Master of the Moon
Studio album by
Dio
ReleasedAugust 30, 2004
RecordedTotal Access Recording
(Redondo Beach, California)
GenreDoom metal, heavy metal
Length46:07
LabelSanctuary (North America)
SPV/Steamhammer (Europe)
Victor (Japan)
ProducerRonnie James Dio
Dio chronology
Killing the Dragon
(2002)		 Master of the Moon
(2004)		 Evil or Divine – Live in New York City
(2005)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Blabbermouth.net6.5/10[2]

Master of the Moon is the tenth and final studio album by American heavy metal band Dio. It was released on August 30, 2004 in Europe through SPV/Steamhammer[3] and on September 7, 2004 in the US through Sanctuary Records. It was produced by Ronnie James Dio.

Background

The album marks the return of guitarist Craig Goldy, who performed on Dio's Dream Evil (1987) and Magica (2000). It also features Jeff Pilson on bass, Simon Wright on drums and Scott Warren on keyboards.

"Death by Love" was cowritten by former Magica touring bassist Chuck Garric. There are no writing credits in the album's liner notes.

"There's a cynical aspect to some of the lyrics," Dio remarked. "And there's definitely a political tone, reflecting the dangers we face almost every day in modern life."[4]

On the tour for the album, Fireball Ministry and Anthrax opened for Dio. As usual, the band played songs from throughout the singer's career, including ones by Rainbow and Black Sabbath.

Owing to other commitments, Pilson was unable to tour the album. Rudy Sarzo took over on bass.

Reissue

In 2019, Master of the Moon was remastered and announced for reissue in 2020. The reissue's first disc is identical to the original North American release. Its second disc contains four live tracks recorded during the Master of the Moon tour, plus "The Prisoner of Paradise", originally included on the Japanese pressing of the album.[5]

Track listing

Bonus track "The Prisoner of Paradise" is on the Japanese pressing of the album. The song would later be featured on the compilation The Very Beast of Dio Vol. 2 and included on the 2020 reissue of the album.

All tracks are written by Ronnie James Dio and Craig Goldy except where noted

No.TitleMusicLength
1."One More for the Road" 3:18
2."Master of the Moon" 4:19
3."The End of the World" 4:39
4."Shivers" 4:15
5."The Man Who Would Be King" 4:58
6."The Eyes" 6:27
7."Living the Lie"Dio, Goldy, Simon Wright4:25
8."I Am" 5:00
9."Death by Love"Dio, Goldy, Chuck Garric, Wright4:21
10."In Dreams" 4:26
11."The Prisoner of Paradise" (Japanese edition bonus track) 4:01
2019 remaster disc 2[6]
No.TitleLength
1."Heaven and Hell [Live, Master of the Moon Tour 2004/2005]"10:21
2."Rainbow in the Dark [Live, Master of the Moon Tour 2004/2005]"5:22
3."Rock and Roll Children [Live, Master of the Moon Tour 2004/2005]"4:59
4."The Eyes [Live, Master of the Moon Tour 2004/2005]"6:48
5."The Prisoner of Paradise"4:00

Personnel

Dio
Production

Charts

Chart performance for Master of the Moon
Chart (2004) Peak
position
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[7] 16
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[8] 43
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[9] 259
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[10] 20
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[11] 35
Chart (2020) Peak
position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[8] 62
Scottish Albums (OCC)[12] 97
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[13] 28
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[14] 39
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[15] 13

References

  1. ↑ Monger, James. "Master of the Moon - Dio". AllMusic. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  2. ↑ Daley, Tony (September 4, 2004). "Master of the Moon - Dio". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  3. ↑ "DIO's 'Moon' Set To Rise A Week Later". Blabbermouth.net. August 18, 2004. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Studio report: Dio". Classic Rock. No. 67. June 2004. p. 16.
  5. ↑ "Dio's Final Albums to Be Expanded With Previously Unreleased Material". Rolling Stone. November 8, 2019. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  6. ↑ "DIO: Deluxe Newly Remastered Editions Of Four Albums From 1996-2004 To Be Made Available In February". Blabbermouth.net. November 8, 2019. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Dio: Master of the Moon" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  8. 1 2 "Offiziellecharts.de – Dio – Master of the Moon" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  9. ↑ ロニー・ジェームス・ディオのアルバム (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Dio – Master of the Moon". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Dio – Master of the Moon". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
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