MYSTICA

Few German guitarists look back at as long and successful a career as Axel Rudi Pell. For over 25 years, he has been an integral part of the German melodic metal scene and has, together with his own group, presented a total of sixteen albums to date. Mystica is the title of the seventeenth and most recent offering by the Axel Rudi Pell Band and takes up seamlessly where its predecessors, Kings & Queens and Shadow Zone, left off. “It was a conscious decision to present an album that relies on our typical trademarks and doesn’t try out something completely new in stylistic terms,” Pell explains. “We have our own style, but on Mystica we sound even more homogeneous and musically coherent.” On top of that, Pell has continued to grow as a guitarist. “I think my extensive experience has a positive effect on my musical style. The solos on the new numbers sound even a touch more emotional.” Together with drummer Mike Terrana, bassist Volker Krawczak, keyboarder Ferdy Doernberg and the exceptional American vocalist, Johnny Gioeli, he has a band by his side who are accustomed to one another and have acclimatized perfectly to Pell’s compositions. The band leader produced the new album himself, supported by Charlie Bauerfeind as engineer and mixer. The drums were recorded in the tried and tested manner by Uli Pösselt.

Mystica presents nine new tracks that sparkle with great melodies and strong hooklines. Starting with the classic ‘Valley Of Sin’ and the straightforward ‘Rock The Nation’, Pell forges a tension arch of epic dimensions. “The final track, ‘The Curse Of The Damned’ is a little epos. To me, it’s a sort of sequel to the song, ‘The Clown Is Dead’, from the Magic album. A very emotional number.” About half of the new songs are accounts of the five knight`s adventures (who can also be seen on Felipe Machado Franco’s cover artwork), the others deal with subjects such as animal testing (‘No Chance To Live’), the life of a rock band (‘Rock The Nation’) and the peculiarities of a relationship (‘Living A Lie’).

Mystica is scheduled for release on August 28, 2006 (Germany: August 25), and only three weeks later, the band are due to embark on their extensive European tour which will take Axel Rudi Pell through Germany, France, Belgium, Switzerland and, for the first time, Britain. Next to an appearance at the Bloodstock Festival in Derby, the ARP band have been booked for festivals alongside the Scorpions in Bulgaria and other international top acts in Norway. It has been confirmed that they will perform at least three of their new tracks alongside their classics on their tour from mid-September. “Although the final decision has not been made, I can imagine numbers such as ‘Fly To The Moon’ or ‘Rock The Nation’, and possibly also the title track, ‘Mystica’, as part of our current live set.”


BAND HISTORY
Pell’s career began in 1980 with the band, Steeler, who sold over 30,000 copies of their commercially most successful release, Strike Back, and brought out their fourth and final album, Undercover Animal, in 1988. In November of that same year, Pell formed his own group together with Jörg Deisinger (ex-Bonfire), drummer Jörg Michael, bassist Thomas Smuszynski (ex-U.D.O.) and the American vocalist, Charlie Huhn (Ted Nugent, Gary Moore, Victory). Their debut album, Wild Obsessions, arrived at the stores one year later, followed by Nasty Reputation, for whom Pell enlisted the American frontman, Rob Rock (M.A.R.S, Impellitteri), who was replaced during the subsequent German tour by former Malmsteen vocalist, Jeff Scott Soto. With Soto as a new member, the third album, Eternal Prisoner (1992), was undeniable proof that the band had found their own, unmistakable style from the beginning. One year later, Pell brought out The Ballads, an album featuring his most accomplished rock ballads. With Between The Walls (1994) and the live recording, Made In Germany, the guitarist from Wattenscheid held on to his typical style even in the post-grunge era. The subsequent Black Moon Pyramid (1996) was the second Pell album in succession to make the German album charts. 1997 saw the arrival of Pell’s eighth offering, Magic, featuring a thematically consistent concept about supernatural stories. Magic also entered the charts, followed by Oceans Of Time, the commercially most successful album at that time by the Axel Rudi Pell band, and the continuation of Pell’s ballad concept (The Ballads II, 1999). Following the departure of Jeff Scott Soto, Pell enlisted American vocalist Johnny Gioeli (ex-Hardline) for the production of Oceans Of Time, The Ballads III and his 2000 release, Masquerade Ball. His characteristic voice also enhanced the subsequent releases, Shadow Zone (2002) and Kings & Queens (2004). With Mystica, the band have come full circle, opening new horizons in Europe at the same time (see tour dates).