10 Underrated Hard Rock Albums Of The 1980s

10. Dio - Holy Diver

After success in Black Sabbath and Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, Ronnie James Dio formed his own band, Dio, and released his first album, Holy Diver, in 1983. While largely popular among rock and metal fans today, the album was well received critically, but didn't sell as well as some of Dio's earlier efforts.

And it's a shame, because the album itself is considered a masterpiece by today's rock fandom. 'Stand Up And Shout' is a classic anthem, while the title track, along with 'Don't Talk To Strangers' and 'Rainbow In The Dark' are all up there as Dio classics. His unique vocal range is used to produce some beautiful lyrics to raise questions about deceit and hypocrisy in romance and religion against some strong melodic tunes.

The genre doesn't really get more poetic than this.