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Product Description
Yet another notch in the belt of this German guitar hero, a work of catchy anthems, sparkling epics, top-flight song-craft and sterling performances from all involved, including acclaimed talents Johnny Gioeli and Mike Terrana.
TRACK LISTING:
1. The Gate (Intro)
2. Flyin' High
3. Gold Heaven
4. Strong As A Rock
5. Forever Angel
6. Legions Of Hell
7. Only The Strong Will Survive
8. Sailing Away
9. Take The Crown
10. Sea Of Evil
TRACK LISTING:
1. The Gate (Intro)
2. Flyin' High
3. Gold Heaven
4. Strong As A Rock
5. Forever Angel
6. Legions Of Hell
7. Only The Strong Will Survive
8. Sailing Away
9. Take The Crown
10. Sea Of Evil
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
The new album from ARP shows a slight departure from previous outings with an overall more commercial sound. If an ARP fan don't let this worry you as the album retains all the qualities associated with Axel, the Dioesque lyrics, longish tracks, a mixture of rockers with power ballads etcetera.
Anyone new to ARP should think Rainbow/Dio/Sabbath/Scorpions to give a rough idea. The lyrics are firmly in Dio territory and you can play spot the word, phrase or line. The word Rainbow appears a couple of times (as it usually does on an ARP album), kill the king, lost children of the sea, drawbridge down, misty morning with plenty of thunder, hell and evil. Get the point?
Vocals are a mixture of Joe Lynn Turner, Tony Martin and Klaus Meine though maybe at a slightly lower pitch than these. The guitar is very Blackmoresque but with Axel's own signiature.
After a couple of listens the tracks begin to grow on you, my favourites being in the second half of proceedings. Legions of Hell has echoes of Sabbaths Heaven and Hell complete with the twiddly guitar for a fade out. Take the Crown and Only the Strong Will Survive are classic rockers with great hooks. Sailing Away and my personal favourite Sea of Evil progress at a slower pace but with plenty of grandeur and impact.
On the down side I think Flyin' High is a touch weak for an opener(though still a decent track) and I'm not convinced by Forever Angel as yet. That aside this is a strong rock album with some fine songs which should win Axel some new converts. Time will tell.
Anyone new to ARP should think Rainbow/Dio/Sabbath/Scorpions to give a rough idea. The lyrics are firmly in Dio territory and you can play spot the word, phrase or line. The word Rainbow appears a couple of times (as it usually does on an ARP album), kill the king, lost children of the sea, drawbridge down, misty morning with plenty of thunder, hell and evil. Get the point?
Vocals are a mixture of Joe Lynn Turner, Tony Martin and Klaus Meine though maybe at a slightly lower pitch than these. The guitar is very Blackmoresque but with Axel's own signiature.
After a couple of listens the tracks begin to grow on you, my favourites being in the second half of proceedings. Legions of Hell has echoes of Sabbaths Heaven and Hell complete with the twiddly guitar for a fade out. Take the Crown and Only the Strong Will Survive are classic rockers with great hooks. Sailing Away and my personal favourite Sea of Evil progress at a slower pace but with plenty of grandeur and impact.
On the down side I think Flyin' High is a touch weak for an opener(though still a decent track) and I'm not convinced by Forever Angel as yet. That aside this is a strong rock album with some fine songs which should win Axel some new converts. Time will tell.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Another ARP record. Another collection of catchy tunes and slow songs.
Is it good? yes. An essential addition to your collection? no if you already own other ARP records.
Kings and Queens sounds very much like other ARP records. Some great 80s style rock songs with catchy hooks and choruses like Cold Heaven, Flying High and Strong as a Rock. And then the customary slower ballad type songs like Forever Angel and Sea of Evil.
In all honesty, the ARP style is so defined that the songs in Kings and Queens are interchangeable with, say, The Masquerade Ball. That is not bad in itself. It won't blow your mind, but it gives you a nice warm feeling.
Is it good? yes. An essential addition to your collection? no if you already own other ARP records.
Kings and Queens sounds very much like other ARP records. Some great 80s style rock songs with catchy hooks and choruses like Cold Heaven, Flying High and Strong as a Rock. And then the customary slower ballad type songs like Forever Angel and Sea of Evil.
In all honesty, the ARP style is so defined that the songs in Kings and Queens are interchangeable with, say, The Masquerade Ball. That is not bad in itself. It won't blow your mind, but it gives you a nice warm feeling.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
8 reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
One more solid ARP album
30 Jan 2005
Format:Audio CD
Most artists rise to a pinnacle in their career and then descend from there, whether it be due to the band breaking up, change in musical direction, or a shift in the popular media's interests. Axel Rudi Pell seems to have the fortune (or misfortune, depending on your point of view) of never having quite reached one defining point in his career. Instead, his message has been continually spread out over the past 15 years across 15 CDs. In this time, many golden nuggets such as "Broken Heart", "Casbah", "Fool Fool", and "The Masquerade Ball" have emerged. Kings & Queens is just the next step of Axel's evolutionary path to spread his message of melodic hard rock.
