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.
Background
The album marks the return of guitarist Craig Goldy, who 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.
"Death by Love" was cowritten by former Magica touring bassist Chuck Garric. There are no writing credits in the album's liner notes.
"There's a cynical aspect to some of the lyrics," Dio remarked. "And there's definitely a political tone, reflecting the dangers we face almost every day in modern life."
On the tour for the album, Fireball Ministry and Anthrax opened for Dio. As usual, the band played songs from throughout the singer's career, including ones by Rainbow and Black Sabbath.
Owing to other commitments, Pilson was unable to tour the album. Rudy Sarzo took over on bass.
Reissue
In 2019, Master of the Moon was remastered and announced for reissue in 2020. The reissue's first disc is identical to the original North American release. Its second disc contains four live tracks recorded during the Master of the Moon tour, plus "The Prisoner of Paradise", originally included on the Japanese pressing of the album.
Track listing
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 on the 2020 reissue of the album.