Pell often says his music is about a Knight in shining armour going on various adventures. Each album continues one new quest after the other, and songs are told as separate stories. Pell's main influence in guitar work has been Ritchie Blackmore from Deep Purple.
SPV Records released a live DVD on 25 February 2008, titled Live over Europe, which includes the full performance from the Rock Hard Festival in 2007, and comes with a bonus disc which includes live footage from Pell's own archive. In 2012, a new Axel Rudi Pell live concert CD/DVD Live on Fire was released.
In 2013, ex-Rainbow drummer Bobby Rondinelli joined the band, replacing Mike Terrana after his initial departure in 2013. Mike Terrana wanted to pursue other projects, such as becoming a member of the supergroup The Ferrymen, featuring Rainbow singer Ronnie Romero on vocals. Axel celebrated his 25th anniversary as a musician in 2014, headlining the Bang Your Head festival in Balignen Germany on 11 July 2014. It featured one of the original line up's singers: Jeff Scott Soto. Special guests also included Joerg Michael, Rob Rock, Ronnie Atkins, John Lawton, ex-Rainbow singer Graham Bonnett, Doogie White, keyboardist Tony Carey and drummer Vinny Appice. The show consisted of 3 acts: a short Steeler reunion and brief Axel Rudi Pell original line up reunion with Jeff Scott Soto, a full modern Axel Rudi Pell show with vocalist Johnny Gioeli and current band members, and the last act featuring various Deep Purple and Rainbow covers with a full ensemble.
In 2019, the band celebrated their 30th anniversary, releasing a double live album called XXX - 30th Anniversary Live. The songs were recorded on various dates of the Knights Call 2018 tour. The group's Facebook page stated at the time that the band did not know they were being recorded but when they heard the audio they were amazed and wanted to release it to celebrate the group's 30th Anniversary. It was released in June 2019 on CD and LP.
On 5 February 2020, they announced their latest album on their Facebook page, titled Sign of the Times, due for release on 24 April 2020. In March 2020, the band announced a delay of the release of the new record, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and was released on 8 May 2020 instead. A tour in support of the new album was also postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and then later delayed again until 2022. In late 2020, Pell announced his newest album Diamonds Unlocked II, which was released on 30 July 2021. It is another covers album similar to Diamonds Unlocked from 2007. Pell is well known for his extensive touring, mostly around Germany and his home town in Bochum. He rarely tours globally, but has performed a few one-off shows in London over the recent years. However, there has always been high demand to bring him to other countries. They are also famous for attending many music festivals such as being regulars at Wacken Open Air since the late 1990s. Most recently they announced a new album of original music, called Lost XXIII, which was eventually released on 14 April 2022.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axel_Rudi_Pell
Studio albums
Wild Obsession (1989)
Nasty Reputation (1991)
Eternal Prisoner (1992)
Between the Walls (1994)
Black Moon Pyramid (1996)
Magic (1997)
Oceans of Time (1998)
The Masquerade Ball (2000)
Shadow Zone (2002)
Kings and Queens (2004)
Mystica (2006)
Diamonds Unlocked (2007) (cover album)
Tales of the Crown (2008)
The Crest (2010)
Circle of the Oath (2012)
Into the Storm (2014)
Game of Sins (2016)
Knights Call (2018)
Sign of the Times (2020)
Diamonds Unlocked II (2021) (cover album)
Lost XXIII (2022)
Hole In The Sky
Axel Rudi Pell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Callin out 2 you
Disaster is heading your way, you just don't know.
How could we see the crimson spiral would
Penetrate the blue
The heavens above present an afterglow.
Now how could we all take
How will we survive, oh, how will we carry on?
Hole in the sky, don't trust your shadow
Hole in the sky, it's only fantasy
Hole in the sky, there's nowhere left 2 go
Hole in the sky, no chance 4 you & me.
Factory waste dissolves in the air
Blue skies are turnin' black,
The burn in your eyes are reflections of what
Is 2 come.
Some just don't know, but most just don't care
Until it is all just 2 late
The ozone is crying 4 mercy from everyone.
[repeat bridge]
[repeat chorus]
The lyrics of Axel Rudi Pell's song "Hole in the Sky" speaks about the impending disaster due to environmental neglect. The song starts with a call for attention where someone is being warned in the middle of the night, that a disaster is coming their way, and how it was unforeseen by everyone. The phrase "disaster is heading your way, you just don't know" shows the helplessness that comes with how inevitable the situation is. As the song progresses, the lyrics speak of the neglect of the environment and how people are taking the unknown for granted. The line "how could we all take take 4 granted the great beyond" emphasizes the attitude of people who overlook the fact that environmental neglect can lead to a catastrophic disaster. The chorus of the song emphasizes the feeling of hopelessness that comes with an impending calamity, where there is nowhere to go or hide, and there will be no chance for survival.
The second verse shows the effects of environmental neglect, such as factory waste, and pollution that turns blue skies black. The line "the burn in your eyes are reflections of what is 2 come" vividly illustrates the dire future that is to come if something is not done right away. Sadly, while some people are unaware of the consequences of environmental neglect, others just don't care. The song ends with a repeat of the bridge and chorus, reemphasizing the hopelessness of the situation and the impending doom that awaits humanity.
Line by Line Meaning
Deep in the night, the silent screaming is Callin out 2 you
In the middle of the night, soundless cries are summoning you
Disaster is heading your way, you just don't know.
A catastrophe is approaching you, but you are oblivious
How could we see the crimson spiral would Penetrate the blue
How could we anticipate that the bloody vortex would violate the azure?
The heavens above present an afterglow.
The skies up above radiate a glow
Now how could we all take Take 4 granted the great beyond?
How could we assume that the great unknown would always be available to us?
How will we survive, oh, how will we carry on?
How will we endure, oh, how will we persist?
Hole in the sky, don't trust your shadow
Vacancy in the sky, your silhouette is untrustworthy
Hole in the sky, it's only fantasy
Void in the sky, it's merely an illusion
Hole in the sky, there's nowhere left 2 go
Opening in the sky, there's nowhere else to turn to
Hole in the sky, no chance 4 you & me.
Hole in the sky, no opportunity for you and me.
Factory waste dissolves in the air
Factory refuse dissolves into the atmosphere
Blue skies are turnin' black,
Blue skies are becoming pitch-dark
The burn in your eyes are reflections of what Is 2 come.
The discomfort in your eyes is a reflection of what's to follow.
Some just don't know, but most just don't care
A few people are ignorant while the majority are indifferent
Until it is all just 2 late The ozone is crying 4 mercy from everyone.
Until it's all too late, the ozone layer is begging for compassion from everyone.
[repeat bridge]
Chorus to be repeated
[repeat chorus]
Final chorus to be repeated
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: AXEL RUDI PELL, JEFF SCOTT SOTO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind