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Axel Rudi Pell ‎– The Ballads III / BMG Audio CD 2004 / 0693723699622

BMG

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$39.99
SKU:
0693723699622
UPC:
0693723699622
Weight:
5.00 Ounces
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Product Overview

Axel Rudi Pell ‎– The Ballads III / BMG Audio CD 2004

UPC 0693723699622

 

Product Details:

Label: BMG - 0693723699622
Format: CD, Compilation
Country: Europe
Released: 2004
Genre: Rock
Style: Hard Rock, Ballad
 
 
Editorial Review:
The art of '80s-styled heavy metal power ballads is alive and well thanks to the efforts of German guitar hero Axel Rudi Pell, who turned in his third full disc filled exclusively with the same in 2005's The Ballads III. OK, so calling this concerted act of compositional repetition "art" may be stretching it a bit, but at least there's no subterfuge disguising what's in store here. And that's 11 examples -- three new, the rest drawn from previous LPs -- summing up to nearly 70 minutes' worth of heart-wrenching, soul-baring, fist-clenching, eye-squinting, baby-please-don't-leave-me, soft-rocking tearjerkers -- all of them custom-made to have macho men and denim-and-leather warriors everywhere pining for their leather-clad wenches. Or not. Bottom line: where the inclusion of one, or maybe even two, slow tunes amid a slew of angry metal anthems (the so-called "Stairway to Heaven" rule) makes for a nice break for relieving the tension, lining them up back to front quickly leads to distraction -- particularly when the bulk of them exceed the six-, seven-, and even eight-minute marks with despairing regularity. Tellingly, it's the gratefully brief (if spectacularly named) "The Curse of the Chains" -- a shimmering solo guitar instrumental inspired by classic Blackmore-isms like "Vielleicht das Nachste Mal (Maybe Next Time)" -- that leaves the most lasting impression. Still, in the end one comes away feeling like The Ballads III was one of those kooky ideas that looked a lot better on paper than proved practical in reality. But then, the fact that it's the third installment in the series suggests there's plenty of devout Axel Rudi Pell fans begging to differ.
 
 

Tracklist:

1 Don't Say Goodbye 5:41
2 Forever Angel (Acoustic) 4:33
3 The Temple Of The King 6:36
4 Heartbreaker 6:43
5 The Line 7:42
6 Sea Of Evil 8:27
7 The Curse Of The Chains        
1:28
8 All The Rest Of My Life 8:05
9 Forever Angel 6:02
10 The Temple Of The Holy 7:40
11   
Under The Gun 6:49

 

 

More Details:

  • Acoustic Guitar [Additional] – Ferdy Doernberg (tracks: 2), Volker Krawczak (tracks: 2)
  • Bass – Volker Krawczak
  • Cover [Illustration] – Marc Klinnert, Studio Oxmox
  • Design [Booklet] – André Marsell, Em-Design
  • Drums, Percussion – Mike Terrana
  • Keyboards – Ferdy Doernberg
  • Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Acoustic Guitar – Axel Rudi Pell (2)
  • Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals – Johnny Gioeli
  • Mastered By – Ulf Horbelt
  • Producer – Axel Rudi Pell (2) (tracks: 1 to 11), Charlie Bauerfeind (tracks: 1 to 3, 6, 9), Ulli Pösselt (tracks: 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11)

 

 

About the Artist:

Axel Rudi Pell (born 27 June 1960) is a German heavy metal guitar player. He commenced his musical career with Steeler (1984–88) before leaving in 1988 for a solo career. During this time, he has played with such drummers as Jörg Michael and Mike Terrana, and singers Charlie Huhn, Johnny Gioeli of Hardline, Jeff Scott Soto, and Rob Rock. Gioeli remains the longest surviving vocalist of the band, having joined the group since 1998 on the album Oceans of Time, Gioeli's first musical appearance since the 1992 Hardline album Double Eclipse.

Axel often says his music is about a Knight in shining armour going on various adventures. Each album continues one new quest after the other, and songs are told as separate stories. Axel's main influence in guitar work has been Ritchie Blackmore from Deep Purple.

SPV Records released a live DVD on 25 February 2008, titled Live over Europe, which includes the full performance from the Rock Hard Festival in 2007, and comes with a bonus disc which includes live footage from Pell's own archive. In 2012 a new Axel Rudi Pell live concert CD/DVD Live on Fire was released.

In 2013, ex-Rainbow drummer Bobby Rondinelli joined the band, replacing Mike Terrana after his initial departure in 2013. Mike Terrana wanted to pursue other projects, such as becoming a member of the supergroup The Ferrymen, featuring Rainbow singer Ronnie Romero on vocals. Axel celebrated his 25th anniversary as a musician in 2014, headlining the Bang Your Head festival in Balignen Germany on July 11, 2014. It featured one of the original line up's singers: Jeff Scott Soto. Special guests also included Joerg Michael, Rob Rock, Ronnie Atkins, John Lawton, ex-Rainbow singer Graham Bonnett, Doogie White, keyboardist Tony Carey and drummer Vinny Appice. The show consisted of 3 acts: a short Steeler reunion and brief Axel Rudi Pell original line up reunion with Jeff Scott Soto, a full modern Axel Rudi Pell show with vocalist Johnny Gioeli and current band members, and the last act featuring various Deep Purple and Rainbow covers with a full ensemble.

In 2019 the band celebrated their 30th anniversary, releasing a double live album called XXX - 30th Anniversary Live. The songs were recorded on various dates of the Knights Call 2018 tour. The group's Facebook page stated at the time that the band did not know they were being recorded but when they heard the audio they were amazed and wanted to release it to celebrate the group's 30th Anniversary. It was released in June 2019 on CD and LP.

On February 5, 2020, they announced their latest album on their Facebook page, titled Sign of the Times, due for release in April 24, 2020. A German tour will follow in support of the new record. Axel is well known for his extensive touring, mostly around Germany and his home town in Bochum. He rarely tours in western countries, however has performed a few one off shows in London. There is often high demand to bring him to other countries, but he prefers to perform local shows. They are also famous for attending many music festivals such as making multiple appearances at Wacken Open Air. In March 2020, the band announced a delay of the release of their upcoming album, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and will be released on May 8th, 2020.

 

 

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