Axel Rudi Pell is legendary Metal guitarist with a career as long as it is obscure. Obscure in the USA that is. While he may not be a household name here in the States, Axel Rudi Pell has released 4 albums with the legendary prog metal band Steeler and an astounding 13 albums under his own name. He has worked with Jeff Scott Soto (Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force/Journey) as his lead vocalist and since the late 90’s has been working with former Hardline vocalist Johnny Gioeli. I recently got turned onto Axel’s music and have been both moved and intrigued by this man’s catalog of amazing music. I was lucky enough to get to speak with Axel via telephone from Germany where we talked about the songwriting process, his relationship with the late great Ronnie James Dio and all in between.
It was a real honor to get to speak with Axel. Not only is he a really funny guy, he is extremely gracious and modest which made it a really easy conversation to have with him. Axel and his band are currently supporting his latest album “The Crest” (PURCHASE IT HERE!) so it was really cool that he took the time to do this interview. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I will and I also hope you will check out the videos in this interview. If you like what you hear. Pick up some of his stuff as you will not be disappointed.
Axel, thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview with me. It is a real honor.
Thank you. It’s my pleasure.
=============================================
Axel, I literally just heard your album “The Crest” and it was the first time I had ever heard you. It was so exciting to hear something so fantastic and I was completely blown away. How does it feel to know that someone like me can discover you for the first time and find your material so exciting?
I think it’s great because there a lot of potential outside followers. There are a lot of people all over the world who don’t know my name or don’t know my music so I think that it’s great that someone would introduce my music to you and you like it so I think that’s cool.
=============================================
Johnny Gioeli has to be one of the greatest unsung Metal singers I’ve heard in a long time. How did you team up with him?
I always was a big admirer of his voice from when the first Hardline record came out. I thought to myself if ever I need a new singer I have to contact Johnny. I felt that he would be the perfect singer for my kind of music. When Jeff Scott Soto left my band I was in search of a new singer and I tried to get a hold of Johnny but he wasn’t so easy. Somebody had told me that he just quit music. I went to the internet forum of the Hardline fan page and somebody had posted to the forum that they bought some music stuff from Johnny and that he was a nice guy. I emailed this guy and said I would like to get in contact with Johnny because I am in search for a new singer. He told my email to Johnny and he replied and I said “I need you for my project.” He said “I just quit the music business” and I think it took me some weeks or several months until he finally said yes I’ll do it. He’s been in my band since 1998!
=============================================
In addition to Johnny, you have also worked with Jeff Scott Soto is yet another amazing vocalist. Are there any vocalists that you would like to collaborate with in the future that you haven’t yet?
No, I don’t think so. Johnny is a very nice guy, very easy to work with and he is the perfect voice for my kind of music. I don’t need any other singer. Once he said to me, “Axel, I will work with you until we’re old and gray” and now I am very old and grey so. <laughs>
Axel, you’re best years are ahead of you my friend. You’ve got a long way to go! Keep going!
<laughs> Hopefully yeah!
=============================================
Who are some of your personal favorite vocalists metal or otherwise?
Definitely Ronnie James Dio who recently passed away a few weeks ago. Paul Rogers. I love Bruce Dickinson, the singer of Iron Maiden. I love a lot of guys. John Lawton who used to be in Uriah Heep some 20 years ago or 30 years ago. Glen Hughes. Lot of other guys.
=============================================
Speaking of Dio, how did his passing affect you and were you guys close?
I knew Ronnie for a long time and he was always a very nice and sweet guy. He made me feel like I was part of the family. When I heard of his passing I was quite shocked and I am still shocked because I heard some stories that he was getting better with his health. Heaven & Hell had booked shows for this summer so I thought that was cool then sadly he passed away. I was really shocked because he was a very good person and he was a friend of mine.
=============================================
I think we were all just crushed with how quickly his health took a turn for the worse.
We had a very good relationship. We were the special guests on last year’s Heaven & Hell tour in Germany and we played with them together. We had a lot of conversations with Ronnie after the show and we drank beer together and it was very cool.
=============================================
“The Crest” has such a classic Heavy Metal sound and is a great album from start to finish. There are so many elements of great, classic Metal bands. Who would you say are your biggest influences?
When I grew up and I started listening to this kind of music it was definitely Deep Purple and later I discovered Richie Blackmore’s band Rainbow when the first record came out. UFO with Michael Schenker. Thin Lizzy, Uriah Heep. All those great classic 70’s kind of bands. I don’t want to forget Black Sabbath with Ronnie James Dio. Their first album “Heaven and Hell” had such a huge impact on my writing. And I can’t forget The Scorpions. <laughs>
=============================================
You can’t forget your fellow homeboys!
