Review: Axel Rudi Pell- Knight\’s Call

Kings, queens, dragons, wizards and medieval knights, it sounds like you are just about to read an ancient tale of lorn, but it is in fact the newest release from Axel Rudi Pell in Knight\’s Call Just like every album that has come before it tells a little tale of ancient legends and just like before you’ll get absolutely lost in it. Axel has surrounded himself with the best musicians money can buy. In fact, he has had the same lineup since 1997. They are former Hardline vocalist Johhny Gioeli, Ferdy Dorenberg on keyboards, Volker Krawczak on bass and their new drummer Bobby Rondinelli since 2013. Every one of the musicians is at the top of their game and sound absolutely great. “The Medieval Overture” starts with the same type of intro that has been on his cd’s for the last 20 years. As always it lulls you into the rest of the album. “The Wild and the Young” is the perfect high energy song with one of the best solos in all of his history and on “Wildest Dreams” Mr. Gioeli’s vocals like always sounds amazing. His tone sets the pulse of the song and gives it a sense of purpose. “Long Live Rock” also chugs along with a sense of purpose, it’s purpose is for us to give in and be swept up in the madness, while the guitar in the beginning of “The Crusaders Of Doom” subtlety make their mark before erupting into a riff that tells a story, a story that was created years ago, brought to life by this magical, musical wizard. He lets the guitar on “Truth and Lies” become the voice of the song. It’s a voice that is fast and furious, where every instrument gets a chance to take center stage to shine. “Beyond The Light” is another one that stars as a slow song and slowly builds into a massive power ballad with a beautifully long and drawn out guitar solo. “Slaves on the Run” is one of those songs that is built around the almighty riff and in this case the riff is a true thing of beauty to behold, while “Follow The Sun” simply chugs along with a smoking guitar riff that has many layers to it. Last but certainly not least is “Tower Of Babylon,” it’s simply a massive undertaking split into different parts by the mindboggling solos that split the song up as it builds to an apex. Here’s the bottom line- Axel Rudi Pell has become one of the most consistent players of all time. If you know him you know just how incredible he is and if you don’t you should. Rating: 8.5/10 -Eric Hunker