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Axel Rudi Pell – Sign of The Times

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Axel Rudi Pell - Sign of The Times

Axel Rudi Pell - Sign of The Times
4.2

Rating

 4.2/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Nice and epic songs
  • Great guitar play, but also ballad sounds
  • 60th birthday album & 20th studio one!

60 years of Axel Rudi Pell – one of the big names in the German metal scene is celebrating this significant anniversary this June. Before he can have a big or small party, he is starting the celebrations with his twentieth studio album: Sign Of The Times has been released on 8th May 2020.

 

Axel Rudi Pell – About The Artist

Axel Rudi Pell was born on 27th June 1960 in Bochum, Ruhrgebiet Region, Germany. He initially became famous for being part of the band Steeler, with whom he released four records before going solo. He left the band in 1988 and released his solo debut album Wild Obsession in 1989. Since then, his band members changed quite frequently, but as frequently he also released albums. Sign of the Times will be Axel Rudi Pell’s twentieth studio album, in addition to seven compilation and five live albums.

 

Axel Rudi Pell – Sign of The Times – Track by Track

The ten track album lasts 54 minutes:

1. The Black Serenade (Intro)

The Black Serenade is an instrumental intro with some choral-like background sounds. If you are following my reviews, you know that I typically tend to skip the intros anyway. Sorry.

2. Gunfire

The album starts strong – with a typical Pell sound: powerful, guitars, melodic. Cool one!

3. Bad Reputation

I just love the melody of Bad Reputation and thus enjoy this song, which is just a great hard rock track about the scary lady.

You better hold on tight
When she’s there and trying to grab you
And so be warned all night
About the lies, pain and sorrow
Don’t look into her eyes
She’ll cast a spell all over your body
And take the good advice
Be fast on your feet and run

4. Sign Of The Times

You need to have some time to review Axel Rudi Pell Album. The title track of the album just will take your some lousy seven minutes of your time. The track is much harder than the two songs before, even though it is comparably slow.

Never too late
Creating and moving
Finding out it’s the sign of the times
Can’t take a break
No twisting and turning
Calling out it’s the sign of the times
The sign of the times

Metal lyrics may be less explict than country music, I guess… But I just like to listen to these long songs guiding you through different atmospheres. The best thing you can say about Sign Of The Times: the seven minutes do not get boring at all. So the seven minutes it takes are quality time, indeed.

5. The End Of The Line

The guy in the rhythm machine in the rear of the band is a bit more present in The End of The Line – drummers in metal songs should always receive that combination of admiration and compassion. The 5:21 minute The End of The Line is signifcantly shorter than the previous song, but still feels longer to me. Not a good sign – good song, but not as catching as the songs before.

6. As Blind As A Fool Can Be

Hard Rockers and Metalheads just do the best ballads and slow song – no argue from my side! In his 60th birthday album, Axel Rudi Pell proofs this theorem with the sixth track on the album, As Blind As A Fool Can Be may not be the metal ballad of the century, but it si very deep, atmospheric and thus a fantastic listen!

7. Wings Of The Storm

The electric guitars are back at more amp, the vocals are more powerful and the heads are banging – Wings Of The Storm, one of the singles already released, is just a feast for the lover of harder strings.  Cool one – even though this track has some a-bit-of-lengthy elements.

8. Waiting For Your Call

The eighth track of Sign Of The Times reminds me of 1980’s and 1990’s songs by bands like Europe. Very melodic, but also a clear addiction to rock. Good one!

9. Living In A Dream

Living In A Dream starts like a reggae song. After some one minute (of six), the guitars take back the full control. Even though there is a certain groove, I would have loved to keep this combination of metal and reggae for a while. No reggae any more for five minutes,but a good guitar-scrambler with a quite unique way to introduce itself.

10. Into The Fire

In this last track before the German metal mage turns 60, he gives the guitar strings a hard time and puts smoke on the amplifiers. A powerful track at the album – Into The Fire is one of the best songs of this album to me, definitely.

 

Axel Rudi Pell – Sign of The Times – Spotify

Here is the Spotify widget to Sign of The Times:

 

Axel Rudi Pell – Sign of The Times – My View

Happy birthday, Axel Rudi Pell… Not yet… But Sign of The Times is defiinitely a good, a very good way to bang your head. Some really cool songs and epic compositions. Give us some more years, please!

 

 

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