<laughs>Yes, that’s right! Once I told Klaus Meine the singer “You know what? If there hadn’t been a Scorpions we would definitely sound different right now!” and he said “Really?” and just laughed!
=============================================
One of the things I love so much about “The Crest” is your modest and melodic approach. You really tear it up but you don’t jump out there and just dominate with lots of shredding. The song “Noblesse Oblige” is a good example of your subtle yet beautifully melodic approach. Do you have any plans to release an instrumental album in the future?
I don’t think so. I can write some small pieces of music or even a bit longer pieces but I think if I put them all together on one record it could be too boring. I don’t like instrumental albums at all. Every now and then I like an instrumental but a complete CD of instrumentals would just be too boring.
Artists such as yourself seem to have quite a following in Europe but go sadly overlooked here in the US. Why do you think that is the case?
I am always talking to Johnny about it because Johnny lives in the USA and I asked him he thought of us doing a short tour in the us. He said to me “Axel, it doesn’t make sense because if we’re lucky we would get 80 or 90 people to show playing in clubs and it wouldn’t make sense to do it.” Maybe at some point we would try to go on a tour maybe as a support band for a bigger band in the states. Maybe that would make more sense.
=============================================
There seems to be a 2nd Coming of sorts of that classic Metal sound here in the US with bands such as White Wizard Holy Grail. Do you think the world will see the classic metal sound reign supreme once again?
It’s really hard to say yes or no. Definitely more in Europe but I’m not sure about the States.
=============================================
Heavy Metal music has evolved and changed quite a bit from the Classic Metal days to the modern nu-metal of down tuned 7 string guitars. What is your opinion on the current state of Heavy Metal?
You know, as long as the song has melody then its ok. A good melody and good structure. When I hear a song on the radio or in other places like the club or a pub and I hear a down tuned new band as long as the melody is ok, I’m ok. I’m fine with that. Most that stuff I hate to be honest.<laughs>
=============================================
I know we were just talking about touring so what are your touring plans this summer?
We just finished the first leg of “The Crest” tour in Europe 5 or 6 weeks ago. The next plans are that we are doing two festival shows in the summer and we’ll be doing the 2nd leg of “The Crest” tour around October of this year. The plans for next year are to play most European festivals who would like to have us play.<laughs>
=============================================
What artists are you listening to these days?
Um, recently I don’t listen to anything to be honest. I’m recently listening to old stuff. I just recently bought the expanded editions of all the first Black Sabbath albums with Ronnie James Dio as the vocalist. I got that and I have to listen to them but I didn’t have the time for it unfortunately.
If you could put a dream band together of any famous musicians (alive or dead), who would be in it and what would they play? You have to be in the band as well!
I think the singer would be Ronnie James Dio. I would be on the guitar and sometimes Richie Blackmore on the 2nd guitar. Maybe we can hide this guy behind the amplifiers. <laughs> On the drums, Deep Purple’s Ian Paice. On the keyboards, Mr. Jon Lord (of Deep Purple) and on the bass Gary Thain the bass player for Uriah Heap.
=============================================
That would be one hell of a band. It’s funny because I recently interviewed the band Taddy Porter from Oklahoma and when I asked their singer this question he also said that his keyboard player would have to be Jon Lord.
<laughs> This guy is right!
=============================================
With Johnny in the states and you overseas, how does the songwriting process work?
I write everything on my own. When a guitar or a vocal melody comes to mind I record it on a little tape machine. When I have enough ideas I sit down and work on the arrangements to make real songs out of it. I always write the melody lines by myself, the rhythm guitars and I do a little keyboard experimenting in my home studio and when the song is completely done I start to write the lyrics. Johnny sings everything over in the states. We talk to each other via Skype. I put everything up on the server and tell him to listen to it. When he’s done with a song he sends me an MP3 of it on the server and the next day we get on Skype and we go over the song. This is how it works.
=============================================
Technology is so amazing in how it’s made things like this totally possible.
Definitely. I think some 15 years ago it was really impossible. We were using analog tapes and the band had to be in the studio so we could record everybody. The new technology really adds a lot.
=============================================
This has to be very exciting to see technology really working for you.
Absolutely.
=============================================
Axel, it’s been an honor to talk with you! Thanks so much for wasting your valuable time doing this.
My pleasure Don. Thank you!
=============================================
It’s been great talking to you and I wish you nothing but great success. I hope that someday we can see you here in the States!
Thank you very much Don!
About The Author
