“All right, all right, all right…” — to quote a rather famous Texas high schooler from back in the day (circa 1976). Here we go again with another release from AXEL RUDI PELL, one of my favorite songwriters and axemen on the planet. The album is Ghost Town (out now via Steamhammer), and it’s exactly what you’d expect — in the best way possible.
The riffs come in hot and heavy right from opener “Guillotine Walk,” and the momentum keeps rolling with “Breaking Seals,” which features vocalist Johnny Gioeli alongside guest Udo Dirkschneider. That alone should tell you what kind of firepower we’re dealing with here.
The title track “Ghost Town” hits all kinds of hard, with bassist Volker Krawczak, drummer Bobby Rondinelli, and keyboardist Ferdy Doernberg locking in tight and doing everything in their collective powers to match Pell’s intensity — especially when he cuts loose on the solo. Do they keep up? Bet your ass, they do!
“Holy Water” stands out immediately, with a hook that sticks and won’t let go. It’s one of those tracks that just camps out and lives in your head rent-free (like Wil Wheaton did in Sheldon’s, IYKYK) — and trust me, you will.
“The Enemy Within” is slow and deliberate, like a foggy night in London, giving off a feel of dread down each alleyway. On the other side of that coin is “Hurricane”, a big and bad rocker that’ll slap you silly, then take your eyebrows off with a straight razor!
“Sanity” and “Steps of Stone” are quite the pair of rockers, and they’re already on my A.R P. ever-growing playlist that I started in 2014. The tunes also beautifully bookend a gorgeous ballad in “Towards the Shore”. Not surprised, as this is somewhere the band always delivers.
The album closes with the epic “Higher Call”, seven minutes in all its majestic glory. When it comes to tracks of this ilk, the group never seems to fail; on the contrary, soaring seems to be the order of the day.
At the end of the day, AXEL RUDI PELL and Co. have delivered yet another heaping platter of rock and roll greatness with Ghost Town. I love this record, and it’s gonna be on REPEAT here for a long time. You’d do well to get this one in you with a quickness, too.
