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)
Sailing Away
Axel Rudi Pell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ridin' on the storm
With the heart of the devil
Will we ever learn
She called the rolling thunder
Cold wind and rain
Tearin' waves from down under
Still a long way to go
They were lost in the zone
Dreamin' of a holy wonder
No time to return
They're ridin' to the tower
On the ship of the lost
Storm made of power
And the hull turned to dust
Sailing away
Into the fire
Sailing away
Lost children of the sea
Axel Rudi Pell's song Sailing Away is a story of a ship and its crew lost in the seas controlled by a queen of evil with the heart of the devil. The ship and its crew are under the queen's influence, and they are struggling to return to their homes. The queen, with her powers, controls the weather and the waves, making their journey even more challenging. Every moment on that ship is filled with danger, and the thunder, cold wind, and rain make it even harder.
The crew on this ship is lost in the zone, dreaming of a holy wonder, but there is no time to return. They ride to the tower, but the ship of the lost is struggling, with the hull turning to dust. The song's chorus, "Sailing away, into the fire, sailing away, lost children of the sea," describes the crew's despair, abandoning their hopes of returning home.
The song is a metaphor describing how we, as humans, are influenced by evil and dark forces in our lives, making it challenging to find our way back home or even find the light in our lives. The ship and its lost crew represent our journey in life. The queen represents the antagonist, causing the obstacles in our lives, and the crew represents the lost souls trying to find their way back home.
Line by Line Meaning
She was the queen of evil
Referring to a powerful and wicked female figure who was feared by all.
Ridin' on the storm
Traversing through harsh times and difficulties without giving up.
With the heart of the devil
With a heart as cold and ruthless as a devil's heart.
Will we ever learn
Expressing a sense of hopelessness in humanity's ability to learn from mistakes.
She called the rolling thunder
She had the power to summon natural calamities like thunderstorms.
Cold wind and rain
Harsh and unforgiving weather conditions.
Tearin' waves from down under
Causing destruction and chaos in the sea.
They still can feel the pain
The aftermath of her wrath is still affecting the people.
Still a long way to go
They have not reached their destination yet.
They were lost in the zone
They were in a difficult and confusing situation.
Dreamin' of a holy wonder
Hoping for a miraculous and divine intervention.
No time to return
They cannot turn back from their journey.
They're ridin' to the tower
They are on their way to a powerful and significant location.
On the ship of the lost
On a vessel that carries those who are aimlessly wandering or struggling.
Storm made of power
A forceful and menacing storm.
And the hull turned to dust
The ship was destroyed entirely.
Sailing away
Leaving and moving on.
Into the fire
Moving towards imminent danger or peril.
Lost children of the sea
People who are abandoned or left to suffer in the unpredictable nature of the sea.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: AXEL RUDI PELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind