On July 2, 1984, DIO released their second studio album, The Last in Line, the record that confirmed Ronnie James Dio as heavy metal's reigning voice after his departures from RAINBOW and BLACK SABBATH. Recorded at Caribou Ranch in Colorado, it kept the Holy Diver core of guitarist Vivian Campbell, bassist Jimmy Bain and drummer Vinny Appice, while adding keyboardist Claude Schnell as a full band member for the first time. The title track, with its slow-building intro and soaring chorus, became a concert staple alongside the galloping single We Rock. The album reached number four in the United Kingdom and number twenty-three in the United States, earning gold within months and platinum by 1987. Majestic, melodic and fiercely sung, it proved Holy Diver was no fluke and cemented the classic DIO sound for a generation.
