Not only is AXEL RUDI PELL a guitaring genius, he’s also a creative juggernaut. ‘Tales of the Crown’ is Pell’s twelfth studio album of original material, all released within the last 20 years. While 2006’s ‘Mystica’ was a more epic affair, ‘Tales of the Crown’ adopts a quite basic hard rock approach with the majority of the songs following a standard verse, chorus, verse, chorus, solo, chorus pattern.

The quality of Pell’s song writing is right up there with the very best, and such abilities shine though again on this record. Ignoring the exemption of ‘Emotional Echoes’ (which is the obligatory Pell guitar solo track), every song is very, very good, with the standards never dipping from the excellent opener ‘Higher’, right through to the dreamy album closer ‘Northern Lights’.

One of the great things about AXEL RUDI PELL is that, unlike say with YNGWIE J. MALMSTEEN, the quality of songs remains his number one priority, and his masterful solos are just the cherry on top of the cake. Pell is happy to allow vocalist Johnny Gioeli to have a leading role in the band, and yet again, he put’s in another stellar performance here.

The power metal romper ‘Buried Alive’ and ballad ‘Touching My Soul’ show off the variation that Pell has to offer, and both ends of the spectrum are pulled off with flying colours. ‘Riding on an Arrow’ may borrow the riff from fellow German rockers SCORPIONS’ (‘Make it Real’) – but it’s another superb song, nevertheless. Title track ‘Tales of the Crown’ is also worthy of mention, another tremendous track with a riff right out of the top-drawer.

‘Tales of the Crown’ is a terrific hard rock album. The music of AXEL RUDI PELL is not just for guitar enthusiasts – it is for anyone who enjoys good rock music. While this album will undoubtedly keep the ARP faithful more than happy, it could potentially act as an introduction to the band for many more fans. I would thoroughly recommend this release to anybody.

Rating: 4.8/5.0
James Allman

Release Date: 27th October 2008