Music
Axel Rudi Pell is a melodic heavy metal band from Germany. Surprisingly, very few people have heard of them over here, even some hardcore metal fans. Their lead guitarist, Axel Rudi Pell (yes people, the band is named after him), falls in the ranks of Yngwie Malmsteen, Satriani and the likes. And this is why I was more astonished that how did he go unnoticed. The band follows, as quoted in wikipedia, a classic traditional melodic heavy metal, which actually means "mesmerizingly superb guitar solos, that '80s flavor and a surprisingly melodic heavy metal style".

Axel Rudi Pell was born on June 27, 1960. His first band was Steeler, with which he worked on a few albums before starting his own solo career. He plays a classic heavy metal which is a little less flashy than Malmsteen but with more emphasis on softer, ballad-type tones. However, the songs he produces hints that Axel had had some noticeable influence from Rainbow. Some of his tracks like "Silent Angel", "The Masquerade Ball", "Magic" and the instrumental piece "Serenade of Darkness" will instantly blow you away.

Although the ARP band is Axel's solo project, other fantastic artists like Jörg Michael (ex-drummer) and Ferdy Doernberg (keyboardist) got ample space to show off their talent. Currently, the line-up is made up of Johnny Gioeli (vocals), Mike Terrana (drums), Ferdy Doernberg (keyboards), Volker Krawczak (bass) and Axel with his melodic and fast guitar.

From the beginning of his career with "Steeler" Axel's music have been smash hit in the world of metal in Germany. ARP's albums usually always found places in the top charts but the "Oceans of Time" became their best-selling album of all time. The band also released compilations of slow songs, both old and new, known as "The Ballads". He has also released some cover songs in his albums like Deep Purple's "When a blind man cries" and Rainbow's "Temple of the king". Their latest album "Diamonds Unlocked" is actually a cover album of some greatest hits of metal and rock like U2, Kiss, The Who, Phil Collins and many others. Here's what Axel has to say about his new album:

"I have always stressed that I don't have a hard rock and metal fixation. I don't think in terms of pigeonholes. If I like a track for whatever reason, I don't care about its stylistic direction. Every song on this album made me want to cover it at some stage when I heard the original."
Axel Rudi Pell

(Student of East West University)