 |
|
May 17, 2012 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
DIO - Master Of The Moon
Sanctuary (2004) |
8.5/10 |
|
|
|
|
|
01. One More For The Road
02. Master Of The Moon
03. The End Of The World
04. Shivers
05. The Man Who Would Be King
06. The Eyes
07. Living The Lie
08. I Am
09. Death By Love
10. In Dreams
|
|
DIO means God in Italian. Known to us older metalheads as the "other" metal god, Ronnie James Dio continues to put out quality metal releases for a fifth decade - impressive! Since the late '60s, Dio has sung with ELF, RAINBOW, BLACK SABBATH, and of course his self-named band, and his voice has gained strength with each stop along the way. Recent praise by actor/musician Jack Black has assisted in making DIO’s name recognizable to today's youth - those who otherwise wouldn't know RJD from JFK.
2004 marked the release of his tenth solo release under the DIO moniker (excluding live releases) in just over twenty years. This CD didn't seem overly exciting the first time through, but second and subsequent listens saw the album grow on me heavily...so much that it appears in my Top 25 list for the year. It doesn't (yet) stand alongside his early '80s classic releases "Holy Diver" or "The Last In Line", but it is a much better album than anything released in the 90s. "Master Of The Moon" is overall, a step in the right direction, and a strong successor to both "Magica" and "Killing The Dragon".
At 54, Ronnie James Dio still has an incredible voice. His vocal range is obviously not as vast as it was in his prime, but he recognizes this and stays within his current abilities rather than falling short on those upper and lower notes. Other '80s metal vocalists including Tate, Dickinson, and Halford, have stood the test of time, but to me, Dio stands above all of them. Without a doubt, his voice deserves its own chapter in the book of metal history.
Joining DIO on "Master Of The Moon" is drummer Simon Wright, bassist Jeff Pilson, keyboardist Scott Warren, and former guitarist Craig Goldy (though Goldy has never truly filled Vivian Campbell's shoes as far as I'm concerned). For the most part, the solos throughout are mediocre with the exception of those in 'Shivers' and 'Living The Lie', which are a bit better and actually seem to have some effort/thought put into them. The rest simply seem uninspired and unemotional.
Not to surprise anybody, the songs are in the typical DIO vein - songs about magic, fantasy etc. However, DIO have also taken a few different lyrical directions here, including a political poke at President Bush and his ways, in a fairly strong, anthemic fashion with 'The Man Who Would Be King'. A sample of the lyrics: "We laugh at your religion, you people of the sand, We have no superstition, you can read it in our hands" and "We never got an answer, the question slipped my mind, I've been so busy killing, I haven't found the time". Wow! Now that's to the point isn't it?! There is a mixture of more upbeat songs including opener 'One More For The Road', 'Living The Lie', and 'Death By Love', as well as slower, almost doomy songs like 'The Eyes'. 'The Eyes' is an album highlight with its voicebox sounds (which I've been a sucker for since hearing the SCORPIONS' 'The Zoo' so long ago). Other outstanding tracks include 'I Am' and the bluesy rocker, 'The End Of The World'.
It's been a few months since its release, and "Master Of The Moon" is still getting regular rotation in my CD player. For the sake of the community and in a show of good humanity, support this (nearly) senior citizen and give this latest DIO release a spin for yourself. I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised at the quality of metal a man in his mid-50s is still capable of creating.
|
|
|
|
