Steamhammer/SPV have released a fair old amount of classic metal lately, and are now hammering out some excellent DVDs to treat fans who either didn’t make the gigs, or want a memento of the occasion beyond the usual hangover, empty wallet, and sweat stained t-shirt! This recording of Axel Rudi Pell in front of a crowd of over 5,000 at Germany’s Rock of Ages Festival 2009 is the latest that has landed in my lap. Axel Rudi Pell is truly a guitar player and metal composer to be reckoned with, staying true to his form, and ignoring all trends. For decade after decade he has been blasting out expertly honed and masterfully played melodic metal, showcasing his skills all over Europe to a host of adoring fans. Starting out with the massively influential Steeler, since 1989 he has supplied the world with over a dozen studio albums with his eponymous band, including such classics as ‘Wild Reputation’, ‘Oceans of Time’, and 2008’s ‘Tales of the Crown’, an album which only sees the title track played in a medley on this DVD. That’s not to consign the album to the ‘St. Anger’ pile stuff better forgotten, rather it’s a demonstration of how much of a massive back catalogue the band had to sample in their 80 minute set.
As with pretty much all recent Steamhammer/SPV concert videos, and unlike so many US label releases, the DVD comes without such distractions as crowd interviews, tour bus anecdotes, behind the scenes featurettes and commentaries. And I have to say, on this point, I’m with the label. Concert videos should be about the music, not some participant’s or listener’s opinion, and this release takes full advantage of a 10 camera shoot with 2.0, or 5.0 surround sound, which blasted out of the stereo speakers of my widescreen television most satisfactorily, thank you very much!
All that said, my first impression of the video was very non musical, and purely visual; “hasn’t Mr Pell recruited a massive band?” No, I’m not talking numbers, he’s not assembled a mass choir and brass section; I’m talking about individual size! The band ranged from the muscular vocalist and drummer Johnny Gioeli and Mike Terrana to the just plain massive keyboard player and bassist Ferdy Doernberg and Volker Krawczak. These are four men who could double up not just as musicians, but as a combined crew of bouncers and potential riot squad to boot! However, within a couple of minutes of their playing, the fact that they looked like a team of the men I’d least like to meet in a dark alley late at night was washed away by their musical abilities. Whilst Mike Terrana, with his insane gurning and flailing muscles looked like he was beating a confession out of his drum kit, throughout he was in fact teasing a subtle yet powerful, precise set of beats from his skins; Volker played his bass with a metronome like precision and contributed seasoned harmonies; and whilst dragging and flinging his assorted keyboards around the stage, Ferdy managed to layer the band’s sound with complex woven sounds that lifted this band above the rank and file of ordinary metal. Finally, with his bounding around the stage and almost operatic vocals, Johnny Gioeli was the band’s conductor, leading the appreciative crowd through one anthem to the next.
At the centre of this maelstrom of metal activity stood Axel Rudi Pell; every inch the metal hero, he commanded attention by his very impassivity, letting his playing speak for itself. Whilst the band around him charged from one side of the massive stage to another, particularly vocalist Gioeli, who seemed to occupy every spare inch of the festival, Axel Rudi Pell managed to stand out as the centre of opinion. From track to track, he blasted out one impeccable solo after another, simply concentrating on teasing one epic riff and solo after another from his chosen instrument of excellence.
Covering the band’s massive back catalogue, the track listing played out as Tear Down The Walls, Strong As A Rock, a medley of The Masquerade Ball, Casbah, Tales Of The Crown, Rock The Nation, The Temple Of The King, Mystica, Fool Fool and, finally Eternal Prisoner. Even the mid set drum solo had a place, allowing the band to rest from their efforts whilst Mike Terrana was given a chance to translate the aggression on his face to transfer to a battery on his drum kit. Track after track did nothing but highlight the enviable abilities of Mr Pell, a fact that vocalist Johnny Gioeli constantly highlighted with his screams of “Axel Rudi Pell.” Effortlessly note perfect throughout, with little ore then a nod to the crowd or gentle sway intruding on his concentration this is a release with highlights a the melodic metal guitar master Axel Rudi Pell at the height of his form.
http://www.axel-rudi-pell.de
