I reviewed his last regular album into The Storm and loved the voice, the melodic sound, it all fitted in well and felt fresh and powerful! It was a real pleasure listening to it for 24hours before having to jump into another review!
I missed ARP on stage at Biebob earlier on, but this live CD is a pearl (despite some less good moments in the beginning, ow yeah: I’m not a fan of Steeler). Thanks to all the friends passing by you get a real party feeling. Just read the impressive list of guests:
Steeler: Peter Burtz (v), Tom Eder (g), Roland Hag (b), Jan Yildiral (dr)
Rob Rock (v), - Yngwie Malmsteen, Impellitteri
Jeff Scott Soto (v), - Yngwie Malmsteen, Journey
Joerg Michael (dr), - Running Wild, Stratovarius
Vinny Appice (dr), - Dio, Black Sabbath
Ronnie Atkins (v), - Pretty Maids
John Lawton (v), - Uriah Heep
Tony Carey (k, v), - Rainbow
Doogie White (v), - Yngwie Malmsteen, Rainbow
Graham Bonnet (v), - Rainbow, MSG
Michael Voss (v) - Mad Max, Bonfire
Steeler Is the first band of Axel Rudi Pell, so the first 4 tracks are a must for the die-hard fans. Somehow the vocals didn’t impress me, however I loved the music: hard and straight! Great drums too and a great retro touch! Rockin’ The City is the first track that really gets me into their groove. Rocking, just as the title says! Feel the great live vibe and let yourself go! A tiny Stooges moments comes with Undercover Animal, but Peter Burtz is clearly not my kind of singer. Rob Rock gets Nasty Reputation into vocal heaven! A great screamer and a perfect rocker! This is the kind of music I want to hear (close to Iron Maiden)!
Warrior is yet another great track that rocks your socks off: Jeff Scott Soto is yet another great singer that captivates my attention fully. Party time with his friends! You can even hear the crowd go wild! Fool Fool is one of those tracks that made ARP the great artist that he is nowadays, just a shame that he is not as famous as Joe Satriani (and honestly: more boring and with a bigger ego). ARP deserves more and after this first part it has become very clear that the best part was his solo career! Burning Chains starts with some thunder and drums, a razor sharp rocker (and yes: I loved the original), just as Strong As A Rock (sounds a Hard Rock Anthem)! A bit more Bon Jovi minded is Long Way to Go (very melancholic).
Hey Hey My My is a Neil Young classic, but on his previous album we simply got proof that ARP succeeded in bringing a new version (great Piano moment), now he does the same on stage! Be ready to get some goosebumps! A ARP classic is Mystica. Enjoy the catchy sound and the great live feel (with a Steven Wilson touch in the end)! A track that already has become an ARP classic is the main title of Into The Storm : an epic and very melodic trip into a musical storm! More fun time and kicking ass comes with Too Late / Eternal Prisoner / Too Late: always good to have some laughter in between and present your band. This small talk stopped a bit the speeded up vibe, but still: we are having a hard rock party! Next party comes with The Masquerade Ball / Casbah is a great ballad that tunes over into a rocker and played as it should be! Rock The Nation is another great live one, a real live anthem rocking the crowd with their great sound and powerful vocals! Vinnie Appice and Bobby Rondinelli gave a huge drum battle for the drum lovers in the audience.
Black Night (from Deep Purple) gets Pretty Maids frontman Ronnie Atkins performing a superb version, including audience singing along. After that John Lawton (former voice of Uriah Heep), demonstrated why he still deserves a lot of Sympathy (Uriah Heep), and brought up another highlight with his version of Tush (ZZ Top). Mistreated is a bluesy and very melancholic highlight, calling upon the gods of rock! Since you’ve been Gone with Graham Bonnet on vocals is another highlight, a bit of hair banging and jumping up and down whilst screaming along! More quality from Rainbow comes with Long Live Rock’n Roll, a classic one that was clearly loved by the audience and who disagrees on that? The closed the show with one of the biggest classic hits of the show, the legendary Smoke on The Water. It’s great grand finale with all the friends on stage! I enjoyed it!
TRACKLISTING 3CD Digipak
CD1:
Steeler – Call Her Princess
Steeler – Night After Night
Steeler – Rockin´The City
Steeler – Undercover Animal
Nasty Reputation
Warrior
Fool Fool
CD2:
Burning Chains
Strong As A Rock
Long Way To Go
Hey Hey My My
Mystica
Into The Storm
Too Late / Eternal Prisoner / Too Late
The Masquerade Ball / Casbah
Rock The Nation
CD3:
Drum Battle
Black Night
Sympathy
Tush
Mistreated
Since You Been Gone
Long Live Rock ´n` Roll
Smoke On The Water
