By DJ Monk
When a new album from Axel Rudi Pell plonks onto the doormat here at ÜRHQ, it’s a fairly safe bet what we can expect it to contain – guitar wankery galore! I mean, it’s what he’s been specializing in for more than three decades, so he’s hardly likely to change the formula on this, his 18th studio album, is he? Well, the good news for fans is that he hasn’t changed a thing… not a jot…
Another thing which has not changed is Pell’s continued evocation of the classic rock sounds of the late Seventies and early Eighties: it was the era which inspired him when he was growing up and learning his trade, and it is an influence he continues to wear very much on his sleeves, as evidenced right from the off from the booming double-kick and Hammond intro of the suitably fiery ‘Gunfire’, which could be lifted from any of Dio’s first quadrilogy of albums.
Alright, I know I referred to “guitar wankery galore” at the beginning of this review, but one thing that has always appealed about ARP is his ability to contain his craftsmanship on the fretboard within the confines of a decent tune or three, without turning them into needlessly OTT shredfests, allowing his ability to speak for itself within the appropriate context. Yes, the shredding, the searing, soaring solos are there, of course they are – but, they fit, and that is important, because at the end of the day, the songs are the key in terms of appealing to wider audiences than those just interested in how many notes an axeman can cram into three-and-a-half minutes (or seven, in the case of this album’s positively epic title track).
It also helps that ARP has surrounded himself with a group of consummately talented musicians, not least in the form of singer Johnny Gioeli, who has one of “those” classic rock voices that just delivers every time he steps up to a microphone – and, in this case, delivers a potentially career-defining series of performances – and drummer par excellence Bobby Rondinelli, who proves once again why he is one of the best, and most demand, in the business, and whose precision offers the perfect counterfoil to Pell’s (albeit more restrained) showmanship.
‘Sign Of The Times’ is an album crammed with all the usual classic rock elements: fast ‘n’ furious rock outs, bluesy interjections, huge swollen melodies, a massive power ballad – and, above all, fantastic all-round performances, not least from Pell himself, who once again demonstrates why he has managed to stay at the top of the tree for so long.
- ‘Sign Of The Times’ is released today (Friday 8 May). You can get your copy HERE.
www.facebook.com/axelrudipellofficial
- All content © Über Rock. Not to be reproduced in part or in whole without the express written permission of Über Rock.