By Brian Coles from Electric Basement:
"As the years pass, Ronnie James Dio stands aside, letting the hour glass taunt him while he's too busy high-fiving someone in the front row at your local concert venue, dishing out full-blown, timeless metal royalty with charm and grace. The sand may trickle and even seemingly rush into the bottom half of the bottle but RJD just turns, grins, and flips it back over. Time for another metal masterwork and wholehearted tour of the globe. Okay, even the mighty one confesses he won't be doing this forever, and sure enough, his output hasn't been flawless (but damn good, all things considered), but there is a decided trend toward higher quality goods as the final, and hopefully, prolonged, act of his career shines like a high beam in the eyes of the confused deer that was the latter part of act II. Magica hinted at a return to form though maybe confusing the issue with an exaggerated, plodding, even though, upon carefully scrutiny, it had some brilliant moments ("Turn to Stone" actually sounds like a stone bouncing along, "Feed My Head" a hypnotic piece reemphasizing the theme, "Losing My Insanity" exemplifies twisted, with renaissance noodlings contrasting stark, bold riffs but I digress.). Killing the Dragon basically delivered on the much anticipated return to form, not necessarily better than its predecessor, but somehow balancing it out, this time with sugar high speedster and surface pleasures. Less mind and more matter. This resurgence has not gone unnoticed, with a genuine, non-PR based buzz in the night air for this one, a tide that builds on the previous, determined steps back up atop the mountain. Holy Diver 2? No. The next best thing? Not sure. Good stuff? Yes.
Master of the Moon is not Holy Diver, Heaven and Hell or Strange Highways. But it is the sum of those parts, in places, and even at its least inspiring, aptly, effortlessly avoiding the duff track. Not a bad one here. Ronnie James Dio, Craig Goldy (guitar), Simon Wright (drums), Jeff Pilson (bass, studio only) and Scott Warren (keyboards) have overcome a lineup shuffle or two, utilizing veteran patience to deliver a collection of songs so perfectly alongside the Dio cannon without really ripping off the back catalog. Nice.
Save for the hyper "I Speed At Night" (too thin) , Ronnie and Co. have never really captured the essence of a true road song. And "One More For The Road" bludgeonly fills the pothole, even if is a hard rock cliché at this point, though a glorious one. Glaringly (or proudly?), the boys setup a Sab exhaust blast with a blocky speed riff (thanks Craig) stolen out of Blackmore's abandoned Fender guitar case, written on an old napkin from the lounge at the Rainbow (actually, more JLT era on it than anything from the castle rock days). As usual, Dio delivers the intelligent, interesting yet equally righteous steamer. Also of note, this is actually about not getting the casual shaft from something greater than you. Mystical, earthy and anxious all the same. You know the score. Still works.
But the man in command is still a fine contrarian, halting the festivities for track 2, the title cut. Slow, melancholy and, yes, dreamy. The kind of thing only Dio's dramatic spewings (and Warren's carefully placed keys) could make work. The song rests its entire being on a non-riff, rather a short guitar burst, chronically jolting along as he weaves a misty tale of lyrical and sonic metaphor. Actually evokes the vibe of a blue glowing sphere passing through midnight. The sudden, almost panicked crescendo at the end teases the listener hoping, albeit briefly, for some sort of surge. Dio has always milked the elements of his library, rarely, if ever, repeating a nontraditional structure. In other words, "Heaven and Hell" still remains the song that starts slow, epic and then gets really fast. Almost like Ronnie is protecting it from dilution.
"The End of the World" is probably the only track that can't claim much of its own anything. Sort of cool, slightly prog, nice, barely used leaping riff at the end. Nothing there to really wrap the song around but not a cop out either. Solid but not exceptional. "Shivers" is a pounding Munster metal catch-all, throbbing like Type-O Negative but with familiar spooky themes delivered in capital letters ("RATS AND BATS AND SPIDERS" etc.), only notching above a kindergarten level entertainment value based on the charisma and knowing smile that delivers these lines. The secret weapon is Warren's genuinely goosepimply keyboard riff making all the difference. Could be an effective single with the big, lighter shaded chorus. Spanks near the end too.
"The Man Who Would Be King" is the political one here. Ronnie has spoken of it in interviews and it is clearly, without mentioning names, a knock at the current U.S. administration. Still, its roots are in the crusades, drawing parallels, justified or not, that, if nothing else, brings a noticeably visceral performance from Ronnie. But there is something else. The otherwise ordinary, stomping structure benefits from a keyboard line born from a frowny Uriah Heepster circa '71. This addition of color, as alluded to before, takes the album as a whole to a higher level than its latter day older brothers of Magica and Dragon.
If you ask Ronnie, "The Eyes" is a centerpiece to the album, and he's probably right, though I haven't totally fallen for it yet, but thinking I will. I hear it's amazing live. A deceptively ebbing riff lays a foundation for paranoid performance from our frontman, as Craig carefully, almost painfully dots the landscape with small bursts of wah wah guitar mumblings, all in the same family but no note-for-note repetition. The ending is very Maiden. Very live Maiden. Big time sing-along, orchestral flushes and darn it, we have another epic, likely to be filed alongside classic Dio, even if I'd like the guitar to be more urgent or crunchy or something. Not sure. The sort of song you listen to over and over, knowing you like it but trying to figure out why. Trivia: this is Ronnie's 4th "Eyes" song, joining "Rainbow Eyes," "Evil Eyes" and "My Eyes."
