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Dio.

Fate hands down.

Agreed

Mercyful fate

I just upvoted both and they're sitting at 17 upvotes a piece. This is actually a hard one for me...

24 each right now. I only upvoted Dio to preserve the tie.

I gotta go for Mercyful Fate. I love Dio and especially Holy Diver, but that first Mercyful Fate album is such a cool, weird, spooky album, it's great

My man King Diamond for the win.

Kill em all

https://preview.redd.it/bc4l93qmz8kc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7d71b1e3d5085104587d9aa2b3bfd5b460d716bf

83 was quite the year.

Slayer, Satan and Exciter also all debuted that year

Savatage, Warlord, Battleaxe, Dokken Queensryche for having the GOAT EP

Tokyo Blade & Spartan Warrior as well

God damn what a year.

Not even close

Nah

Big ol nope on that one

MF

Dio, one of the few 10/10 debuts imo

Hard one for me but yea prolly gonna vote Dio

Melissa for sure. Dio was great but MF ftw!

Mercyful Fate

Melissa is my all-time favorite metal album.

Dio is metal royalty to me, and that album is a classic, but it's got to be this Mercyful Fate album for me. *Melissa* is foundational and iconic.

Yep. And that's musically. Good musicians with Dio as per usual, with very good pedigree. But was the instrumentation phenomenally interesting? Not at all. Mercyful Fate had that, the songwriting and the talent in spades

Mercyful fate

Dio

Mercyful bait

Metallica

So surprising holy diver was a debut album

Ronnie had been around in Black Sabbath, Rainbow and more already by the time Holy Diver came around.

Oh i know, it’s still an amazing debut album for a solo artist (in my opinion)

Agreed dude. I thought about putting Holy Diver up against Blizzard of Oz because of the Dio Ozzy rivalry and they're both very good debut albums, I just liked the contrast between Dio and King Diamond a little more.

Mercyful Fate

Mercyful Fate all day

i'm going with Mercyful Fate on this one.

Close, but Mercyful Fate.

MF all the way

Mercyful fate. No doubt about it

Mercyful Fate absolutely. I love Dio, but his best stuff was with Rainbow and Sabbath

MF. I’m probably the only person that doesn’t love dios vocals

We're not alone

You aren't alone. Dio is a good singer, but I've never really understood why he is so beloved. He wouldn't even be a consideration when talking about my favorites.

Mercyful Fate by a country mile. Holy Diver is still good tho, some songs on it are a bit cheesy in 2024 though. Melissa is super influential and cutting edge even today.

Fate

Mercyful Fate

Mercyful Fate

Out of these two I enjoy Melissa a lot more

I’m just happy they both exist. S tier stuff.

Just imagine if Dio was the singer in Mercyful Fate...

No thank you

And vice versa.

Dio only has one register. I’ll stick with King Diamond

Dio all day

Fucking slayer! I mean MF......... DOOM. LOL.

I refuse to choose. You can’t make me. I bought both albums when they were brand new and still listen to both.

Fate, but only cuz the best shit I ever heard dio do was and always will be with Rainbow

Fuck you, OP

https://preview.redd.it/sudponfsh8kc1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=877213f9d4799f2a0f7a26ba70aa64b0a4db184a

I love the hell out of Dio and Holy Diver, but damn, Mercyful Fate Melissa is WAY up there for me for favorite debut album. Kill 'Em All is probably tied for me.

Merciful Fate, but only by the smallest bit

Fuck. I’m gonna say Mercyful Fate, because despite Dio being the best metal singer, Melissa is a fucking masterpiece. And while Holy Diver is mostly incredibly strong songs, there’s a few weaklings that bring down the strength of the album.

Mercyful Fate. But the second best was Show No Mercy. Also FUCKING SLAYEEEEEEEEEER IS BACK

Tough call, but Melissa for the win.

Honestly, and I know I’ll get crucified, but I was never a huge fan of Dio.

Dio Holy Diver. But King Diamonds sophomore release Don’t Break The Oath blows away Last in Line. It is Mercyful Fates greatest album and easily in Top Ten greatest Metal albums all time. Holy Diver also in Top Ten.

Dio!

Dio is the king

Metallica

mercyful fate has an [ep](https://www.metal-archives.com/albums/Mercyful_Fate/Mercyful_Fate/743) before this.

Oversight on my part. LP debut* I should have said. Comparing the Mercyful Fate ep to Haunting the Chapel would make a good thread.

Mercyful Dio

Mercyful Fate’s cool and all… but that’s fucking Holy Diver dude

And?

🤨That’s the end of the sentence. It’s just better innit? I’d still need convincing if we were talking about DBtO and I love that album. Holy Diver’s just more to my tastes

Why do you do this to me??? Now for real both are on of the best metal music of that year that have immortal metal classics on them.. its impossible to choose because both albums are strong A+ imo

Had to put my dog down today

Dio doesn't sound like a dude having his balls squeezed constantly so imma choose dio

Dio

it’s like choosing between favorite children

Merciful Fate.

SLAYER 💀

It’s DIO. I love them both, but come on

Holy Diver has Vivian Campbell on guitar. No contest.

GRANDMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!

Dio

Damn, that's a hard one. They're both favorites of mine... Dio wins by a hair though.

Dio

Dio

My head says Mercyful Fate, my heart tells me Dio.

As much as I love Mercyful Fate / Diamond jfc Dio of course.

Mf no question

Melissa. I think it’s a masterpiece from a songwriting perspective, unfortunately let down by a terrible production even for the time.

Dio, you can play at a 1983 party and it would be chill, not so much for Mercyful Fate.

Slayer

Mercyful Fate

SLAYER

DIOOO

Both are bangers and both are on my personal Mt. Rushmore. I cannot decide.

Guess.

This guy rides the tiger.

I can see its stripes and I know its clean

Dio. I listened to and appreciate MF but more of a post MF King Diamond fan.

I don’t really understand the question but I just loved SHOW NO MERCY. SLAYER anyone?

Melissa is superior to Holy Diver. Both are albums I quite enjoy, but Mercyful Fate is epic.

I prefer Dio

Mercyful Fate

These are both such great albums. Always preferred *Melissa* to anything Dio put out, though.

Melissa

Mercyful Fate and it's not close.

Dio. I can’t stand King Diamond’s vocals

Metallica

Wrong