As part of Amazon’s monthly $5 MP3 album deal for August 2012, Dio‘s Holy Diver is on sale for only $5. If you would like a physical copy of Holy Diver, the CD is available for only $6.86.

Released nearly 30 years ago, it’s still difficult to conceive that Holy Diver was Dio’s solo debut because the sound is so tight, so accomplished, and so thoroughly the essence of 80’s metal, that it felt like it had always been there – an instant classic. This could be attributed to the band’s only consistent member, frontman Ronnie James Dio, who first honed his metal chops in Black Sabbath, Rainbow, and Elf. The hard-driving sounds and motivating message of fighting the darkness in our souls delivered in such Holy Diver fan favorites as “Stand Up and Shout,” “Rainbow in the Dark,” and, of course, the title song, “Holy Diver,” are as timely in this polarizing world of today as they were back then, when all we feared was not having enough dough for both a tour book and a t-shirt. Download the MP3 of Holy Diver today and raise a fist in solidarity along with the man who brought so many of us together in the spirit of friendship and common ground.

Browse all 1,000 albums on sale this month for only $5 each, as well as several albums on sale this week for only $2.99 each.

Today is the celebration of the birthday of the late Ronnie James Dio, the heavy metal and hard rock singer and songwriter who carved his own niche in those aforementioned genres to become a figure as beloved as Ozzy Osbourne (Black Sabbath) or Rob Halford (Judas Priest). But in many ways, Dio’s sound, fan base, versatility, flawless vocals, which metaphorically could move mountains with its rich high and low registers, makes him stand alone as arguably the greatest heavy metal front man of all time.

He was born Ronald James Padavona on July 10th, 1942 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire to Italian parents. Music ran through his veins early on in his life, learning brass instruments first such as the trumpet and French horn.

Amazon currently has 100 MP3 Albums For $5 Each for the month of December 2011, so today’s the last day to grab the items in this sale. There’s plenty of great music from artists like Nine Inch Nails, Dio, Beck, Bruce Springsteen, and more, as well as soundtracks for Tron: Legacy and Book Of Mormon.

Below is a sample of some of the albums in this $5 sale, so grab it now before it’s over at 11:59pm PST tonight!

– Green Day – Insomniac
– Daft Punk – Tron: Legacy Reconfigured
– The Offspring – Greatest Hits
– The Book Of Mormon – Original Broadway Cast Recording
– Flight of the Conchords – I Told You I Was Freaky
– Bruce Springsteen – Greatest Hits
– Nine Inch Nails – The Downward Spiral
– Beck – Odelay
– Dio – Holy Diver
– Korn – Korn III: Remember Who You Are

If someone wanted to know what heavy metal music is, you could do a lot worse than hand them a copy of Dio‘s finest work, Holy Diver.

Amazon is currently offering you the chance to download Holy Diver for $5 as part of their December 100 MP3 Deals for $5.

“Stand Up And Shout,” “Holy Diver,” and “Rainbow In The Dark” are among the greatest metal tunes ever written with some huge guitar riffs. This is one of the greatest metal albums of all time.

As always this offer expires at the end of the month so download before December 31, 2011 11:59 PST. If you would prefer a physical copy the CD version is available for $7.99.

Today commemorates the first anniversary since the death of metal legend Ronnie James Dio.

Diminutive in stature, mighty in voice, Dio was infectiously passionate about his music and his fans. Born Ronald James Padovano in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in 1942 he spent the late-’50s and ’60s playing in a number of touring bands, changing his name to Dio in 1961. He worked with some of the very best metal musicians and was constantly in demand.

It was in the early ’70s and his work with the band Elf that bought his special voice to the attention of ex-Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore when he was setting up a new band. Rainbow was Blackmore’s project, but his lead singer and co-writer quickly became the talking point. Together they released some great albums, including the stunning Rising and Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll.