Dio’s ‘Holy Diver’ Named Best Debut Metal Album of All Time in 2017 Metal Madness Tournament
The 2017 Metal Madness tournament has come to an end as we sought to crown the Best Debut Metal Album of All Time! After five blistering rounds of competition, Dio's Holy Diver has emerged as the champion thanks to the dedicated Ronnie James Dio fanbase!
The competition began with 32 entrants divided into four divisions: Headbanger Region, Mosh Pit Region, Stage Dive Region and Devil Horn Region. The path to victory is never a guarantee, even for immortal albums like Holy Diver.
Dio arguably faced the highest level of competition, routinely fending off debut albums from some of metal's most esteemed acts. In Round 1, Holy Diver defeated Motorhead's self-titled debut, moving on to face the man the singer replaced in Black Sabbath: Ozzy Osbourne. Taking down Blizzard of Ozz, Holy Diver's next conquest came against Metallica's thrash-spawning Kill 'Em All. Then it was ex-Metallica axeman Dave Mustaine with Megadeth's Killing Is My Business...And Business Is Good in the Semifinals and finally, the Championship Round.
The final matchup saw Iron Maiden's eponymous debut square off against Holy Diver and it was the Dio record that came out on top with just under 57 percent of the votes!
Congratulations to Dio's Holy Diver on being named the Best Debut Metal Album of All Time and a huge thank you from all of us at Loudwire to the fans who took the time to vote in this year's Metal Madness tournament! And now, it's time to bask in the mythical and the magical with the music video for "Holy Diver" below. Long live Ronnie James Dio!
Dio, "Holy Diver"