Fifth studio album in for 'Axel Rudi Pell' and his third with vocalist 'Jeff Scott Soto', by this time the partnership is well established and 'Black Moon Pyramid' stands as one of their best releases. The format is thankfully a little different from the usual and we are graced with 14 tracks displaying plenty of variety throughout. This is the first album in my opinion that truly highlights 'Axel's' 'Rainbow' influence, I believe his music is too often compared to 'Rainbow', but I must admit there are distinct elements in a couple of tracks. Personally I think this is no bad thing, especially as it's the 'Dio' era material, opposed to the later commercial stuff that's reflected upon.

The album opens unsurprisingly with a typical mystical 'Axel Rudi Pell' instrumental 'Return of the Pharaoh' and this is very good, ultra eerie but regrettably the recording level is far too low, so you don't appreciate it unless you turn the volume right up. The first track proper is the brisk belter 'Getting Dangerous', which features 'Rage's' 'Peter Wagner' on bass and he turns in a fine performance on this rhythm heavy rocker, lyrically it's no masterpiece but still a great opener. Following in fine form is the live favourite 'Fool Fool', a well crafted mid paced number, that's well penned and braced by a simplistic but strong chorus, great vocals from 'Soto' and some 'Blackmore' style fret work. The tempo is lifted for the Melodic Power Metal ripper 'Hole in the Sky', a superb brisk rocker upheld by some of 'Axel's' glorious guitar work, sharp vocals and relentless rhythm from 'Volker Krawczak' and 'Jörg Michael'. The tempo falls for the plodding 'Touch the Rainbow', a slight deviation from the norm as they take a more 70's Bluesy approach, there's a touch of 'Deep Purple' and 'Rainbow' present, especially with the keyboards, while 'Soto' brings the song together with a flawless performance. Next up is the instrumental 'Sphinx' Revenge', a strong fast pace rollercoaster ride of guitar excellence, 'Axel' himself just rules supreme and the 'Yngwie Malmsteen' comparisons are justified. Ensuing in superb form is the lively rocker 'You and I', a nicely penned cut, which highlights more crisp vocals and typical yet splendid guitar solo from the fret master. The pace falls for the ballad 'Silent Angel' a pretty decent number, but I personally don't buy an 'Axel Rudi Pell' album for the ballads. Back on form is the epic title track and a personal favourite of mine, the song starts off very 'Dio' like with the plodding structure, but cleverly evolves into classic 'Rainbow', think 'Stargazer', overall a total classic with stunning performances all round. The instrumental 'Serenade of Darkness' follows and commences very gothic in style, but picks-up into typical 'Axel', not particularly fast but still exacting, skilled and enjoyable. The rocker come ballad 'Visions in the Night' is next and balances lighter melodic sections with a brisk powerfully sung chorus, for a well accomplished song. Regrettably 'Black Moon Pyramid' trails off towards the end, 'Aqua Solution' is a short disjointed and irritating instrumental, while 'Aquarius Dance' is a light-weight offering that while very melodic, seems out of place. Last up is a guitar version of 'Silent Angel', a decent enough rendition, but did it really warrant two workings of the same song?

The last few tracks lack a decent rocker and let a very good release down, but there's still a wealth of overlooked material here that will please any 'Axel Rudi Pell' fan- Definitely one of his best, yet most disregarded albums!