Band:	Axel Rudi Pell
Album:	The Crest
Style:	Heavy metal, Power metal
Release date:	April 23, 2010
Guest review by:	Ag Fox

Disc I
01. Prelude Of Doom (Intro)
02. Too Late
03. Devil Zone
04. Prisoner Of Love
05. Dreaming Dead
06. Glory Night
07. Dark Waves Of The Sea (Oceans Of Time Pt. II: The Dark Side)
08. Burning Rain
09. Noblesse Oblige (Opus #5 Adagio Contabile)
10. The End Of Our Time
11. Dreaming Dead [Extended version] [limited edition]

Disc II [limited edition] [Live at Rock of Ages Festival July 31st 2009 ]
01. Tear Down The Walls
02. Strong As a Rock
03. Medley: The Masquerade Ball / Casbah / Tales Of The Crown
04. Drum Solo
05. Rock The Nation
06. Temple Of The King
07. Mystica
08. Fool Fool - Eternal Prisoner

There are many mysteries in life. One of them being how can Axel Rudi Pell always manage to pull out consistently quality material on a regular basis? Another one would be why not many people talk about them? Well, life is unjust and sometimes it sucks, so this review is an attempt to defy the Gods by bringing this band to your attention.

People familiar with the band's previous work would know that they aren't the fastest band around, but the guitars certainly pack a lot of crunch with an old school rock spirit. And once again, The Crest is no different with the same formula that is ever so effective when done with class with the mid-paced melodic approach, a sprinkle of tasteful solos and the damn catchy choruses. Johnny Gioeli sounds amazing as usual, if not better, hitting the highs with ease and emotion without compromising on masculinity. Oh, did I mention that they are one of the few bands that can do ballads properly?

Being together for well over 10 years, the chemistry between band members is evident and the whole recording comes across as they are having a great time. Yep, this is not the most complex music ever, nor is it meant to be a ground breaker, but if you want to have a good time rocking out to some old school melodic tunes and have yet to check out this band, giving this baby a spin would make you don on your sunglasses and wish you were on a highway blasting this out. The mentioning of highlights is omitted because every track here is a potential hit!