Axel Rudi Pell: Sign Of The Times CLR version on vinyl 2LP in colored edition. This particular edition was published in Europe in publishing company Steamhammer in cooperation with SPV on 7. December 2020.

The numbers speak for themselves: over 1.7 million albums sold worldwide, 2.6 million streams with only the predecessor "Knights Call" (2018) in the Top 10. Axel Rudi Pell is now releasing his eighteenth (!) studio album "Sign Of The Times". However, it is not the quantity that is decisive, but the quality. His consistency is increasingly appreciated by the worldwide hard & heavy community. Because not always, but more and more often, the term "cult" is used in connection with Axel Rudi Pell. He himself doesn't do much with the term, "but if you've been successful for so long, maybe you deserve something like that." That doesn't just sound mundane, it's meant to be. "When we played in Moscow last year, a lot of fans called me a legend. My response was, "I'm just a guitar player." Nothing more, but nothing less. Because the 59-year-old singer knows what he can do and still surprises, as in the case of the song "Sign Of The Times". "I don't know what it is, but this time I ended up writing a month earlier than I planned." And one more change: for the first time in nine albums, Pell didn't work with his usual co-producer Charlie Bauerfeind due to time constraints, but with the engineer of the live albums "Magic Moments" (2015) and "XXX Anniversary" (2019): "I knew Tommy Geiger could do it, and it all worked out great." The two Americans in the band, vocalist Johnny Gioeli and drummer Bobby Rondinelli, certainly played a big part in making "Sign Of The Times" so good. "First of all, Johnny outdid himself this time, he gave more than 100 percent. That's due to the fact that he's been appearing more and more in concert and singing a lot in recent years. On the other hand, Bobby and I have never had such a good drum sound in the band, also thanks to his new snare called "Black Beauty". And of course the songs have improved too, haha." Can't disagree with that: With the double-bass banger "Gunfire", Pell comes up with arguably the best opener in fifteen years; "Bad Reputation" is a straightforward melodic rock gem; the title track, which was written during a soundcheck, is epic as usual; the rock banger "The End Of The Line" impresses with its long but catchy chorus, as does the ballad "As Blind As A Fool Can Be". Things get interesting in the second half of the album, as here Pell breaks from his own tradition several times: 'Wings Of The Storm' is a modern homage to Coverdale/Hughes-era Deep Purple, as if recorded by Jimi Hendrix. The intense "Waiting For Your Call" features Gioeli's best vocal performance, while "Living In A Dream" surprises not only the other bandmates Volker Krawzcak (b) and Ferdy Doernberg (k) with its reggae(!) intro. Finally, "Into The Fire" ends the album in an epic but not too drawn out way. This time there are no overly long tracks, the solos have become more song-like and melodic, the drop in quality is not noticeable. The guitarist's conclusion is positive: "There is nothing to complain about, even the record company is very enthusiastic. Maybe it's also because Pell dropped the mysticism this time and preferred tangible themes, which fits the title "Sign Of The Times". "Apart from a few standard lyrics about relationships, most of the lyrics revolve around current world events, hence the two minutes past midnight time depicted on the cover of the song. We are in quite dangerous times. I'm not just talking about the issue of climate change, but also religious wars and public safety." The lyrics to these songs may have come more easily to him than usual, thanks to his new orientation; another sign that Sign Of The Times has become a qualitatively well-crafted affair. Axel Rudi Pell still manages to surprise himself and his fans. There is certainly no better gift for his upcoming 60th birthday.

Album spans genres Rock and Heavy Metal. 2LP Coloured Swirls Red Vinyl With Black Splatter.