In the 2000s, the Dio band saw a slight resurgence when they decided to return to their earlier sound with Magica and Killing The Dragon.  Both of these records were embraced by longtime fans and brought the band some much deserved success.  Also, during that time the doom metal genre was in full force and many bands were seeing the rising tide of that sound.  I’m sure Ronnie James Dio saw this trend and figured that he would capitalize on both.  It is only natural since he fronted the original doom metal masters Black Sabbath so it was a nice melding of the two aspects of his career.  Master Of The Moon is the result of that combination along with some of the 90s Dio thrown in for good measure.  What we get for the most part is a bunch of slower tunes that lumber about and shy away from the two previous records.  This is not necessarily a bad thing but it does halt the momentum that they were on and with that, the success of the record.  Having said that, there is still plenty to enjoy in these tracks but it is not as consistent as earlier records.

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An evil sounding guitar texture starts off a latter day Dio rocker.  It chugs along solidly but doesn’t have that same Dio opener style that the early records had.  It is a good song but it doesn’t have the energy needed to start off a disc.

Keeping with tradition, the title track is the second one on the album.  Latter day Dio was more dirge-like and while Magica may have captured some of the style of the earlier records, this one mixes bits from Magica with their 90s output.  The lyrics also shy away from fantasy and are a cynical look at the world at the time.

Again, we are given a mid-paced heavy tune that lyrically follows the title track.  This one, however, has a little more bounce that makes it sound less dire.  Goldy shines on this one with a nice guitar solo that is just enough without going overboard.  This is a standout on the record and a great example of latter day Dio.

Goldy starts off this tune with a menacing guitar riff that is on the slower end of mid-paced rockers (if that makes sense).  You can tell this is a Dio track by the unmistakable voice but otherwise, this one is very un-Dio sounding.  It’s great to see that even this far into their career, the band was willing to take chances and come up with something different.

Speaking of different, this piece starts off with only piano accompanying Dio’s vocals.  Fortunately, this is very brief as it isn’t what us Dio fans want.  The song does morph into a latter day lumbering Dio tune which is what the band seemed comfortable performing.  The main section of the track is good and thankfully they didn’t stick with the opening salvo for the rest of the material.

There is a modern edge to this tune while still maintaining many of the Dio elements from their 2000 output.  Latter day Dio kept the melody from earlier works but focused a lot on heaviness, and this tune is a prime example of that style. In certain aspects, the band embraced the doom metal genre that was popular at the time and brought it into their wheelhouse for further tweaking.

Finally the group speeds things up slightly to give us a change of tempo.  This one could have been on Dream Evil without feeling out of place.  It is a mid-paced rocker that focuses more on the melodic aspects of their earlier records and avoids the doomier side of their latter material.

A short keyboard intro ushers in another mid-paced rocker that reminds me a lot of the song “I” off of Dehumanizer.  The chorus is what really brings that comparison home for me.  Goldy again adds a nice solo over the thumping section of the track.  Maybe because of the comparison, this is a highpoint of the record.

Here is a rocker in the Sabbath vein with a healthy dose of Dio’s solo sound.  I’m surprised that the more upbeat, faster material is this far towards the end.  No matter, this one chugs along at a good pace while delving into lyrics that are more modern Dio with the “sword and sorcery” themes clearly in the rearview mirror.

Slowing down a bit, this is another Sabbath doom-ish rocker that ends the record nicely.  Goldy doesn’t hold back with his solo and Dio spits out the lyrics like he means every word.  After revisiting this record, I find it odd that the better material is towards the end, but either way, it is here for us Dio fans to enjoy.