Lock Up the Wolves is the fifth studio album by Ronnie James Dio's heavy metal band Dio, released on May 15, 1990 through Reprise Records in North America and Vertigo Records internationally. It arrived with an almost entirely rebuilt lineup: guitarist Rowan Robertson — a 17-year-old prodigy who Dio himself described as a "wunderkind" — joined alongside returning drummer Simon Wright (formerly of AC/DC), bassist Teddy Cook, and keyboardist Jens Johansson, with only Dio himself remaining from the previous album's core lineup. The infusion of fresh blood gave the songwriting a noticeable burst of energy, and Robertson in particular — for whom this would be his only album with the band — left a lasting impression, with his lead guitar work on tracks like "Walk on Water" described by Apple Music as soaring and spiraling "like a trapeze artist." Despite the creative vitality of the sessions, the album marked a commercial downturn for the band: it reached number 8 in the UK and number 43 in the US, but sold fewer copies than its predecessor Sacred Heart, and the subsequent tour saw dwindling attendance as the early-1990s shift away from traditional heavy metal began to take hold.Musically, the album is widely regarded by fans as an underrated and somewhat transitional entry in the Dio catalogue — darker, doomier, and more proto-nineties in character than earlier releases, with a heavier mood that several commentators have described as ahead of its time. The opener "Wild One" is frequently cited as among the most thrilling tracks in the band's catalogue, pairing Dio's snarling vocal delivery with infernal boogie riffs and Wright's thunderous drumming. "Born on the Sun" provides the album's most grandiose power-metal anthem, while the brooding "Between Two Hearts," the menacing title track, "Evil on Queen Street," and "My Eyes" represent the record's darker, more progressive dimension. The album's sole charting single was "Hey Angel," accompanied by a music video, though "Wild One" also received a clip. After the Lock Up the Wolves tour concluded, Dio shelved the band temporarily to rejoin Black Sabbath for the Dehumanizer sessions, marking the end of this particular chapter of the band's history.
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