The Bottom Line
Pros
- Axel’s reliability on guitar makes him a legend.
- Eighties-styled power metal bearing hints of Axel’s old Steeler days with modern prog textures.
- Bassist Volker Krawczak is still riding shotgun, keeping Axel in a comfort zone.
Cons
- Steady as she goes, there’s regrettably nothing groundbreaking here.
Description
- Released November 4, 2008 on SPV Records.
- Produced by Axel Rudi Pell and sound engineer/mixer Charlie Bauerfiend.
- This is Pell's 18th album.
Guide Review - Axel Rudi Pell - 'Tales Of The Crown'
Whether or not Diamonds Unlocked gave Pell a new perspective coming into Tales of the Crown is for his own personal assessment, but on his new album, Pell moves along methodically and professionally. If there’s any drawback to Tales of the Crown, it’s the fact this album merely goes by-the-numbers with a slightly grimier edge than some of Axel Rudi Pell’s previous work.
20 years ago songs like “Crossfire,” “Riding on an Arrow” and “Touching My Soul” would’ve landed Pell smack on the cover of every major metal magazine. Today most of the songs on Tales of the Crown ring nostalgic for a woebegone era of melodic heavy metal that’s been holding on chiefly in the Euro sanctions and beyond.
At times Pell cranks things up on the rapid-paced “Buried Alive” and “Angel Eyes,” which juices up the largely lumbering pace of this album. As always, Pell is dependable with his strategically placed solos and Tales of the Crown benefits from his supremely hard riffing on “Ain’t Gonna Win” and “Northern Lights.” With Johnny Gioelli continuing his reign on the mike, Axel Rudi Pell’s music has taken a more prowling feel. Rob Rock once brought Pell an altogether different dynamic; however Gioelli’s tempered delivery helps move Tales of the Crown along with confidence if not advancement.
