Ronnie James Dio needs no introduction — the soul of RAINBOW, the voice of BLACK SABBATH, and the owner of a long and successful solo career. Defying the widespread opinion that the real DIO "ended" right after the epochal "Last In Line," the maestro continues to release new records, and I believe his latest opus — "Master Of The Moon" — will have more than a few bitter critics kicking themselves. After the somewhat underwhelming "Killing The Dragon," the musician presents us with a remarkable work in which the romanticism of the '70s coexists alongside the technogenic phantoms of the '90s (one might recall "Angry Machines" here). At a glance, all the songs on "Master Of The Moon" can be divided into two opposing camps: sparkling heavy metal anthems and slow-burning epics. On the former, DIO demonstrates his songwriting talent, while the latter give him the chance to shine as a vocalist. And that is the album's greatest strength. Despite his already venerable age (Ronnie James Dio once played in a band called ELF, but when was that??...), his quixotic voice hasn't lost a single drop of its charm. While "Master Of The Moon" resonates through the speakers, your mind wanders back to the days of "Holy Diver" and "Rock'n'roll Children." Listen to "A Man Who Would Be King," "I Am," "One More For The Road" and then consider — to remain the Master of the Moon for two decades, is that not true magic...
