Ghost Town
by Axel Rudi Pell

From CaptainPain 03/20/2026 07:36 | #313593

The 23rd studio work "Ghost Town", released on March 20, 2026 on the Steamhammer label, is not so much an album as a ritual. Here again, there's an epic intro, high-speed numbers, a keyboard ballad, and the obligatory neoclassical solo.
The album opens with the instrumental intro of "The Regicide", which smoothly leads the listener into the first real thing — "Guillotine Walk". Even before the release, Axel said that this track was "melancholic but driving." All right. Heavy riffs are replaced by melodic losses, and Gioeli's voice sounds as if the last twenty years have not happened. In the verses, the guitar specifically goes into the shadows to give place to the text — the gloomy walk of a man to the scaffold.
The main intrigue of the album, which made even my skeptical friends prick up their ears, is Udo Dirkschneider on the track "Breaking Seals". And you know, this is a real event.
The song is made like classic rock in a medium tempo. And when Gioeli's clear, high-pitched vocals are joined by this hoarse, indestructible Udo screeching, I get goosebumps. They sound like two generations of German metal that finally met in the same studio.
The title track "Ghost Town" is pure Pell in all its glory. There are cadence rhythms and lightning-fast neoclassical passages, for which I love him. It's a dynamic, combative thing — I can imagine how great it will sound live.
The track "Holy Water" disappointed me frankly. It's kind of bland, the melodies are flat, and it sounds like I've heard it a hundred times before, and much better. To be honest, I almost turned off the album at this point. It's a good thing I didn't do that, because "The Enemy Within" is coming next. That's the number! A gloomy, almost doom—like atmosphere, a mixture of sabbat heaviness with elements of alternative rock - this is a rare and very bold step for Pell.
The ballad "Towards The Shore" is exactly what I expect from Axel Rudi Pell's slow stuff. Nostalgia for the days of "Silent Angel", beautiful Ferdy Doernberg keys, melodic guitar overdub. Very emotional.
But the second half of the album — tracks like "Sanity" or "Steps Of Stone" — brings me back to reality. It's just strong, professional rock, but without a spark. You listen and think, "Well, yes, it's normal. But I've heard that before. On the previous ten albums."