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THE REVIEW
I had sworn to myself never to buy another Axel Rudi Pell album, the "not so young" blond Teutonic guitarist. This is because, to be honest, Axel, with his photocopy albums (in "copy-paste style"), had literally made me fed up with it all. It's one thing to experiment. It's another thing to discover your own sound, the one that marks you for life. The one, just to be clear, that makes you yell out, "Holy moly! This is Axel Rudi Pell!!!" as soon as you hear the first riff. Axel, however, went beyond that. Yes, he found his sound, that hybrid between '80s heavy metal and the speediest and rockiest power metal, spicing it up with pop and AOR-like atmospheres (in his fabulous metal ballads), but in every darn album, he even respects the order in which to propose the songs! It starts with the usual intro, then the speediest power metal song imaginable, then a nice martial track, very eighties, and then the first ballad. And so on, until the end.
Well, after this initial diatribe, you would have guessed that, when faced with "Diamonds Unlocked," I approached it very cautiously. I took the album in my hand and... what?!?!?!? "A Beautiful Day"?
Yes. It was indeed one of the names on the tracklist of Axel's album. Followed, in rapid succession, by other titles "borrowed"... It doesn't take much to figure out that, if you do 2+2, the album in your hand is a cover album. A reinterpretation of all kinds of songs, for the occasion, reviewed and corrected in heavy metal sauce. And that's how an "A Beautiful Day" by U2 (a band I've always appreciated too little) in a metal version is beautiful, and you find yourself singing it all the way through! Then you move on to "Love Gun" by Kiss, "Stone" by Chris Rea, "Fools Game" by Michael Bolton, and the bluesy "Heartbreaker" by Free. In short: a pretty good little album! Enjoyable and fun, all the way to the end, introduced, as usual, by a stupid and pointless intro that, quite frankly, has nothing to do with the rest of the album's songs.
Well done, Axel! You've figured out how to create a great album: the important thing is that you don't write the songs yourself..... muah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah!!!!!
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Summary by Bot
The reviewer admits previous disappointment with Axel Rudi Pell’s repetitive albums but finds 'Diamonds Unlocked' unexpectedly enjoyable. This album is a covers collection, interpreting well-known songs in a heavy metal style. While the album follows Pell's typical structure, it offers fresh and fun takes on classics from artists like U2 and Kiss. Despite the amusement, the reviewer maintains a humorous skepticism about the lack of original compositions.Tracklist Lyrics Videos
Axel Rudi Pell
Axel Rudi Pell is a German guitarist and songwriter who began his solo career in 1989 after playing with Steeler in the 1980s. His music blends classic heavy metal, hard rock, and power metal with a strong emphasis on melodic ballads. Longtime collaborators include vocalist Johnny Gioeli and drummers like Mike Terrana and Bobby Rondinelli.05 Reviews
