Frontiers [Release date : 23.05.25]

Ronnie Romero’s merge of heavyweight hard rock and high powered melodic metal may well have been built on Dio’s lasting legacy, but as time as progressed he’s clearly found his own metier.

And in performing live he’s found the ideal platform. Last year’s Spanish Rock Imperium Festival (in Cartagena) saw him on Day 1 (of 3), exhibiting his vocal fire and ice on the same stage as Extreme, Uriah Heep and headliner, Judas Priest.

With the exception of a couple of songs – ‘Ferryman’ and ‘The Last Ship’, both from his Ferrymen albums – the set consists entirely of material from his recent Too Many Lies Too Many Masters album (2023).

We reviewed it on release, saying it was “A rock hard, hard rockin’ album, with Romero cranking the machine back to his days with Rainbow and Sunstorm”.

Sometimes the technical expertise deployed in the studio can be lacking in emotion: perfection can often inhibit the expression of feeling. Romero counters that live…his voice has soul, he keeps a tight rein on the vocal melodies and he delivers with emotion and conviction.

The songs from Too Many Lies… brimful of sturdy tunes and robust choruses… are a perfect fit. Romero and his musical partner in crime, guitarist Jose Rubio, are on fire, blazing through set openers ‘Girl On The Moon’, ‘I’ve Been Losing You’ and ‘Chased By Shadows’ with a driving, relentless energy, They’re on stage to entertain. Yes, there are a few bumps and bruises, but that’s what live is.

‘Not Just A Nightmare’ and ‘The Last Ship’ are exciting urban rock songs. Arguably, they lack the sophistication sometimes needed, but live they exhibit a sense of freedom, of liberation. Real crowd pleasers.

Fittingly, Romero closes the set with a tribute to Ronnie James Dio, ‘Rainbow In the Dark’. ***1/2

Review by Brian McGowan

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Power Plays w/c 1 December 2025

We feature all the artists selected in this sequence in 2025.

Featured Albums w/c 1 December 2025

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Singer Songwriter)

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