Rainbow “Rising” (1976)

As a blossoming Deep Purple fan 'Rising' was my introduction to Ritchie Blackmore's post-Purple work and although I was initially ambivalent about the sound and Dio's voice I've since come to love this music which, has also helped me appreciate Dio's stint with Black Sabbath a lot more. After a debut album that fiddled with some of Ritchie Blackmore's ideas, 'Rising' sounds more like a band effort and everything about the sound has got heavier. Dio's lyrics took me a while to get used to but they sound tailor-made for this kind of dramatic heavy rock and his voice is so good it doesn't matter matter what is said. The first side of 'Rising' is made up of short, punchy heavy rock songs with "Do You Close Your Eyes" being the album's weakest track and a mood lightener before the album's two big statements, "Stargazer and "A Light In The Black". "Stargazer" is a huge undertaking that demands nothing but the best from the people involved. The heavy drone is sustained for eight and a half minutes and Dio's range is tested in trying to match the constant thunder of the music. "A Light In The Black" is my personal favorite moment of the album, proving that this line-up could rock as hard as anybody. Cozy Powell drives the song along, allowing Dio to swoop and fly vocally, and Tony Carey takes on Ritchie Blackmore in a furious solo battle that brings out the best from both. The album's a bit short and there isn't a huge amount of variation but 'Rising' contains six good tracks and at least two essentials. –Tom