Axel Rudi Pell 🇬🇧 Ghost Town

With powerful riffs and catchy melodies, guitar legend Axel Rudi Pell has been captivating his fans for over 35 years. His latest album is called “Ghost Town”. The instrumental “The Regicide” is followed by “Guillotine Walk”. A man has been sentenced to death and, on his way to the scaffold, he looks back on his life. In addition to the guitar playing, there is certainly room for melancholy.
‘Breaking Seals’ is a duet with Udo Dirkschneider. “The Enemy Within” has a surprising, slow intro. The lyrics are about the inner demons with which people are struggling.
It’s full throttle again in “Hurricane”. In the power ballad “Towards The Shore”, you can hear piano sounds, which harmonise beautifully with the guitar playing. The instrumental start of “Higher Call” is serene, the (layered) vocals are appropriately calm. The intensity increases, but the balance is maintained.
Of course, there is a lot of guitar playing, with various (recurring) details. The music has enjoyable tempo and volume changes, yet the structure is sometimes predictable. Johnny Gioeli’s rock voice fits the music well. All the ‘ingredients’ together create a pleasant rockCD.

(7/10) (Steamhammer)