Dream Child: Until Death Do We Meet Again (Frontiers)

No, it’s not the unexpected return of the French power metal band of the same name. This Dream Child is a new project from the “Frontiers factory” that features three former Dio musicians. Guitarist Craig Goldy, bassist Rudy Sarzo and drummer Simon Wright are joined by keyboardist Wayne Findlay (Michael Schenker Group) and the Argentinian answer to Dio, Diego Valdez (Iron Mask, ex-Helker). Dream Child’s debut album, titled Until Death Do We Meet Again, is produced by (surprise!) Alessandro Del Vecchio.

As you might expect, given the players invloved, and given Craig Goldy’s other Dio-ish project Resurrection Kings, Dream Child sounds a lot like Dio. Not in a “they sure are influenced by Dio” kind of way, but in a “if I didn’t know better, I’d swear this was a lost mid ’90s Dio album” kind of way. Diego Valdez’s vocal approach is eerily identical to the late Ronnie James Dio, and Goldy and company have written an album that’s almost interchangeable with Lock Up the Wolves or Killing the Dragon. That’s what makes Until Death Do We Meet Again so interesting, but at the same time it almost makes it unsettling. It’s no less appropriate than the growing number of Dio tribute acts out there, but it’s still weird hearing what may as well be a new Dio album.

Until Death Do We Meet Again’s highlights are the more Lock Up the Wolves-sounding tracks like “In a World So Cold,” “Light of the Dark” and “Playing With Fire,” and “Weird World” has a strong Dehumanizer vibe. The album could probably stand to lose a track or two (70 minutes is pushing things a bit), but overall it’s quite effective in its mission.

If you’re not burned out on the endless Dio tributes and are interested in the Dio alumni project that comes closest to the classic Dio sound, Dream Child is definitely that band. As pure Dio worship goes, it doesn’t get much closer to the mark than Until Death Do We Meet Again. The obvious downside is that it’s not very original, but they play this kind of melodic, dramatic heavy metal well enough that it’s easy to forgive.