TRACK LISTING
1. Talk Of The Guns.
2. Nasty Reputation.
3. Mistreated.
4. Warrior.
5. Snake Eyes.
6. Casbah (incl. Eternal Prisoner).
7. Call Her Princess.
8. Fire On The Mountain.

1995 Steamhammer Records

'Made In Germany' is a live roundup of Axel's first 5 solo albums, naturally as a live album it favours the album for which the tour is promoting, but that is not a bad thing  what with the quality of the material on the 'Between The Walls' album from 1994. The material on this album is superb and all with a classic vocal delivery from the leather lungs of Jeff Scott Soto [ex Yngwie as if you needed to be told], my only complaint being the smallish number of tracks.

The sounds of the album is 'indeed' live, and personally I think it sounds superb cranked up. This is not one of those horribly overproduced / overdubbed affairs that gets called 'live albums', no sir, its a little rough and ready in places but  bristling with energy and attitude and even the odd mistake!

2. NASTY REPUTATION (4.43)
One of my favourite Pell tracks and this version is so fist clenching heavy that I love it to death. A few bars in Jeff Scott Soto stops the band to remind the audience that a live album is being recorded, to which a muted [by live album standards] audience sort of roars in approval. Jeff is geeing Axel on for the solo whilst the gloriously simplistic chorus is repeated a few times- enough to get right under your skin.  A superb rendition.

3. MISTREATED (14.41)
A cover of the Deep Purple classic, however Axel decides to use the Rainbow version for the basis of his cover (which I prefer btw). A gentle intro sees some soulful playing before Axel goes into the same routine that Blackmore used to open the piece on 'Rainbow On Stage'.  My only complaint is that Axel plays the main riff a little stiffly compared to Blackmore's more moody style.  Here JSS really excels, with a rendition on a par with his own on the same track on Yngwie's 'Inspiration'. Axel uses Blackmore's extended solo as a springboard for his own histrionics and the results are impressive.  A great version of a classic track.

4. WARRIOR (5.12)
The second track of the evening from 'Between The Walls', this is another classic Pell fast straight down the line metal classic.  The riff is mean and chunky while Jeff belts out the lyrics again in timeless fashion. This is the kind of track that goes down a storm live and here is no exception.  The solo is another Pell classic with bluesy infections mixed with more rhythmic ideas rather than the million notes a second stuff, another great live track.

5. SNAKE EYES (6.21)
A superb bluesy moody track from Pell's debut album 'Wild Obsession'.  The lurching riff is another of my favourites whilst the call and response of the vocals and guitar is pure magic.  The space shown in the verse is superb while the build up to the chorus is divine, then the chorus and Soto's voice is full of all the emotion you could ask for - 'She controls the dice, Snake Eyes'.  The solo is another of Axel's melodic masterpieces that is perfectly suited to the flavour of the track. 'Don't make me beg like a dog without a bone, C'mon little sweetie, don't ya turn your heart to stone'.

6. CASBAH (incl. Eternal Prisoner) (11.52)
Ah yes, probably my favourite Pell track from the Jeff Scott Soto period. Gentle volume swells of guitar and organ open the track before a bone crunching short riff quickly ends the subtelty.  This is then followed by those classic vocal lines -'Here I go and make my final stand, very far away theirs a promised land', backed up by a superb eastern sounding riff that is very Blackmore-ish.  I have always seen this track as Pell's version of 'Stargazer', and I love it.  The simple chorus is so well suited that you wonder if Pell and Soto have had songwriting classes with Dio and Blackmore, the quality would suggest they have.  The solo you know is going to be something special and Pell doesn't disappoint- pure class. The track then dives into Eternal Prisoner without missing a note and these two tracks seem perfectly suited. A definite highlight.

7. CALL HER PRINCESS (10.15)
'Call Her Princess' starts with Jeff announcing to the crowd that 'Axel has something a little special for ya', and indeed he has.  Some classical guitar phrasing ties in nicely with the keyboards, Axel then dives into 'Greensleeves' - another Blackmore favourite before the band kicks in for the main bulk of the track. I must admit that this has never really been one of my favourite tracks but here is sounds good enough and the delivery is pretty unstoppable. The high tempo of the track sees Axel respond accordingly with some very fast guitar runs and licks. 4 1/2 minutes in Soto announces a duel between Axel and Julie Greaux, and pretty exciting it is, with each answering each others phrases while trying to gain the upper hand.  Again this sort of play can be traced back to Blackmore and Lord in Deep Purple and then subsequently in every Rainbow incarnation, still it gives the listener a chance to hear the musicians abilities, remember this is a warts and all live album, a solid enough track.

8. FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN (8.50)
'Fire On The Mountain' was especially written for the 'Between The Walls' tour and an impressive number it is. It has a  strong solid riff that is a good basis for the verse lyrics, the pre chorus is ace while the chorus lets the standard down a tad. The way the band lock into a groove on the riff is quite breathtaking and this really is a powerhouse of a live band.  Soto again impresses with a strong and full range, his voice is slightly rough in tiny places, but as this was probably the last song of the gig its no big deal.  The solo is quite magnificent and Axel again excels himself.  Jeff starts a sing along with the crowd for which they are too pleased to accept and this time are clearly audible. An excellent track and a great way to end the album. 

RATING

8.4

Review By Andy Craven.