Axel Rudi Pell

Not many people can compare with the fanatical and dizzying guitar skills of Germany’s Axel Rudi Pell, who, despite being lesser known, is arguably one of the country’s most talented heavy metal guitar players. Along with his self-named band, Axel Rudi Pell produces the fast-paced, heavy metal rock that’ll get any metal-head head banging.

As part of the heavy metal genre, some of his melodies add more of a mainstream but definitely 80s appeal to even his latest work, 2014’s Into the Storm. Alas, his on-stage persona does not fail the genre. Clad in black leather, dark jeans with chains, and long, stringy hair, Pell and his band members, including lead vocalist Johnny Gioeli, keyboardist Ferdy Doernberg, bassist Volker Krawczak, and drummer Bobby Rondinelli, take to the stage with full force, arriving like a slow procession with much fan fare before completely storming the stage.

Lead singer Gioeli livens up the crowd between sets with enthusiastic interjections, but nothing can quite mesmerize like the quick movements and finger tapping of Pell on his guitar.

With 16 studio albums, 3 live albums, and 4 compilations under his belt, Axel Rudi Pell has an incomparable arsenal of heavy metal hits to get the crowd riled up, which they’re most likely to do in their native Germany.