Kings & Queens

Axel Rudi Pell | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 8, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Steamhammer
• ASIN: B00018QITS
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #136,751 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. The Gate (Intro)

2. Flyin High

3. Cold Heaven

4. Strong As A Rock

5. Forever Angel

6. Legions Of Hell

7. Only The Strong Will Survive

8. Take The Crown

9. Sea Of Evil

Editorial Reviews

The Tenth Studio Album from the German Guitarist Axel Rudi Pell Offers the Usual Top Quality Splits Between Continuance and Development. But is this News? Since his 1989 Solo Debut "Wild Obsession" and No Later Than his Breakthrough in 1991 with "Nasty Reputation" , Pell Has Been a Firm Fixture in the German Melodic Hard Scene. In the Musical Microcosm Axel Rudi Pell Has Always Had Everything in Its Traditional Place, on the Other Hand He Moves it Continuously. If One Had Supposed that after the Early 90's Albums "Eternal Prisoner" and "Between the Walls (At that Time with Singer Jeff Scott Soto) that Axel Would have Nothing More to Offer, One Quickly Assured with the Knowledge that Pell Has Always Stood High Level Hard Rock.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One more solid ARP album, January 29, 2005

By 

Chad W. Armstrong - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kings & Queens (Audio CD)

Most artists rise to a pinnacle in their career and then descend from there, whether it be due to the band breaking up, change in musical direction, or a shift in the popular media's interests. Axel Rudi Pell seems to have the fortune (or misfortune, depending on your point of view) of never having quite reached one defining point in his career. Instead, his message has been continually spread out over the past 15 years across 15 CDs. In this time, many golden nuggets such as "Broken Heart", "Casbah", "Fool Fool", and "The Masquerade Ball" have emerged. Kings & Queens is just the next step of Axel's evolutionary path to spread his message of melodic hard rock.

Kings & Queens uses a similar template from which albums such as Magic, Shadow Zone, or The Masquerade Ball were crafted. The album starts out with an interesting instrumental number, featuring a glockenspiel, which has a cool sound to it, yet this song never quite seems to meet its full potential. Oceans of Time's "Slaves of the Twilight" is similar, but SotT felt a little more complete. Another 30 to 60 seconds on "The Gate" might have improved this song.

The next song, "Flying High" is a typical ARP rocker, but this song holds no true surprises. A decent song in itself, reminiscent of songs like "Pay the Price", "Earls of Black", or "Nightmare", yet this song almost seems a little stripped down in comparison to Axel's other works.

"Cold Heaven" initially turned me off because the opening riff sounds a little too close to The Cars' "Just What I Needed". After numerous listens, the song has grown on me, and is another decent song, but the best has still yet to come.

"Strong as a Rock" is where this album really begins to take off, starting a string of great songs such as itself, "Legions of Hell", "Forever Angel", and "Take the Crown". "Forever Angel" just might be the successor to "Broken Heart" for Axel's power ballads, just as "Take The Crown" has the power and ferocity found in the classic "Fool Fool". With the epic "Legions of Hell", Axel Rudi Pell once again pays homage to Dio, with his own equivalent of the Black Sabbath cut "Heaven and Hell".

The album finishes off with "Sea of Evil", a song which harkens back to songs such as "Temple of the Holy" or "Eyes of the Lost".

Axel's predictable musical style has provided his fans yet another gem to add to their collections. Despite a few weak sections, this album comes out quite strong without too much excess fluff. Just great melodic hard rock, which will settle in well with Axel's many other albums.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great, but that omnipresent squeaky sound disturbs a lot, August 13, 2004

By 

Marcel Wild (Matieland 7602 South Africa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Kings & Queens (Audio CD)

ARP did it again. His newest release is in the same league as

Shadow Zone and Oceans of time. As usual I like his slower tracks (ballads or not) better than the faster ones (e.g. Flying high). I am still looking for a heavy metal band that matches ARP in matters of melody. But my complaint: What about this nerve racking squeaking sound that creeps into many

songs?? It is most hearable in the last minute of acoustic guitar playing on "Legions of hell", but spoils other songs as well. It's not my faulty cd because I hear it also on other ARP cd's. Is there a problem with his recording equipment? I can't believe it's meant to be like that. Somebody please explain.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A perfect follow up to Shadow Zone, February 18, 2006

By 

Mike Alvey - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Kings & Queens (Audio CD)

Wow. That's what I thought when I first heard the album. Axel Rudi Pell has always been incredible, especially since Johnny Gioeli joined in 1998 with the album "Oceans of Time". I have to say that this album is not that far behind "Shadow Zone", which is the best album, in my oppinion. From start to finish this album just ROCKS. Songs like "Cold Heaven", "Forever Angel", and "Take The Crown" NEVER get old. A MUST HAVE!