Axel Rudi Pell - The Masquerade Ball

Axel's 2000 album, "The Masquerade Ball" is basically a sequel to "Oceans of Time". Not much new is offered, with similiar melody lines and solos being tweaked. Its nothing revolutionary, but "TMB" also proves that 'ordinary Pell' is still a great thing when done right, and a celebration of the fact that he has stuck to his guns and delivered another album high in quality but without sacrificing his musical style. There is absolutely no doubt what artist this is while listening to the album, his stamp is all over it. In the riffs, melodies, every detail screams Axel Rudi Pell throughout. Singer Johnny Gioeli has returned and sounds just as wonderous as he did on "Oceans..", some lines he delivers in a breathless warbling reminiscent of Jeff Scot Soto in places, ironically the singer who Gioeli replaced in the ARP band. Also of note is drummer Mike Terrana, formerly from Yngwie and Artension, a thunder god on the skins, who delivers with a vengance. Axel's performance is satisfyingly familiar, he makes the guitar squeal and grind, wail and coo out soothingly, with the tasteful licks of Ritchie Blackmore combined with the forceful arpeggio theatrics of Yngwie Malmsteen, and a touch of something all his own. Over the past few albums, Pell has come into his own, defining and refining his playing so its recognizable upon listening to just a few notes. He's managed to hit on something and thankfully hasn't felt that he needs to reinvent himself after every release like some guitarists often do. The only faults with the album are also things that help strengthen it, mainly the fact that while listening to it, you feel you have heard it all before, and you have. While not treading on any new roads, "The Masquerade Ball" opts for taking familiar paths but presenting them in a fashion that is not only pleasing but often times inspiring.

1. "The Arrival" - Like an electric whispering wind, sinister in tone with unusual synthesizer to round up the end, a short instrumental serving as both the album opener and the start to "Earls of Black".
2. "Earls of Black" - A headbanger in the truest sense of the word, screams along at high speed, moving along with similar pacing to galloping German power metal and plenty of places to shred along the way. Despite the tempo, the chorus is worthy sing-along fare, I just love the way Gioeli says 'Earls of Black', putting a gutteral emphasis on the word 'black'. The crunchy guitar solo has some very strange moments throughout but sounds just godly!
3. "Voodoo Nights" - A pure rocker with style. Biting yet flowing guitar, scorching hot like coals and filling up every crack in the stepped-down bridge that cranks up into a catchy high powered chorus. The solo sets in like a squall and swirls and builds into a hurricane powered by electric force. A dramatic ending tops off a near-perfect song, and one of the strongest overall tunes in this release.
4. "Night and Rain" - An admirable attempt at a blues ballad whips into a true showcase piece. Packing a positively explosive and addicting chorus, this song is an absolute killer! The lulling, subdued opening is breathtaking, lapping guitars behind selective blues tinged notes ringing out with sweet clarity. Then louder squeals pierce in before Gioeli takes spotlight by budging in on the guitar and delivering a heartfelt performance right from the start, before it all escalates into a striking chorus and seamlessly shifts between the bluesy low key melodies backing his full force vocals and a more uptempo pounding with progressive touches. Bringing the song full circle are gorgeously crafted extended guitar solos, beginning out softly and making their way up to a shattering climax with mystical lyrics topping it all off.
5. "The Masquerade Ball" - A twisting and turning flamboyant epic which we have come to expect from Pell's solo releases. Its "Black Moon Pyramid" without the Egyptian overtones, and "The Gates of the Seven Seals" except much more memorable. A little slow taking off, but once its off the ground, it oozes with quality. You won't soon forget the gigantic chorus. The lyrics have some usual mystical/medieval/occult references involving celestial bodies, demon dances and the loss of 'tomorrow'. "See the wizard fly" is an especially nice touch, and I will venture to say its a bit of a nod to Rainbow's "Stargazer". A little darker and slower than previous Axel epics, some parts quite moody and laid back, giving nice balance and contrast.
6. "Tear Down the Walls" - The first of two songs that give off that "Talk of the Guns" feel, this pure fire rocker gives Axel plenty of opportunity to tear out those breezy scorching solos, and a nice fat chorus featuring lots of celestial imagery. "As the moon eclipses the sun", "Lightning strikes the sun!", "Cut the edge of the rainbow", and the line that heavily reminds me of Dio's "Last in Line": "are we evil or divine"? Speaking of rainbows, this one also has the same kind of edge that dominated "Ride the Rainbow" from "Oceans of Time".
7. "The Line" - Hearing Gioeli in fine form, his voice rings out, rich with emotional electricity. The transistions between slow and smooth AOR to pompous choruses ringing with guitar and power come with relative ease.
8. "Hot Wheels" - is a thunderous song about driving down the freeway at breakneck speeds of course, and the tempo of the song is more than happy to oblige the lyrics by matching the words with fast pacing, and the second of the two heavy reminders of a "Between the Walls" track called "Talk of the Guns".
9. "The Temple of the Holy" - Mellow opening, lulls the listener into a sense of security and saddness with beautiful calming piano providing a gorgeous backdrop for the frontman to take center stage singing magical lyrics in origin and nature that tell a complete story and give the song a bard-like touch. Reoccuring guitar melodies woven in give the song a feeling of consistancy. The song never properly takes off and stays in semi-ballad mode throughout, with no apparent climax, instead it fades off into oblivion, much like the way it began.
10. "July Morning" - Fitting perfectly in with the rest of the album is this ambitious Uriah Heep cover, brilliantly arranged to take full advantage of the available musical talent. Hats off to Ferdy Doernberg (Rough Silk) for the winding keyboard solo. Axel handles the lead breaks and surging solos with mastery.