* * * * <i> Great Balls of Fire</i> * * * <i> Good Vibrations</i> * * <i> Maybe Baby</i> * <i> Running on Empty : </i> : DIO’S ‘DREAM’ DELIVERS

* * 1/2 “DREAM EVIL,” Dio. Warner Bros. With its emphasis on lumbering rhythms and more tailored song structures, the music of Dio can seem almost passe when juxtaposed with the rawer, angrier sounds coming from today’s new breed of speed-metalists. But surprisingly, “Dream Evil” manages to serve up a fairly hot-blooded slice of arena designed Gothic-metal. Highlighted by the agile if somewhat conventional fret fireworks of guitarist Craig Goldie and the full-bodied, Pavarotti-of-metal pipes of leader Ronnie James Dio, this album represents an improvement over Dio’s last few studio efforts. The Los Angeles-based quintet still sometimes plays in a gratingly grandiose manner, but the material is more focused and hard-hitting this time around.