I N T E R V I E W

Interview Axel Rudi Pell

Hi Axel, thanks a lot for accepting this interview for the french metal webzine http://www.auxportesdumetal.com/
Your new album "The Crest" is being released these days. Can you please explain us how it is different from "Tales Of The Crown" and "Mystica" ?

The only difference is that on the new album we go a little bit more back to my roots....means Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple. I wanted more epic numbers which the name Axel Rudi Pell stands for.

This is the first time that you're in charge of the production. Why did you want to manage this ? Are you satisfied with the result ?

Absolutely.....I did it together with Thorsten Sickert of zeche Bochum, which is a famous live club and the mixing and mastering was done by my long time friend Charlie Bauerfeind. I think that it´s the best sound I have so far.

This new album is very epic as displayed on the artwork. Do you have a fascination for the middle age ?

Yes..I even have a knight in my cellar bar...:-) I like these kind of artworks as you can see on all of my albums. This time there is no blue, violet or red on the cover so it stands out.

"Too Late" sounds like a coming back to "The Masquerade Ball" and to "The Shadow Zone" era. The kind of very powerful songs in the same line as "Tear Down The Walls" and "Edge Of The World". Do you agree ? What do you think of these comparisons ?

I agree totally but I did not force it..it came naturally. Too late will definetly be the opener of the tour.

The acoustic introduction of "Devil Zone" sounds very similar to Blackmore's Night chords. Do you like to play middle-age acoustic guitar songs ? More generally, are you a Blackmore's Night fan ?

I´m a big fan of Ritchie....when I heard Deep Purple "Machine Head" I freaked out and I wanted to do the same like the man in black. Over the years I became more of a fan of Rainbow, also because Ronnie James Dio was singing. Now I like a lot of Blackmore's night, not all but his guita playing is still unbeatable.

Who is in charge of all your CD artworks ? Do you give some directives ?

Some years ago I had the same artist for every album but now he lives in New Zealand so it´s difficult. But there are so many talented young artists it´s easy to find one. the last album was drawn by an columbian artists, the new one by an english artist.

12 years later after the "Oceans Of Time" release, "The Crest" contains the 2nd part of "Oceans Of Time" : "Dark Waves Of The Sea". Was the whole song composed at the beginning in 1988 ? If not, how did you get the idea to write this 2nd part ? Do you plan to play the full version during your next tour ?

It was definetly not planned. My record company said to me: Why not doing Oceans Of Time Pt.2? I was not so comfortable with this idea but I wrote a song whcih is similar to Oceans Of Time and so it went. I didn´t thought about this but it´s a good idea..thank you!

Can you please explain us how you get that such specific sound in your guitar playing. I mean your touch, your vibrato, your sound... And also your methods to improvise solos ?

It´s because I teached everything myself in fact that I had a good teacher...Ritchie Blackmore....:-) I play from the heart....that´s the secret.

Can you please present us the instrumental song "Noblesse Oblige" ? Where does it come from ?

Because I like the music from the middle age I try to combine this with modern music and that's what this instrumental stands for.

Your band's members have been the same for so many years : Johnny on vocals, Mike on drums, Freddy on keyboards. What is your secret to keep a so stable line-up

Because it's friendship......we only meet during recordings and on tour so everything stays fresh and exciting.

What do you think of artists and bands like Adagio or Yngwie Malmsteen who change their line-up every 6 months ?

I mean I did it myself.....first I had Charlie Huhn as a singer, then jeff Scott Soto and now Johnny.....drummer and keyboard player changed. But I have to say that it's more satisfying to have a stable band behind me.

On your website, we can see a picture of you with Uli Jon Roth. Your guitar styles are close. Is Uli one of your major influences ?

Absolutely....I love the old Scorpions album like Virgin Killer and In Trance. Uli is a fantastic player and a very nice guy. last year I played together with him at a jam in the music museum in Gronau germany and it was one of the highlights.

You were special guest for Heaven And Hell in Germany for their latest tour. How did you get the deal ? How did you feel opening for the Black Sabbath legend ?

We got the deal because our record company knew the management and the tour company. They were convinced and so we were on..no big deal. And it was great to see this band every night live. "Heaven And Hell" is one of my all time faves. The crowd reactions were very good....and it helped a lot.

You play a lot of shows in Germany but you don't come so often to France. In which countries are you the more popular ? Is there an opportunity to see you live in Paris for "The Crest" tour ?

We are popular in Germany, Sweden, Finland, Norway and Switzerland.......Holland and Belgium are also good..but it doesn't make sense to play gigs when only 100 people show up. What we will do is to play a lot of foreign festivals in 2011.......and perhaps Hellfest wants us.....tell them...:-)

Songs of "The Crest" were already downloadable on P2P platforms even before the official release in stores. What do you intend to do against that ? Do you loose a lot of money because of illegal downloading ? In your opinion, who are the people who uploaded the album to these platforms ?

The good thing is that it was on the platforms only 4 days before the release. In 2008 when we released "Tales Of The Crown" it was 2 month before available on platforms. This time we didn't send out promo copies so it worked. I have absolutley no understanding why people are doing this. They hurt the artist, the record label, the fans.....

Thanks a lot for this interview and congratulations for this new album.

Thank you very much and remember to say a good word to the Hellfest organisers..:-)
best
Axel Rudi Pell