Search - Axel Rudi Pell :: Masquerade Ball

Awesome!!!

marc-christopher | lörrach,germany | 05/31/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"by far,this is the best album by the german guitar wizard.axel is just always able to top his previous amazing albums.1.the arrivalthis is such a powerful and dark intro,without drums and bass.just listen to it,you will love it even though it's just 1:30 length 10/102.earls of blackbest track by far.simply flawlees,the drums kick ass and the slow guitar part in the middle just makes you melt down 15/103.voodoo nightsa bit slower but also very good. a heavy rocker with great guitar work. 9/104.night and rainnice semi-ballad,very strong and powerful.shows perfectly the melodic side of axel. 9/105.the masquerade ballthe title track is another out-standing song,epic epic epic!!!
awesome guitar work again,special mention to johnny's vocals and ferdy's keyboards. 10/106.tear down the wallsvery good song,too.a must play for every live album,makes the ground shake 10/107.the linegood song,you could call this a semi-ballad,too.also very powerful but at the same time so melodic 9/108.the temple of the holythis is an amazing ballad,almost a solo of johnny.strong voice and soooo melodic,goes right underneath your skin 10/109.hot wheelsthis could easily be a motorcycle driver anthem.fast paced and very rough. 9/1010.july morningthis is a cover of deep purple.special mention to ferdy and his great work at the keyboard.drags on a bit at the end but it's agood effort 9/10all in all,this is axel's masterpiece,every song is great.
if you like this one,check out shadow zone and between the walls."

See the Wizard Fly

Justin Gaines | Northern Virginia | 02/08/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I typically don't have much patience for guitar hero metal. I've always been a "vocals first" kind of guy. Whenever I attempt to listen to an Yngwie Malmsteen album I'm always impressed by the man's technical prowess and solos, but I'm also always disappointed in the actual songs, which appear to be simply vehicles for those solos; this despite Malmsteen's access to a never-ending supply of phenomenal vocalists. Likewise I tend to enjoy Symphony X albums more for Russell Allen's powerful vocals than Michael Romeo's blistering guitar work, and was a Dokken fan long before I realized that George Lynch was a better guitar player than most of his peers.



That being said, I am an Axel Rudi Pell fan. While he does follow Malmsteen's example in naming his band after himself and has a penchant for extended guitar solos and epic song titles, the man has a considerable amount of songwriting ability that Malmsteen is sadly lacking. I'm not necessarily talking about lyrical content here, as Pell's tend to be somewhat silly in a European-writing-awkwardly-in-English kind of way. See for example, his ode to fast cars that is unfortunately named after a toy line. I'm referring more to his songwriting structure. Pell's songs seem like actual songs. The verses, chorus, and yes solos, all mesh together the way a good song should. The Masquerade Ball is a prime example. The guitar solos are there, but you can also get into the music and sing along to just about every song, particularly album-opener Earls of Black and the epic title track. There is also an inspired cover of Uriah Heep's classic July Morning.



The Masquerade Ball really works as an album, and a lot of the credit has to go to former Hardline vocalist Johnny Gioelli, who provides a heartfelt and powerful delivery to each song, even when the lyrics get a bit cheesy. He was good on other Axel Rudi Pell albums like Shadow Zone and Oceans of Time, but really seems to shine on this one.



Fans of the aforementioned Yngwie Malmsteen should find much to enjoy in Axel Rudi Pell's work, particularly this album. I'm also reminded of Rainbow, but that may be due to the Dio-like earnestness of Gioelli's vocals. The Masquerade Ball should appeal across the board to fans of traditional metal and melodic hard rock as well.

"

Rock your mind out!!!!!1

hellmouth666 | LITTLE TOWN IN PA | 03/22/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This cd from axel rudi pell is unbelievable. If you ever heard of HARDLINE you will flip over this!Singer from HARDLINE is the singer for this cd and is ten times better!Lyrics are unreal, music kicks---can't take it out of the cd player. Bravo guys---wish I would have bought this a long time ago.BUT THIS ITEM--YOU WILL LOVE IT!"