Album Review: Ronnie Romero – Too Many Lies, Too Many Masters
Reviewed by Lana Teramae
Talk about someone that’s had his fair share of the spotlight. Vocalist Ronnie Romero performed in Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, Lords of Black, Sunstorm, The Ferrymen, Vandenberg, Michael Schenker Group, and most recently, Elegant Weapons. As a solo artist, he already has two albums under his belt, ‘Raised on Radio’ (2022) and ‘Raised on Heavy Radio’ (2023). Now, this will be his first time putting out new music where he was 100% involved in the songwriting process. Written with drummer Andy C. and guitarist Jose Rubio, ‘Too Many Lies, Too Masters’ combines all of Romero’s influences into one, but with a fresh and modern take.
The album will be released on September 15, 2023 through Frontiers Music Srl. The lineup that plays on the album includes Romero on lead vocals, Andy C. on drums, Jose Rubio on guitars, Francisco Gil on keyboards, and Javier Garcia on guitars.
Romero’s first two solo albums, which are covers albums, gave listeners an idea of the type of artist he wants to be and where he draws his inspiration from. In essence, his first two albums were good baby steps leading up to his latest release, ‘Too Many Lies, Too Many Masters.’ The songs are a mix of different artists such as Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Rainbow, Kansas, Foreigner, and Whitesnake. Ironically enough, Romero covered most of those artists on his covers albums. There are some really good riffs on ‘Too Many Lies, Too Many Masters,’ the songs are memorable, and Romero’s vocals get better with age.
First single and opening track, “Castaway on the Moon,” is brilliant and Andy C. gives it his all on the drums. It’s upbeat, in-your-face, and it’s Romero’s way of saying he’s more than just a hired gun. The songs are heavy, but they’re also melodic in spots. “Mountain of Light” and the title track can attest to that; the former has a wicked guitar riff. “Girl, Don’t Listen to the Radio” has some doom metal vibes going on and Andy C. delivers thunderous drumming. “Crossroad” dips into early ‘80s Whitesnake and blues rock. “Not Just a Nightmare” dives into speed metal and the Dio era of Black Sabbath.
As another first, Romero co-produced ‘Too Many Lies, Too Many Masters’ with Andy C. It’s a great sounding album. It’s not overproduced, the songs have the right amount of heavy distortion, and the musicianship is tight. Romero did what many artists take years to do; he stepped away from his safety net. He’s passionate about what he does and only time will tell where his solo career will go next.