My favorite slice of the Moon comes late in the game. "Living A Lie," slotted in at number 7, is one of the more inspired, frantic Dio pieces to come since, well, Dragon's title track. But that is something. Really, two peak level fast ones on two albums in a row? Not bad. It always seems to be the biggest challenge for long toothed acts...to make the spry ones work like the old days, proving that they really are some of the more difficult compositions to pen. What we get is a masterfully unthreaded spool of jabbing riff meets stuttering percussion (Simon's only really interesting turn on the record, otherwise staying behind the scenes), super goth pre-chorus vocals and just purist 1984 dragon metal, even if it isn't about a dragon. Another one of those he-and-she juxtapositions Ronnie likes to explore. Who cares, it rocks. "I Am" also rides right up there on my preliminary list. Why? It's the only sky high track I can honestly recall since "Rainbow In The Dark." Not as commercial or classic, but the guitar just hurriedly ascends and crashes down again, with Ronnie cascading along with synched up, crescendo-ed phrasing. The chorus is either absurd or cool depending on your bias ("I am, I am, stronger than the wind. I am, I am sin"). A momentary cringe morhps into acceptance upon additional listens.
"Death By Love" is the Cruella D'Ville/"Lady Evil" revisitation I don't mind a bit. Groovy Sab riff gives way to a short, 80s air guitar chorus, taking only a minor breather before getting back to business. Gives the album some necessary activity near the end. "In Dreams" takes a snappy Iommi riff and soaring chorus, proving that Dio's still capable of reaching out and sustaining not only notes but command of his craft. A worthy night capper.
So there you go, nothing here falls short. A few even suggest classic status with time perhaps lending such a claim (Strange Highways anyone?). Yet not a winner out of the gates. Only after a few races around your CD laser does it begin to fully sink in. But this isn't nearly as demanding as Magica was nor, thankfully, as immediate but empty caloric as much of Dragon was. Golden stars go to the production, as full and bone crunching as Highways yet not a dated. If, dare I say, Magica had this going for it, there would be fewer fence riders and a few leaping over. Goldy, for the first time, is mixed and toned right. Warren also gets a big handshake for making strong material flex its muscle. The final word - best overall product since Highways and, arguably, Last In Line. Kick ass cover too."
W
"As the years pass, Ronnie James Dio stands aside, letting the hour glass taunt him while he's too busy high-fiving someone in the front row at your local concert venue, dishing out full-blown, timeless metal royalty with charm and grace. The sand may trickle and even seemingly rush into the bottom half of the bottle but RJD just turns, grins, and flips it back over. Time for another metal masterwork and wholehearted tour of the globe. Okay, even the mighty one confesses he won't be doing this forever, and sure enough, his output hasn't been flawless (but damn good, all things considered), but there is a decided trend toward higher quality goods as the final, and hopefully, prolonged, act of his career shines like a high beam in the eyes of the confused deer that was the latter part of act II. Magica hinted at a return to form though maybe confusing the issue with an exaggerated, plodding, even though, upon carefully scrutiny, it had some brilliant moments ("Turn to Stone" actually sounds like a stone bouncing along, "Feed My Head" a hypnotic piece reemphasizing the theme, "Losing My Insanity" exemplifies twisted, with renaissance noodlings contrasting stark, bold riffs but I digress.). Killing the Dragon basically delivered on the much anticipated return to form, not necessarily better than its predecessor, but somehow balancing it out, this time with sugar high speedster and surface pleasures. Less mind and more matter. This resurgence has not gone unnoticed, with a genuine, non-PR based buzz in the night air for this one, a tide that builds on the previous, determined steps back up atop the mountain. Holy Diver 2? No. The next best thing? Not sure. Good stuff? Yes.
Master of the Moon is not Holy Diver, Heaven and Hell or Strange Highways. But it is the sum of those parts, in places, and even at its least inspiring, aptly, effortlessly avoiding the duff track. Not a bad one here. Ronnie James Dio, Craig Goldy (guitar), Simon Wright (drums), Jeff Pilson (bass, studio only) and Scott Warren (keyboards) have overcome a lineup shuffle or two, utilizing veteran patience to deliver a collection of songs so perfectly alongside the Dio cannon without really ripping off the back catalog. Nice.
Save for the hyper "I Speed At Night" (too thin) , Ronnie and Co. have never really captured the essence of a true road song. And "One More For The Road" bludgeonly fills the pothole, even if is a hard rock cliché at this point, though a glorious one. Glaringly (or proudly?), the boys setup a Sab exhaust blast with a blocky speed riff (thanks Craig) stolen out of Blackmore's abandoned Fender guitar case, written on an old napkin from the lounge at the Rainbow (actually, more JLT era on it than anything from the castle rock days). As usual, Dio delivers the intelligent, interesting yet equally righteous steamer. Also of note, this is actually about not getting the casual shaft from something greater than you. Mystical, earthy and anxious all the same. You know the score. Still works.
