There are some artists that I’m always looking to for their next release and Axel Rudi Pell is one of those. With every album you know that ARP is going to deliver fantastic anthemic tracks, powerful ballads, great stories and amazing guitars; and that vocalist Johnny Gioeli is going to rise to the same high standards. The latest studio album is “Knights Call” and it was released via SPV / Steamhammer on 23rd March. I included the track “The Wild and the Young” on the Friday NI Rocks Show on 16th March.
This is the fifth Axel Rudi Pell album that I’ve posted a recommendation for since starting in late 2012 (3 studio albums, a live album and a compilation) so I run the danger of repeating myself. ARP was part of the band Steeler between 1984 and 1988, then went on to release albums under his own name. The first of those was “Wild Obsession” in 1989. “Knights Call” is the seventeenth studio album of original material. There was also a covers album (“Diamonds Unlocked”) in 2007 and there have been seven compilations (including “The Ballads” I to V) and four live albums.
Johnny Gioeli has been the vocalist for ARP since 1997 when he replaced Jeff Scott Soto. Those two are joined by bass player Volker Krawczak, drummer Bobby Rondinelli and keyboard player Ferdy Doemberg. Krawczak is another former member of Steeler and has been with ARP since the beginning. There are additional vocals on the awesome ballad “Beyond The Light” from Pamela Falcon and by a number of backing singers on the anthemic track “Long Live Rock”.
There are never any bad tracks on an ARP so I’m not going to pick favourites; but expect to find the almost ten minute long “Tower of Babylon” on the Show very soon!
Check out the ARP website at https://www.axel-rudi-pell.de/
About “NI Rocks Recommends”
The simple idea behind “NI Rocks Recommends” is to acknowledge and promote some of the great music being submitted to Rock Radio NI. The albums that I’ll be recommending are those that you’ll hear me playing tracks from on my shows. I'll not be giving marks or ratings or analyzing the tracks in great detail; just telling you something about the artist and the album. It’s a personal recommendation to go check something out, not a traditional “review”!