There's something about a post-millennium album cover that features a giant blue-horned minion of Satan in pre-pounce with an illuminated crystal ball in its leathery hand that simply warms the soul, and the fact that it adorns a record called Master of the Moon can mean only one thing: Dio. Unlike many in the aging metal community, Ronnie James Dio still possesses the same powerful voice that fueled the genre through its late-'70s and '80s heydays, and the reigning dark prince of Elfdom and two-time Black Sabbath frontman is still capable of writing a killer song or two. MOTM resembles earlier works like Last in Line and Sacred Heart in its ability to buffer those one or two great tracks with seven or eight forgettable ones. Luckily, it's the first one out of the gate, "One More for the Road," that packs the biggest wallop. Similar in attack to classics like "We Rock" and "Stand Up and Shout," it sets a breakneck pace for a record that gives up just minutes after the firing of the start gun. What follows is a series of midtempo rockers outfitted with RJD's generic fantasy lyrics about dreams, evil, and being "stronger than the wind," which flirt with creative arrangements and forward-thinking key changes, only to concede to the dark lord of banality. There are moments that inspire, like the snaky Brian May-like riff that weaves through the title track, and the surprisingly political, melodic, and complex "The Man Who Would Be King" -- in true RJD fashion he references the Middle Eastern community as "the people of the sand" -- is among his most satisfying since 1987's "All the Fools Sailed Away," but Dio's on autopilot for the record's majority, resulting in a mediocre romp through the ruins of a land and a time that hath been long forgotten.

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  Dio ?– Master Of The Moon

  Label: Steamhammer ?– 060-0023487 LP, SPV GmbH ?– SPV 999-69911 Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo 
  Country: Germany Released: 30 Aug 2004 Genre: Rock Style: Heavy Metal

  Tracklist

  A1 One More For The Road 3:18 A2 Master Of The Moon 4:19 A3 The End Of The World 4:39 A4 Shivers 4:15 A5 The Man Who Would Be King 4:58 B1 The Eyes 6:27 B2 Living The Lie 4:25 B3 I Am 5:00 B4 Death By Love 4:21 B5 In Dreams 4:26

  Companies, etc.

  • Distributed By – Cargo Records

  Notes

  (P) & (C) 2004 Steamhammer, a division of SPV GmbH
  Distibuted by Cargo. Made in Germany
  Label Code: 09002

  Barcode and Other Identifiers

  • Barcode: 693723699110
  • Rights Society: GEMA
  • Matrix / Runout: B412240-01 A1 HL
  • Matrix / Runout: B412240-01 B1 HL
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I offer to buy vinyl records from his own collection, which collected 35 years. Plans to sell about 2,000 of the original, rare and interesting records. Vinyl before selling tapped. Thank you for your interest . Sincerely . Oleg