Kings & Queens uses a similar template from which albums such as Magic, Shadow Zone, or The Masquerade Ball were crafted. The album starts out with an interesting instrumental number, featuring a glockenspiel, which has a cool sound to it, yet this song never quite seems to meet its full potential. Oceans of Time's "Slaves of the Twilight" is similar, but SotT felt a little more complete. Another 30 to 60 seconds on "The Gate" might have improved this song.
The next song, "Flying High" is a typical ARP rocker, but this song holds no true surprises. A decent song in itself, reminiscent of songs like "Pay the Price", "Earls of Black", or "Nightmare", yet this song almost seems a little stripped down in comparison to Axel's other works.
"Cold Heaven" initially turned me off because the opening riff sounds a little too close to The Cars' "Just What I Needed". After numerous listens, the song has grown on me, and is another decent song, but the best has still yet to come.
"Strong as a Rock" is where this album really begins to take off, starting a string of great songs such as itself, "Legions of Hell", "Forever Angel", and "Take the Crown". "Forever Angel" just might be the successor to "Broken Heart" for Axel's power ballads, just as "Take The Crown" has the power and ferocity found in the classic "Fool Fool". With the epic "Legions of Hell", Axel Rudi Pell once again pays homage to Dio, with his own equivalent of the Black Sabbath cut "Heaven and Hell".
The album finishes off with "Sea of Evil", a song which harkens back to songs such as "Temple of the Holy" or "Eyes of the Lost".
Axel's predictable musical style has provided his fans yet another gem to add to their collections. Despite a few weak sections, this album comes out quite strong without too much excess fluff. Just great melodic hard rock, which will settle in well with Axel's many other albums.
Kings & Queens uses a similar template from which albums such as Magic, Shadow Zone, or The Masquerade Ball were crafted. The album starts out with an interesting instrumental number, featuring a glockenspiel, which has a cool sound to it, yet this song never quite seems to meet its full potential. Oceans of Time's "Slaves of the Twilight" is similar, but SotT felt a little more complete. Another 30 to 60 seconds on "The Gate" might have improved this song.
The next song, "Flying High" is a typical ARP rocker, but this song holds no true surprises. A decent song in itself, reminiscent of songs like "Pay the Price", "Earls of Black", or "Nightmare", yet this song almost seems a little stripped down in comparison to Axel's other works.
"Cold Heaven" initially turned me off because the opening riff sounds a little too close to The Cars' "Just What I Needed". After numerous listens, the song has grown on me, and is another decent song, but the best has still yet to come.
"Strong as a Rock" is where this album really begins to take off, starting a string of great songs such as itself, "Legions of Hell", "Forever Angel", and "Take the Crown". "Forever Angel" just might be the successor to "Broken Heart" for Axel's power ballads, just as "Take The Crown" has the power and ferocity found in the classic "Fool Fool". With the epic "Legions of Hell", Axel Rudi Pell once again pays homage to Dio, with his own equivalent of the Black Sabbath cut "Heaven and Hell".
The album finishes off with "Sea of Evil", a song which harkens back to songs such as "Temple of the Holy" or "Eyes of the Lost".
Axel's predictable musical style has provided his fans yet another gem to add to their collections. Despite a few weak sections, this album comes out quite strong without too much excess fluff. Just great melodic hard rock, which will settle in well with Axel's many other albums.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Great, but that omnipresent squeaky sound disturbs a lot
13 Aug 2004
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
ARP did it again. His newest release is in the same league as
Shadow Zone and Oceans of time. As usual I like his slower tracks (ballads or not) better than the faster ones (e.g. Flying high). I am still looking for a heavy metal band that matches ARP in matters of melody. But my complaint: What about this nerve racking squeaking sound that creeps into many
songs?? It is most hearable in the last minute of acoustic guitar playing on "Legions of hell", but spoils other songs as well. It's not my faulty cd because I hear it also on other ARP cd's. Is there a problem with his recording equipment? I can't believe it's meant to be like that. Somebody please explain.
Shadow Zone and Oceans of time. As usual I like his slower tracks (ballads or not) better than the faster ones (e.g. Flying high). I am still looking for a heavy metal band that matches ARP in matters of melody. But my complaint: What about this nerve racking squeaking sound that creeps into many
songs?? It is most hearable in the last minute of acoustic guitar playing on "Legions of hell", but spoils other songs as well. It's not my faulty cd because I hear it also on other ARP cd's. Is there a problem with his recording equipment? I can't believe it's meant to be like that. Somebody please explain.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
A perfect follow up to Shadow Zone
18 Feb 2006
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Wow. That's what I thought when I first heard the album. Axel Rudi Pell has always been incredible, especially since Johnny Gioeli joined in 1998 with the album "Oceans of Time". I have to say that this album is not that far behind "Shadow Zone", which is the best album, in my oppinion. From start to finish this album just ROCKS. Songs like "Cold Heaven", "Forever Angel", and "Take The Crown" NEVER get old. A MUST HAVE!
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