Master of the Moon
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. Personnel
Dio
 Ronnie James Dio – vocals
 Craig Goldy – guitar, keyboards
 Jeff Pilson – bass
 Simon Wright – drums
 Scott Warren – keyboards

Production
 Recorded at Total Access Recording in Redondo Beach, California
 Produced by Ronnie James Dio
 Engineered by Wyn Davis
 Brian Daughterty, Michael McMullen – assistant engineers
 Eddy Schreyer – mastering
 Cover illustration by Marc Sasso

Charts

References

External links 
Master of the Moon song lyrics

2004 albums
Dio (band) albums
Sanctuary Records albums
SPV/Steamhammer albums
Victor Entertainment albums