German guitarist Axel Rudi Pell and his band – Johnny Gioeli (vocals), Bobby Rondinelli (drums), Volker Krawczak (bass) and Ferdy Doernberg (keyboards) – returns every other year with a new record that pretty much sounds like the one before which sounded like the one before which… well, you get idea. What differs between all his records is the quality of the songs. Pell has released some really good albums for sure but also a few lukewarm and underwhelming ones. It’s all a matter of taste, of course but It’s hard to get excited when you know beforehand just how the records will sound. His last album Sign Of The Times (2020) however was a big step up, a firey and energetic release and his best album in many moons. Hopefully he will continue that quality up with his new record.
As always, Pell opens the album with an intro, this time a dark and gloomy one – “Lost XXIII Prequel” – that takes us into the real opener and single, the uptempo and straight ahead rocker “Survive”. It’s a typical ARP opening track headbanger with a very recognizable song structure and main melody. It’s a good tune but it feels like I’ve heard it before in better versions. Next up is the bouncy and stompy Classic Rock groover “No Compromise”, in style a mixture of 70’s and 80’s Hard Rock. It’s riffy and it holds a muscular beat with a rhythmic chug. A good song with a convincing chorus.
Also released as a taster, “Down On The Streets” is a down n’ dirty rocker, upbeat and raunchy with in-your-face melodies and a straight forward rhythm. The guitar work is edgy and robust with a distinct vocal-melody from Gioeli and the chorus really hits home. Good one. “Gone With The Wind” is an epic ballad, eight minutes long with an overlying darkness. It starts out low-key and stripped down and when the band comes in for the verse, it keeps the down-beat structure and its mellowness but also with a heavy approach. The chorus is massive and powerful and the melodies sticks without being cheesy or light-weight. All in all a grandiose ballad ARP style. This is very good.
“Freight Train” more or less sounds just like that – a freight train! It’s uptempo, straight forward Hard Rock, slammin’ and grindin’ with robust riffing and in-your-face. It’s an 80’s sounding hard-rocker – punchy and fired-up with a main melody that’s recognizable from earlier ARP rockers in that vein. It’s pretty good but nothing out of the ordinary. With some sharp-edged riffage and hard and direct rhythms, “Follow The Beast” continues in its predecessor’s structure. It’s clearly metal-fused where both traces of Power Metal and NWOBHM are thrown into the fast tempo. Again, it’s ok but it really doesn’t neither stick or lift. A bit of a filler actually.
“Fly With Me” starts out as a mellow, soft-spoken piano ballad, quite down-to-earth and sparse but takes on a heavier approach as the band joins in. It holds a heavier punch which holds the most cheesy vibes at bay especially as the vocal melodies brings on a late 80’s power ballad touch but that said, the big chorus is big and bombastic with an immense hook and Gioeli’s vocals are superb. Also, the held-back solo part with the prominent piano brings on a nice contrast. Very good. The instrumental “The Rise Of Ankhoor” is quite rhythmic in a 70’s style Classic Rock vibe and very Ritchie Blackmore-ish where the organ tries its best to blend Jon Lord and Ken Hensley. It’s a lively and upbeat rocker that works very well – and Krawczak’s opening bass-work is really good.
The closing title-track is an eight and a half minute epic monster. It’s a slow-burner, heavy and dark drop-to-minor on the threshold to heavy, powerhouse balladry obviously influenced by Tony Martin era Black Sabbath. Heavy riffing, thunderous rhythms, pomp-laden keyboards and a solid beat brings the tune to the shores of classic “Masquerade Ball” ARP doomy yet melodic and catchy song writing. There’s always a song like this on every ARP album and this one is one of the finer moments – if not the finest – on the album. A damn good tune and a worthy closer.
As a whole, this is a good album albeit not as strong as its predecessor. And as always with ARP, there are no surprises at all – you pretty much know what you get before you have even heard a note. For some it is as it should be and they love it that way, for others it’s predictable and dull. I can simply state that it’s just another ARP album, no more no less. It’s good – better than some of his earlier records but at the same time not as good as many of them. I enjoy listening to it but it’s hard to motivate why I shall play this again when I have The Masquerade Ball and Oceans Of Time among others in my collection.
6/10
More Axel Rudi Pell reviews:
The Crest
Circle Of The Oath
Into The Storm
Game Of Sins
Knights Call
Sign Of The Times
Tracklist:
1. Lost XXIII Prequel
2. Survive
3. No Compromise
4. Down On The Streets
5. Gone With The Wind
6. Freight Train
7. Follow The Beast
8. Fly With Me
9. The Rise Of Ankhoor
10. Lost XXIII
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