8th Studio album in for 'Axel' and the second of many releases to feature the vocal talents of 'Johnny Gioeli'. The usual 'ARP' album format is explored- Instrumental opening, couple of brisker rockers, an epic, a cover and the rest made up of ballads / mid-tempo numbers. Personally speaking I've always been a fan of 'Axel's' brisker material and 'Masquerade Ball' is lacking in that department, but that said the partnership of 'Gioeli' and 'Pell' really blossoms here, both combining their unquestionable skills on some memorable if at times slightly too melodic material. Production wise this is like all later 'Axel Rudi Pell' albums- absolutely spot on!

'Masquerade Ball' gets off to a predictable start with the fairly innocuous intro 'The Arrival', this moves quickly on to the time-honoured fast paced opener and this is like most others, in that it fails to disappoint, the chorus certainly hit the right spot with 'Johnny Gioeli' really ripping it up, while the fret genius produces his usual glorious work. The tempo falls for the catchy mid-tempo rocker 'Voodoo Nights', a hook laden gem, graced with another superb chorus and a mind numbingly good solo. The pace softens for the melodic semi-epic 'Night and Rain' a beautifully structured song which highlights 'Johnny Gioeli' on top form- superb range combining melody, while 'Axel's' guitaring hits all the right notes, not overdone but just flashy enough to make an impact. The epic title track ensues and an impressive piece it is too, 'Gioeli' and 'Pell' are on the top of their game here and although exceeding 10 minutes is a little excessive, a sublime piece and a special nod to the ever reliable but often overlooked 'Fredy Doernberg'. The pace is picked up with the riff driven 'Tear Down the Walls', a more rocky affair which makes for a nice change of pace and as usual 'Axel' is just superlative throughout. The momentum softens once again for a vocal masterclass courtesy of 'Mr. Gioeli', 'The Line' is a beautifully sung, penned and arranged song, while 'Hot Wheels' has the brisk tempo I like, but is one of the weakest songs present thanks to some predictable and trite lyrics. Next up is 'The Temple of the Holy' a power balladsy affair that in my view is a little too similar to 'The Eyes of the Lost' from the previous outing, that said features another stellar vocal performance from the frontman. Last up is a slight deviation for 'Axel' and Co. with a cover of 'Uriah Heep's' 'July Morning' and a very respectable job they make of it as well, a little bit out of their comfort zone but still a strong affair.

Not enough rockers for my liking but still another wealth of quality material from a vastly underrated band.