But the man in command is still a fine contrarian, halting the festivities for track 2, the title cut. Slow, melancholy and, yes, dreamy. The kind of thing only Dio's dramatic spewings (and Warren's carefully placed keys) could make work. The song rests its entire being on a non-riff, rather a short guitar burst, chronically jolting along as he weaves a misty tale of lyrical and sonic metaphor. Actually evokes the vibe of a blue glowing sphere passing through midnight. The sudden, almost panicked crescendo at the end teases the listener hoping, albeit briefly, for some sort of surge. Dio has always milked the elements of his library, rarely, if ever, repeating a nontraditional structure. In other words, "Heaven and Hell" still remains the song that starts slow, epic and then gets really fast. Almost like Ronnie is protecting it from dilution.
"The End of the World" is probably the only track that can't claim much of its own anything. Sort of cool, slightly prog, nice, barely used leaping riff at the end. Nothing there to really wrap the song around but not a cop out either. Solid but not exceptional. "Shivers" is a pounding Munster metal catch-all, throbbing like Type-O Negative but with familiar spooky themes delivered in capital letters ("RATS AND BATS AND SPIDERS" etc.), only notching above a kindergarten level entertainment value based on the charisma and knowing smile that delivers these lines. The secret weapon is Warren's genuinely goosepimply keyboard riff making all the difference. Could be an effective single with the big, lighter shaded chorus. Spanks near the end too.
"The Man Who Would Be King" is the political one here. Ronnie has spoken of it in interviews and it is clearly, without mentioning names, a knock at the current U.S. administration. Still, its roots are in the crusades, drawing parallels, justified or not, that, if nothing else, brings a noticeably visceral performance from Ronnie. But there is something else. The otherwise ordinary, stomping structure benefits from a keyboard line born from a frowny Uriah Heepster circa '71. This addition of color, as alluded to before, takes the album as a whole to a higher level than its latter day older brothers of Magica and Dragon.
If you ask Ronnie, "The Eyes" is a centerpiece to the album, and he's probably right, though I haven't totally fallen for it yet, but thinking I will. I hear it's amazing live. A deceptively ebbing riff lays a foundation for paranoid performance from our frontman, as Craig carefully, almost painfully dots the landscape with small bursts of wah wah guitar mumblings, all in the same family but no note-for-note repetition. The ending is very Maiden. Very live Maiden. Big time sing-along, orchestral flushes and darn it, we have another epic, likely to be filed alongside classic Dio, even if I'd like the guitar to be more urgent or crunchy or something. Not sure. The sort of song you listen to over and over, knowing you like it but trying to figure out why. Trivia: this is Ronnie's 4th "Eyes" song, joining "Rainbow Eyes," "Evil Eyes" and "My Eyes."
My favorite slice of the Moon comes late in the game. "Living A Lie," slotted in at number 7, is one of the more inspired, frantic Dio pieces to come since, well, Dragon's title track. But that is something. Really, two peak level fast ones on two albums in a row? Not bad. It always seems to be the biggest challenge for long toothed acts...to make the spry ones work like the old days, proving that they really are some of the more difficult compositions to pen. What we get is a masterfully unthreaded spool of jabbing riff meets stuttering percussion (Simon's only really interesting turn on the record, otherwise staying behind the scenes), super goth pre-chorus vocals and just purist 1984 dragon metal, even if it isn't about a dragon. Another one of those he-and-she juxtapositions Ronnie likes to explore. Who cares, it rocks. "I Am" also rides right up there on my preliminary list. Why? It's the only sky high track I can honestly recall since "Rainbow In The Dark." Not as commercial or classic, but the guitar just hurriedly ascends and crashes down again, with Ronnie cascading along with synched up, crescendo-ed phrasing. The chorus is either absurd or cool depending on your bias ("I am, I am, stronger than the wind. I am, I am sin"). A momentary cringe morhps into acceptance upon additional listens.
"Death By Love" is the Cruella D'Ville/"Lady Evil" revisitation I don't mind a bit. Groovy Sab riff gives way to a short, 80s air guitar chorus, taking only a minor breather before getting back to business. Gives the album some necessary activity near the end. "In Dreams" takes a snappy Iommi riff and soaring chorus, proving that Dio's still capable of reaching out and sustaining not only notes but command of his craft. A worthy night capper.
So there you go, nothing here falls short. A few even suggest classic status with time perhaps lending such a claim (Strange Highways anyone?). Yet not a winner out of the gates. Only after a few races around your CD laser does it begin to fully sink in. But this isn't nearly as demanding as Magica was nor, thankfully, as immediate but empty caloric as much of Dragon was. Golden stars go to the production, as full and bone crunching as Highways yet not a dated. If, dare I say, Magica had this going for it, there would be fewer fence riders and a few leaping over. Goldy, for the first time, is mixed and toned right. Warren also gets a big handshake for making strong material flex its muscle. The final word - best overall product since Highways and, arguably, Last In Line. Kick ass cover too."
W
