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Axel Rudi Pell
“Tales Of The Crown”
(SPV / Steamhammer)

Going on for 25 years, ARP first made his mark in Germany’s Steeler, and then in the 90s (along with longtime sidekick bass player Volker ‘Dustman’ Krawczak) he went solo and since then has been building his legend. “Tales Of The Crown” is no less than his 17th release and features 10 tracks of raw heavy metal with a distinctly catchy melodic trend reminding me - in terms of it’s shredding guitar sound - of the Scorpions at their heaviest i.e. during the ‘Blackout’ era epecially on ‘Angel Eyes’. But don’t be mistaken, ARP is no clone (19th years in the business have seen to that) but a man and a band in his own right as demonstrated by his guitar prowess on ‘Emotional Echoes’, and not forgetting the rest of the band especially drummer Mike Terrana, who is seriously knocking nine bells out’ve his kit! I’ve usually given ARP a pass at festivals (simply cos they schedule him with someone I really want to see) but on the strength of “Tales Of The Crown” I’ll make it a point to catch him next time!

-Shan Siva

Axel Rudi Pell
“Mystica”
(SPV)

Axel Rudi Pell. It sounds like a rare vintage and so it should. For a quarter of a century guitarist and band leader Axel Rudi Pell has been rocking from Steeler in the 80s to his own band - which had appearances from Charlie Huhn and Jeff Scott Soto no less - defining his own sound i.e. melodic metal & ballads with a penchant for the supernatural in the course of his 17 album career. ‘Mystica’ is his latest opus and closely follows the path blazed by its predecessors ‘Kings & Queens’ and ‘Shadow Zone’ with around half of the 10 tracks being accounts of the five knights adventures and the remainder like ‘No Chance To Live’ featuring more contemporary subjects like animal testing. The final track ‘The Curse Of The Damned’ is a sorta sequel to the track ‘The Clown Is Dead’ offa the ‘Magica’ album, and features some of Pell’s best guitarwork both technically and emotionally. Produced by Pell himself (and faithfully supported by lifelong bassist Volker Krawczak amiably called ‘The Dustman’ - now that’s affection for you!), this album has brought the band full circle which in the words of Pell himself are that ‘...we have our own sound, but on ‘Mystica’ we sound even more homogenous and musically coherent’. Long live the king.

-Shan Siva