Band:	Axel Rudi Pell
Album:	Oceans Of Time
Style:	Heavy metal, Power metal
Release date:	September 21, 1998
Guest review by:	NLthrasher

01. Slaves Of Twilight (Intro)
02. Pay The Price
03. Carousel
04. Ashes From The Oath
05. Ride The Rainbow
06. The Gates Of The Seven Seals
07. Oceans Of Time
08. Prelude To The Moon (Opus # 3 Menuetto Prelugio)
09. Living On The Wildside
10. Holy Creatures

There are those bands in the music business that seem to consist of members without any job qualification who eventually try their luck at music in the hope of earning a dollar. Once, in a startling way, earn mainstream success and make enough money they quit playing music and enjoy an early retirement. Axel Rudi Pell is a big middle finger to these kinds of bands. They are probably one of the most consistent bands in heavy metal today. Since Oceans of time (1998) they have had a steady line-up and release an album about every two years.

The first thing that catches attention is the line-up change that came with this album. It is the debut album for both keyboard player Ferdy Doernberg and vocalist Johnny Gioeli. From this point on Johnny would be the second face of ARP next to Axel Rudi Pell himself. Another thing worth mentioning before listening to the album is the average duration of the songs, which is almost seven minutes.

Enough about the history of this album, lets head onto the music. This album is exactly what you would expect from a band like Axel Rudi Pell. Old school power metal from start to finish, the album is full of great solos, and not the extraordinary show off solos you would expect from a band named after their guitar player. The solos are efficient and carry the album to a whole new level. The best example is in the song, "Ashes from the oath," which contains one of the most beautiful solos in metal history.

The album has enough diversity to keep you interested the whole way through. The songs on the album range from ballads to up tempo heavy metal songs, but all stay within the boundaries of a typical Axel Rudi Pell album. The only song that feels a bit out of place, and seems a bit redundant, is the song, "Prelude to the moon," which is a medieval orientated instrumental song. Aside from this they could have done something more with the drums, which are quite standard. I wouldn't say boring, but they are quite flat in the mix.

Johnny Gioeli's voice is what makes this album really special and helps it stand out from the rest of the power metal scene. His mid-high ranged voice blows your guts out from the first scream in "Pay The Price" all the way to the very last note of the album. He does an excellent job maintaining the power throughout the album and giving Oceans of Time a special vibe.

I would recommend this album to anyone that is into power metal or heavy metal. This is certainly one of Axel's finest works and a beautiful introduction to the world of Axel Rudi Pell.

Highlights: "Ashes from the Oath", "Carousel", "The Gates of the Seven Seals", and "Oceans of Time"