Picture it: It’s a Sunday afternoon and I’ve just watched Arsenal spank Chelsea in the Premier League… mid-March 2025, a week before my 51st birthday while ensconced in a pub in deepest darkest Tipton. Suddenly my phone unceremoniously blasts out The Sisters of Mercy’s “More”, much to the chagrin of the locals who are much more used to the dulcet tones of Ed Someoneoranother, and so I answer swiftly. “Ronnie Romero’s releasing a new live album in May! I’ve a copy to review! You want in?” my supplier of new and interesting music enquires, with the foreknowledge that only two weeks previously I’d waxed lyrical to him about how good Ronnie’s concert at KK’s Steel Mill in Wolverhampton was. Do I want in? You betcha!
Unbeknownst to me it turns out this is a live album, recorded at the Rock Imperium festival in Spain, hence the somewhat unimaginative title! Marvellous! Even better, seven from the ten tracks were played at the aforementioned concert I attended. Not only do I have recent experience of the songs, but I get to hear another representation of them and compare the experiences. It’s like the rock gods aligned and threw me some mellifluous ambrosia to swallow. Happy days!
It has to be noted right from the start that Romero’s voice is indeed a LOT like his namesake’s, (Ronnie James Dio), but also incorporates shades of Joe Lynn Turner circa “Slaves and Masters” by ‘Deep Purple’. Of the ten tracks, only one is a Rainbow song so 
while it might have been perhaps easier Blackmore’s last singer to have just taken an easy route, instead he sticks to his own material for 90% of the time. Frankly it holds up well, and what we have here is an album that shows off a prowess that not only allows for expansion of his own form, it positively encourages it. The opener, “Castaway on the Moon”, is fast, loud and works well as an introduction. It’s the shortest track on the album and it’s punchy enough that it sets a good tone for what’s to come. Personally, it’s the second track “I’ve Been Losing You” which stands out for me vocally and melodically. A warm piano opening that could’ve been played by a Mark Stanway or even Don Airey, it’s got huge hints of Magnum to it, but with the edgy vocal cultivated by Romero both with his time with Rainbow and Michael Schenker Group (MSG). Slower than the opener but more powerful it’s my choice for song of the studio album it’s taken from too, ‘Too Many Lies, Too Many Masters” released way back now in 2023.
There’s a fair amount of chat between songs in Spanish, none of which I understand, but he sounds like he’s having fun. “Chased by Shadows” and “Ferryman” are solid tracks, the latter allowing guitarist Jose Rubio to have some fun in the forefront for a while, accompanied by a constant beat supplied by a man named only as Andy C on drums. For such an enigma he certainly puts himself out there! Another entertaining bridge in the titular song from the aforementioned album ‘Too Many Lies..” highlights that this isn’t just about the vocal. “Crossroad” follows, slower again now, emulating the speed of AcDc’s “Little Lover”, but building in strength and emotion if not in tempo to a crescendo of beat and vocal that really allows Ronnie’s vocal to shine.
Fran Gil Torres gets another chance to star on keyboards on the eighth track “The Last Ship Sails”, running the show throughout, although again there’s a tasty guitar solo too, this coming after a decent rendition of “Not just a Nightmare”, also from ‘TML,TMM’, which in truth is the only song that really sounds like it’s trying to be old school Rainbow. “Vengeance” is the penultimate track and here there’s almost hints of Rob Halford manifesting, which is never a bad thing, before ending the album with a stunning version of “Rainbow in the Dark”, and it sounds like he enjoys it as much as the crowd!
Clocking in at just under the hour mark, there’s much to enjoy here for anyone who likes their rock sounding like Rainbow Rising. The only disappointment is there’s no version of “Stargazer”, especially for me as he performed it fantastically in Wolverhampton. It would not surprise me in a few years’ time however if an extended version might include one on the extras, but even so, this is decent addition to Ronnie Romero’s increasingly exciting catalogue, and while I might grumble at the absence of a “Stargazer” rendition, there’s still that feeling that, in including something like that either in the set, or indeed as an add-on might detract from what he’s doing here, which is separating himself from Rainbow et al. and focusing on his own music, and I can absolutely understand that from a professional and personal standpoint.
Accomplished in both vocal and musicianship, ‘Live at Rock Imperium Festival’ gets a solid 8 out of 10 from me.
“Live At Rock Imperium Festival” Tracklist:
1. Castaway On The Moon
2. I’ve Been Losing You
3. Chased By Shadows
4. Ferryman
5. Too Many Lies Too Many Masters
6. Crossroad
7. Not Just A Nightmare
8. The Last Ship
9. Vengeance
10. Rainbow In The Dark
Line Up:
Ronnie Romero – Vocals
Jose Rubio – Guitars
Fran Gil Torres – Keyboards
Andy C. – Drums
Aurelian Dinca – Bass Guitar/Vocals
