DIO – Magica: Deluxe Edition – Niji
By Jeffrey Easton
Ronnie James Dio was proud of Magica and it was an amazing record that should have been a huge endeavor for him if it was not for the uneasiness for traditional metal in the U.S. He toured massively for it and dedicated a huge swath of his set to it to make the story come alive. I saw the tour twice and it was amazing to see it unfurl in the live setting. At the time of Ronnie’s passing, he was working on the rest of the Magica trilogy and because of that untimely passing; sadly, we will never hear the rest of it. With this deluxe edition of Magica, we are treated to one last insertion for the set as well as some live and bonus tracks that were exclusive beforehand. This being a double CD set, we have the original Magica CD, plus the bonus disc that is worth its weight in gold. Opening the second disc is the Magica story as told by Ronnie. Its chilling, knowing he is no longer with us and here you have him reciting this amazing tale. Along with that, you have Annica, the previously Japanese only track that shakes this album to the core and following that is Electra, the new track he was working on for the final sets at the time of his passing. Electra is a massive track that is worthy of the Magica throne and I can only froth at what would have become of the rest of the set. The rest of the bonus disc is filled with live tracks from the Magica tour that spell the power of this massive record in the live setting. I am glad I saw this album unfold on the live setting and will never forget the power it held over me.
By Jeffrey Easton
Ronnie James Dio was proud of Magica and it was an amazing record that should have been a huge endeavor for him if it was not for the uneasiness for traditional metal in the U.S. He toured massively for it and dedicated a huge swath of his set to it to make the story come alive. I saw the tour twice and it was amazing to see it unfurl in the live setting. At the time of Ronnie’s passing, he was working on the rest of the Magica trilogy and because of that untimely passing; sadly, we will never hear the rest of it. With this deluxe edition of Magica, we are treated to one last insertion for the set as well as some live and bonus tracks that were exclusive beforehand. This being a double CD set, we have the original Magica CD, plus the bonus disc that is worth its weight in gold. Opening the second disc is the Magica story as told by Ronnie. Its chilling, knowing he is no longer with us and here you have him reciting this amazing tale. Along with that, you have Annica, the previously Japanese only track that shakes this album to the core and following that is Electra, the new track he was working on for the final sets at the time of his passing. Electra is a massive track that is worthy of the Magica throne and I can only froth at what would have become of the rest of the set. The rest of the bonus disc is filled with live tracks from the Magica tour that spell the power of this massive record in the live setting. I am glad I saw this album unfold on the live setting and will never forget the power it held over me.