Axel Rudi Pell – Circle of the Oath (2012)

With a very long and extremely good discography under his belt, Axel Rudi Pell returns this 2012 with their latest masterpiece “Circle of the Oath”. In this release, Axel and the band rip through 10 tracks of very traditional and effective Heavy/Power Metal without ridiculous amounts of flair, but with a very well defined core and a timeless sound.

Immediately after the intro, Axel’s guitar playing power is immediately present on “Ghost in the Black”. As one of the fastest tracks of this release, this song is filled with catchy guitar work, powerful keyboards and very solid vocals courtesy of Johnny Gioeli. The traditional Heavy Metal atmosphere is immediately present with the catchy choruses of “Run with the Wind” and “Before I Die”, a staple that Axel Rudi Pell has had over their whole career.

Experimenting with some electronic elements “Sceneries of Hope” is a very catchy track that is nicely surrounded with sweet vocals and a very entertaining melody. The band does a great job in crafting melodic foundations to each song, allowing them to be both aggressive and symphonic without getting to tiresome. The harsh vocals of tracks like “Blazing A Trail” provide a nice contrast to the female one, and deliver that extra level of aggression that other bands have been forgetting in recent years.

The band’s vocalist has a very good range and is very versatile as most of the songs demonstrate, making him an excellent fit for the band’s music. The drums courtesy of Mike Terrana are top notch and keep the tradional Heavy Metal vibe going through this release. In the epic title track “Circle of the Oath” the band takes a more traditional Hard Rock approach and delivers a killer track. The progression from ‘acoustic’ to full-on Metal with some nice oriental elements is just majestic, making the track one of the best of this album.

Continuing the band’s tradition of featuring power ballads in their albums, “Lived our lives before” delivers powerful keyboards and excellent guitar solos. Closing this release with a bang, “World of Confusion” is a 9 minute epic that delivers very atmospheric elements that nicely fadeout near the end. Again, Axel Rudi Pell shines with excellent guitar solos that add extra epciness to this song.

Overall, “Circle of the Oath” is an excellent release that any fan of Axel Rudi Pell and Heavy/Power Metal in general will enjoy for countless hours. The band has long found their sound and with each release they keep producing excellent tracks that will surely stand the test of time. This album is hands down the best Heavy Metal release of 2012 so far.

Release: March 23rd (Europe) / March 27th (North America)

Country: Germany