_{The latest Axel Rudi Pell album “Sign of the Times” was released by Steamhammer / SPV on 8th May – and it would be impossible not to post a recommendation! This the nineteenth studio album from ARP in just over thirty years. A prolific recording cycle has seen a new album appear every two years since 1989 – except for a few occasions when there were releases in consecutive years. I’ve now posted something about the last four studio albums. The track “Gunfire” was included on the Friday NI Rocks Show in April and I’ll be featuring more tracks soon.}

_{Axel Rudi Pell was the guitarist for the band Steeler from 1984 to 1988, releasing four albums, before starting his own band. The first ARP album, “Wild Obsession”, was released in 1989. The nineteen studio albums include a covers album called “Diamonds Unlocked” that was released in 2007. There have also been seven compilations and five live albums. Vocals on the first album were provided by Charlie Huhn and Rob Rock sang on the second album. Jeff Scott Soto was the vocalist on the next four albums.}

_{ARP is the only constant member in the band line-up, although bass player Volker Krawczak has played on all of the albums after joining the band a few months after it was formed. Vocalist Johnny Gioeli and keyboard player Ferdy Doemberg have been with the band since 1997 and the newest member is drummer Bobby Rondinelli who joined in 2013.}

_{Check out the ARP website at https://www.axel-rudi-pell.de/}

_{About “NI Rocks Recommends”}

_{This is purely a personal recommendation and some information about the artist and the album; not a traditional ‘review’. Most of the recommendations posted are for albums that have been sent to us digitally by the record label or promoter. Quite often I’ve also bought the album on CD or vinyl as well and sometimes I just feel the need to post a recommendation for an album that I’ve bought myself. Essentially these are albums that I like and which I’ve played some tracks from on the Shows on Rock Radio NI!}