Following the success of Dio's debut, Ronnie James Dio stuck with its winning formula for the band's second studio effort, The Last In Line (1984). The album is full of heavy and hard rocking songs that draw upon the fantasy lyrics for which the band is known, lots of guitar solos and of course, Ronnie James Dio's distinctive vocals. The line up remains the same as that of Holy Diver with Dio, Vivian Campbell, Jimmy Bain, and Vinny Appice plus the addition of keyboard player Claude Schnell.
The record kicks off with the classic metal opener "We Rock," which is fast, furious and indeed rocks while the title cut may be the highlight of the whole album. Additional standouts come in the form of the super-speedy "I Speed At Night," the melodic "Mystery" and the epic "Egypt."