Before you pop a new piece of Pell into the stereo you have a clear vision of how it will sound like, call it predictable and stripped from innovativeness but you can also look at it from another perspective and enjoy another solid piece of work made up from a successful formula.
Even though
Axel Rudi Pell has made a lot of albums in the same vein I still find minor finesses that keep the band evolving and I'm not even sure I would like it any other way, with some bands I'm glad to get more or less the thing each time, as long as the songs themselves stands out and appear fresh and vivid, this is mostly the case on this the band's 11 studio album.
I'm a big fan of the bands up-tempo creations; unfortunately we don't see many of them nowadays.
Fly To The Moon with its crunchy riff, powerhouse drumming, weighty bass lines and ecstatic guitar solo is nevertheless a clear favourite.more of the same kind please.
The groovy and almost slow motion rocker
Rock The Nation has an undeniable forceful chorus passage, in between a calm key background gives room for some fine harmony lead action. A great hymn with some not too imaginative lyrics.
Johnny Gioeli is a fantastic singer and he once again lights up the universe with his rasp, overly powerful and yet sensitive pipes. His stirring interpretation of
No Chance To Live is just brilliant and in the monumental titletrack he simply kicks that chorus line right into the sky. A highlight of the album with its foggy atmosphere, epic feel and heavy rhythm section.
Some tracks are quite anonymous, a bit monotone and yet still solid pieces of music,
Valley Of Sin and
Losing The Game are examples of songs that doesn't really stick to your head, but still enjoyable when blasting them through the speakers.
At the end of the tunnel the almost 10-minute
The Curse Of The Damned pretty much crystallize a lot of the albums character. Expressive structures, soulful guitar playing and a great explosive break with a massive guitar/key duel. The long fade out drags some of the energy out of it tough.
As a band these guys make up a super tight dream team, an aspect that really matters to the overall picture. When Mike Terrana throws in those dynamic distractions and Volker Krawczak cracks the bass into overdrive it just keep the songs stay very much alive.
The lyrics fit the themes well: Hope, love, damnation and mysterious wonders. nothing really special but decent. Production is crisp, clear and forceful.
I generally liked the songs a bit more on 2004 Kings And Queens, but again this is well-played Heavy Metal with a Hard Rock twist, not groundbreaking or exceptional but sturdy and reliable.
Written by
Tommy Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Show all reviews by TommyRatingsTommy: 6.5/10Members: No members have rated this album yet.
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