Master of the Moon


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

Members

Master of the Moon marks the return of guitarist Craig Goldy, who also performed on Dio's Dream Evil and Magica. It also features Jeff Pilson on bass, Simon Wright on drums and Scott Warren on keyboards.

Song info

One song, "Death by Love", was partly written by former Magica touring bassist Chuck Garric.
There are no writing credits provided in the album's liner notes.

Tour

On the supporting tour for this album Dio went on the road with Fireball Ministry and Anthrax opening. As usual, he reached into his catalogue and played songs from various stages of his career, including Rainbow and Black Sabbath songs.
Due to other commitments, Pilson was unable to tour the album and Rudy Sarzo took over the bass guitar duties.

Reissue

In 2019, Master of the Moon was remastered and announced for reissue in 2020. The first disc is identical to the original North American release. The reissue includes a second disc containing four live tracks recorded during the Master of the Moon tour as well as "The Prisoner of Paradise" track originally included on the Japanese pressing of the album.

Track listing

The 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 with the 2020 reissue of the album.

Personnel

;Dio
;Production