Axel Rudi Pell - Into The Storm

Published January 17 2014

*=Staff's pick	The Inquisitorial Procedure Tower Of Lies Long Way To Go* Burning Chains When Truth Hurts Changing Times* Touching Heaven* High Above Hey Hey My My* Into The Storm

Genre	Heavy Metal	Johnny Gioeli	Vocals
Tracks	10	Axel Rudi Pell	Guitar
Running time	58 Min.	-	Guitar
Label	Steamhammer/SPV	Volker Krawczak	Bass
Release	17 January 2014	Bobby Rondinelli	Drums
Country	Germany/USA	Ferdy Doernberg	Keyboard
Producer	A.R. Pell, Charlie Bauerfeind
Similar artists	---

What to say about a new record from German guitar wizard Axel Rudi Pell that hasn't been said before? With a fairly prosperous and lucrative career, the main man and his 4-headed unit are in this long run rather well known for not modifying their approach into totally new shapes of music with each record made. It's generally rather strong and enjoyable heavy metal without groundbreaking passages or revolutionary experiences and Into The Storm is no exception to this persistent rule.

It's not like they redo what has been done in the past with each visit in the recording room, but this one is still highly reminiscent of the latest records. This new effort is like much of their work really diverse when viewing it as a complete package though. The songs have every piece of this and that within the heavy metal aspects. It includes up- and mid-tempo tracks, a heavier and epic song, naturally ballads and also captivating moments in an ongoing prolific stream. The will to create precise metal tunes is still evident and this outfit produces more material than most other equals.

After long-time killing machine Mike Terrana's departure last year, renowned drummer Bobby Rondinelli has joined the ranks. No shadow should definitely fall on the successor's work, as he performs in an undoubtedly satisfactory manner and his efforts should not be taken lightly, but I still miss some of Terrana's plays, since I personally find him near irreplaceable. When speaking of irreplaceable, lead vocalist Johnny Gioeli fucking strikes again. A beautiful voice and an awesome performance from one of metal's undisputed champions. Mr. Pell himself has like always found solid and untamed riffs to keep things in charge and some of his plays and harmonies are enchanting, although he is no supreme master of the art himself.

There's no point to deny that Axel Rudi Pell validates his position and that he has delivered yet another vigorous and strong album with mainly classy and also a few remarkable songs. The situation is highly recognizable, as he navigates his ship through familiar and harmless waters, in contradiction to the album's front cover. Fans to the band's past work can safely purchase this record without any hesitations. You know what you will get and it will be hard to resist the urge if you're eager for more heavy metal from the veterans.

Performance	Originality	Production	Vocals	Songwriting
6	3	7	9	7

Summary
7 chalices of 10 - Tobbe