Blackmore replaced everyone from the first album's lineup except vocalist Ronnie Dio with Jimmy Bain (bass), Tony Carey (keyboards), and Cozy Powell (drums). Dio shows what he's got with a stellar performance on "Do You Close Your Eyes". "Stargazer" is the band's "Kashmir", an epic eight-minute track that could stand as its signature song. "A Light in the Black" features the skin bashing of the late, great Mr. Powell.
Rising is a must-have for any fan of DIO, Blackmore, or classic metal. Five musicians came together for a one-shot moment that won't be duplicated. The album is magic.
Review
The material is uniformly strong, with "Starstruck" and "A Light in the Black" standing out in particular. Ronnie Dio turns in a great vocal on the stunningly direct (under three minutes!) "Do You Close Your Eyes." All six songs on the album are up there with anything the band has done, before or since. - All Music 4/5