Master of the Moon Songs Ranked

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 and on September 7, 2004 in the US through Sanctuary Records. It was produced by Ronnie James Dio. The album marks the return of guitarist Craig Goldy, who also 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. 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. On the supporting tour for the 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. Here are all of Master of the Moon songs ranked.

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10. Death by Love

“Death By Love”, which is, frankly, a terrible song. The lyrics are some of the worst I’ve ever heard. This song should have never left the studio, and is the only blemish on the otherwise nearly perfect Master of the Moon.”

9. I Am

“‘I Am’ is infectious rather than catchy. It’s a song I don’t like all that much but the chorus is such that it cannot not be stuck in my head – it’s like an advert jingle, albeit a heavy rock one!”

8. Living the Lie

“One of the best is “Living the Lie”. Where was this live!? Simon starts off the song, and then Craig kicks in another hard rocking riff. This is one of my favorite songs off of the album.”

See more: Dio Albums Ranked

7. Shivers

. “Shivers” is another mid-tempo rocker. I have several issues with it. One, it is entirely too cheesy. Buckets of blood? C’mon! Also, its bridge borrows a little bit too much from “Hungry for Heaven”. Even with those two complaints, Shivers is still an enjoyable, hard rocking song.”

6. Master of the Moon

“I always look forward to title tracks, especially from Dio, because throughout his career they always seem to stand a little taller then the rest of his songs. Dio proves that this theory still holds true with Master of the Moon. The song is slow, and dramatic. It relies heavily on keyboards to create an eerie atmosphere, and multi-tracked vocals on the chorus. It works.”

5. The End of the World

“The End of the World” is another mid-tempo song. Again, I have to take issue with the fact that riff sounds a little bit too close to AC/DC’s “Back in Black”. This is particularly inexcusable as Simon Wright actually had a short stint with AC/DC. The End of the World is not a terrible song; it’s just average.”

See more: Dio Songs Ranked

4. In Dreams

“The album closes with “In Dreams” which is a semi-epic, of sorts. It sounds like a cross between Lock Up the Wolves, Dehumanizer, and Strange Highways. Craig has a nice heavy riff, but the beauty of the song is the middle section which has some of Dio’s best vocals of the album.”

3. The Man Who Would Be King

“The Man Who Would Be King” is another stellar slow tempo song. While it tends to draw flak for being politically minded, Dio has stated on numerous occasions that politics was not his main intention, and the song is only commenting on what he sees as parallels between the Iraq war, and Richard the Lionhearted. This song also uses keyboards to great effect. The Man Who Would Be King is in the same dramatic vein as the title track.”

2. One More for the Road

“Master of the Moon opens up with the hard-hitting “One More For the Road”. I’ve never been a huge fan of Dio’s solo attempts at fast paced openers. I honestly don’t even care for “Stand Up And Shout.” I figured this song would be no exception, but surprisingly… it is! I find myself turning this song up every time, and Dio was definitely on the right track by opening up his US Master of the Moon tour with it.”

1. The Eyes

“I prefer Dio’s slower approach to songwriting on this album. I think his voice is better suited for it. The relatively slow tempo songs allow him to utilize his voice most effectively. The highlight of the slower tempo rampage is the album’s centerpiece – “The Eyes”. Utilizing a basic riff from Craig as a backbone for the song, Dio manages to craft a song right out of 1984 (the book).”