By Andrew Bansal
German guitar maestro Axel Rudi Pell has undoubtedly had a tremendous career so far. He started out in the band Steeler, contributing his axemanship to the four albums they released in a very prolific 4-year period from 1984 to 1988. After Steeler split up, Axel went on to create a successful solo stint for himself. He has released thirteen studio albums under his own name thus far, each of them presenting the various facets of his musicianship. Now, he is ready to deliver his fourteenth studio album “Circle Of The Oath” in an effort to please his loyal fan base, as well as gain new fans.
From the first note to its last, the music on this album is pretty much exactly what Axel Rudi Pell fans would have expected from him. He has stuck to what he does best. In terms of speed and the overall vibe, the entire album is very laid back. The intro “The Guillotine Suite” gives the album a very ethereal start, but after that, “Ghost In The Black”, “Run With The Wind”, “Before I Die”, “Fortunes Of War” and “Hold On To Your Dreams” are typically catchy mid-tempo power metal tunes decorated with ARP’s gripping solos. The other four tracks go into ballad territory, some of them more deeply so than others.
But the deepest, most intense and easily the best track on the album is the 10-minute epic title track. It features some amazing acoustic guitar work by ARP, well complemented by Johnny Gioeli’s highly expressive vocals. It’s an extremely dark, exotic and powerful composition, and showcases the skills of ARP and his band mates to the maximum. In fact, it’s these slower tunes on which ARP has really shone through, and in my opinion this aspect of the album gives it the unique ARP touch which separates it from the other power metal/melodic hard rock albums out there.
When it comes to comparing this effort to ARP’s previous thirteen, I wouldn’t say he has done things much differently. But, some of the tunes do have amazing musical depth, probably more than ever before. Another notable difference is in the lyrics. They are certainly nowhere near as cheesy as they have been on past albums. Gone are the kings, queens, crowns and pyramids, now replaced by themes like life, death and war. This is good and bad, because on the one hand it gives more depth and intensity to the music, but it also takes the fun element out of it, albeit to a small degree.
Overall, Axel Rudi Pell’s newest effort “Circle Of The Oath” is sheer testimony to the fact that there is no end in sight for this brilliant guitarist, and yet again, he has churned out an excellent set of tunes.
Rating: 8/10
Track Listing:
1. The Guillotine Suite (Intro) 01:52
2. Ghost In The Black 04:36
3. Run With The Wind 04:42
4. Before I Die 04:29
5. Circle Of The Oath 09:20
6. Fortunes Of War 05:19
7. Bridges To Nowhere 07:10
8. Lived Our Lives Before 06:31
9. Hold On To Your Dreams 05:47
10. World Of Confusion (The Masquerade Ball Pt. II) 09:30
Record Label: SPV/Steamhammer
Release Dates:
March 23rd 2012 (Germany)
March 26th 2012 (Europe)
March 27th 2012 (US/Canada)
Links:
www.axel-rudi-pell.de
Axel Rudi Pell Official Facebook