the light once again....and we can't wait. The Japanese version does contain the hidden gem "God Hates Heavy Metal" which is worth hearing after all this dreary bile.

Very underrated.......2005-06-25

People were complaining about Killing the Dragon and Master of the Moon being too repetitive--do you know why? Because when Dio tries to do something new and different, like this album, the fans hate it! I saw a review down there somewhere, a very short one: "PIANOS??? WTF THIS ISN'T DIO!" or something along those lines. But the more open-minded fans out there will probably enjoy this. Of course it's really not anything like Holy Diver etc, but you have to admit this is some pretty intelligent music! ANGRY MACHINES sees Dio experimenting a bit with odd time signatures (Double Monday or Dying in America for example) and new sounds. Tracy G's guitar style is very unique, I love how he uses those strange intervals (b5's mostly, for musicians who might be reading,) to create a really evil-sounding riff, with the occasional shred thrown in. And lyrically the album is actually better than the "classics," I'd say. Rather than demons and wizards etc, Angry Machines mostly deals with the problems of society today. The lyrics to "Dying in America" are probably some of the best I've heard! And as far as the music itself, I don't know why so many people dislike this album. The songs are catchy and heavier than before as well. Personal favorites include Dying in America, Hunter of the Heart (live version is awesome,) and Double Monday (I love the interlude!) Hard-rocking and well thought-out songs, both musically and lyrically. Most importantly, it's different from the other albums! And if you're a Dio fan, isn't that worth buying it for already?

Complete Letdown.......2003-03-27

I loved Dehumanizer and after Ozzy rejoined I fell out of love with Black Sabbath. I took a chance on Dio's Strange Highways after reading an Amazon review that compared it to Dehumaizer. While not as amazing as that album, Strange Highways was a solid, heavy album. I read an Amazon review of Angry Machines that called even heavier and darker. I took a chance and I was totally let down. This album is a waste. No interesting riffs ( I can't believe this is the same guitarist that played on Strange Highways!) and empty lyrics. Save your money or pick up Dehumanizer if you haven't already.