Circle of the Oath

From the first note to its last, the music on this album is pretty much exactly what Axel Rudi Pell fans would have expected from him. He has stuck to what he does best. In terms of speed and the overall vibe, the entire album is very laid back. Ghost In The Black, "Run With The Wind", "Before I Die", "Fortunes Of War" and "Hold On To Your Dreams" are typically catchy mid-tempo power metal tunes decorated with ARP's gripping solos. The other four tracks go into ballad territory, some of them more deeply so than others.

But the deepest, most intense and easily the best track on the album is the 10-minute epic title track. It features some amazing acoustic guitar work by ARP, well complemented by Johnny Gioeli's highly expressive vocals. It's an extremely dark, exotic and powerful composition, and showcases the skills of ARP and his band mates to the maximum. In fact, it's these slower tunes on which ARP has really shone through, and in my opinion this aspect of the album gives it the unique ARP touch which separates it from the other power metal/melodic hard rock albums out there.

When it comes to comparing this effort to ARP's previous thirteen, I wouldn't say he has done things much differently. But, some of the tunes do have amazing musical depth, probably more than ever before. Another notable difference is in the lyrics. They are certainly nowhere near as cheesy as they have been on past albums. Gone are the kings, queens, crowns and pyramids, now replaced by themes like life, death and war. This is good and bad, because on the one hand it gives more depth and intensity to the music, but it also takes the fun element out of it, albeit to a small degree.

Overall, Axel Rudi Pell's newest effort "Circle Of The Oath" is sheer testimony to the fact that there is no end in sight for this brilliant guitarist, and yet again, he has churned out an excellent set of tunes.

Rating: 8/10

This is the first time I have ever heard of and listened to ARP. I liked it very much even if it did to me sound like a mixture of old Rainbow, The Scorpions and Yngwie Malmsteen. However this is no bad thing, it just means that it is very Euro Rock, and not particularly different. Throw in a bit of Ronnie James Dio( RIP), and a sprinkling of Europe and there you have it. I may well buy this album if only to extend my collection of European rock artists. Hope this was of some help.I am a 53 yr old rock / prog fan , so if my review sounds like it came from an old fart, well it did. LOL.

I'll try not to repeat too much of what the other reviewers say, as I pretty much agree with them. However I thought I'd support their comments and this album by writing a few extra words.
I am one of those people who has every Axel Rudi Pell album. Some may say ,"why?" Well, its because he never makes a bad one! He plows a tight furrow, yes, but there is variety within that and time after time you get consistent song writing and performances.
If you like melodic rock in a Dioesque style and enjoy Johnny Gioli's voice, then you'll be well rewarded. Strong riffs and melody persist throughout the album. Rockers interspersed with power ballads sums things up.
It's a bit early for me to say where this will sit in relation to all the other albums he's made but this album sounds fresh, vibrant and relevant. The band certainly haven't sat on their laurels.
I wasn't sure Axel could do it again but I'm happy to say he has and, after all, why wouldn't he. Quite simply, I LOVE IT and would recommend 'Circle of the Oath' as a buy, even if you have a few of Axel's previous albums!