Godfathers of power (a.k.a. "melodic speed with a touch of prog") metal, Germany's Helloween debuted in 1985. Its first full length album, "Walls Of Jericho" (1985), featuring a quartet of Kai Hansen (vocals, guitars, songs), Michael "Weiki" Weikath (guitars, songs), Marcus Grosskopf (bass), and Ingo Schwichtenberg (drums), already caused some resonance among metal lovers. But it was the "Keeper Of The Seven Keys" Parts I (1987) and II (1988) one-two punch, with young and talented Michael Kiske handling the vocals (Hansen has correctly concluded that he just wasn't good enough and concentrated on guitar and songwriting), that proved that they indeed created a new movement in metal. Considered by many to be among world's best vocalists with an incredible range, as well as showmanship, Kiske certainly contributed to the success of the band. "Keepers" influenced a whole generation of metal bands, known as "NWOEPM" (New Wave of European Power Metal). The happiness was short-lived: Hansen got into a fight with Weikath over the further direction of the band, left to form Gamma Ray, and was replaced by Roland Grapow. Consequently, Helloween decided to experiment with their music and sound. The results were disastrous: two following albums, "Pink Bubbles Go Ape" (1991) and "Chameleon" (1993), disappointed nearly everybody. As a result, Kiske was gone too and has become a session musician for various bands. Meanwhile, Helloween suffered another blow: Schwichtenberg committed suicide. All these events caused Weiki and Marcus to reconsider their musical direction. Band's newly hired vocalist, Andy Deris (formerly of Pink Cream 69) and drummer, Uli Kusch, both combined high proficiency in their trade with excellent songwriting skills. The band decided to return to its roots, and did so quite successfully: "Master Of The Rings" (1995) and "Time Of The Oath" (1996) were taken very well. Helloween's next effort, "Better Than Raw" (1998), continued in that vein. "The Dark Ride" (2000) was produced by Roy Z (famous for his work with Bruce Dickinson and Rob Halford) and was hailed as their best since the "Keepers." Soon the band changed its lineup once again: Kusch and Grapow both left to form Masterplan. Enlisting U.D.O.'s and Running- and X-Wild's Stephen Schwarzmann (drums) and Freedom Call's Sascha Gerstner (guitars) the band carried on, releasing three more albums, the last of which, "Gambling With The Devil" (2007), just came out.
HELLOWEEN EP + WALLS OF JERICHO + JUDAS (1984)
RATING: ****1/2
BEST SONGS: "Warrior," "Ride The Sky," "Guardians"
So, this is where this all started. The sound and the production is terrible, Kai's voice is downright awful (it's amazing to see how far he's come if you listen to Gamma Ray), and lyrics are laughable at best. Nevertheless the songs are just so damn cool, it's hard not to resist the urge to listen to them over and over, and I can clearly see how this album influenced dozens and dozens European bands to forge the sub-genre that I adore so much. Well, the first part of this disc, the Helloween EP, is, practically, thrash. Very fast, very sloppy, not particularly brutal, but fairly cool nonetheless. Kai's scream "Die NOW!" in "Warrior" remained in my ears for weeks, and "Victim Of Fate" is also wonderful (even though Michael Kiske's version in The Best, The Rest, The Rare is more polished and ear-pleasing). Then comes the actual WoJ part, which is slightly more melodic, but still quite thrashy and energetic. "Ride The Sky" is probably one of the most famous European metal songs ever written, and both Helloween and Gamma Ray (especially Gamma Ray) still treat their public to this one to this date. "Reptile," "Guardians" ("We don't pay any taxes, but the state is the axes"), "Metal Invaders," and "Gorgar" (re-recorded by Kai & Iron Savior) are all hilarious and rock like hell. "How Many Tears" is a nice anthem, and speaking of anthems: it doesn't get any more anthemic than "Heavy Metal Is The Law"! The album is full of such raw energy that, in spite of all its laughable aspects, it is still as great in the 2002 as it was when it was released.
KEEPER OF THE SEVEN KEYS, PART I (1987)
RATING: ****
BEST SONGS: "I'm Alive," "A Little Time," "Future World"
The bastard is short. Only 30 minutes. You can't avoid but put Keeper II as soon as it's over. "I'm Alive," "A Little Time" (great chorus, classic Helloween), and especially "Future World" (one ecstatic tune, notice the guitar screetch in the last chorus, right after the first "come with me," ooh, yeah!) are marvelous songs. "Twilight Of The Gods" is another rocker, and "Tale That Wasn't Right" I don't care for. "Halloween" is a long epic, hailed by many as the greatest ever, but I never understood why. It's good, don't get me wrong, but not that good. The album is terrific, but the downside remains: the EP length makes it a perfect illustration of the Murphy's Law.
KEEPER OF THE SEVEN KEYS, PART II (1988)
RATING: *****
BEST SONGS: "Eagle Fly Free," "Dr. Stein," "I Want Out"
I wanted to get both albums, but decided to start with the 2nd one, cuz the 1st is only 30+ minutes long (I ended up getting in some 4 years after Part 2). The album starts with a short instrumental, and quickly turns into the raging speed of my favorite Hello song "Eagle Fly Free." Despite a bit corny lyrics, this song kicks butt. It's also perfect as introduction to Helloween, because every musician has a little solo part, where he demonstrates his skill (and Schwichtenberg is just bombing that poor drumkit). I must mention that there are no songs on the album written by two people together: three songs by Hansen, four song by Weiki, and two songs (the worst ones) by Kiske. Weiki's songs tend to rely on humor, and he does a good job there, with "Eagle," "Rise And Fall," which wins the prize for the most absurd yet funny lyrics, and "Dr. Stein," which some people dismiss as cheesy, but I just find it amusing, and the main riff kicks ass. Hansen's songs are most straight forward rockers: a speed blast with some religious and anti-war motives "Save Us," excellent "March Of Time," and the only Helloween song that is known in America, "I Want Out," which, again, some people dismiss as being too simplistic and corny, but I love it anyway. Kiske's singing is terrific everywhere, and the dual work of Hansen and Weiki will be sending shivers down people's spines for years to come. Album's downside are Kiske's songs ("You Walk Alone" and "We Got The Right"): they are confusing and not as cool. Every Helloween album has a 10-12 minute epic, this one has the title track, which works good for me if I'm doing something else, but otherwise I don't care much for it. Outstanding.
I WANT OUT: LIVE (1989)
RATING: ****
BEST SONGS: "Dr. Stein," "Future World," "I Want Out"
If it wasn't for "We Got The Right" and the fact this EP has only six songs! They must have been compiling it by collecting equal number of songs (2) from each songwriter. In his other tune, "Little Time" from Keeper I, Kiske demonstrates that he can write, but they really didn't have to include the other one. Despite all those downsides, this is the greatest live album of the late 80s. Guys really know how to put up a good show. Hansen playing "Doggie Waltz" and "In The Hall Of The Mountain King" themes between songs, Kiske imitating Elvis Presley in the middle of "Future World" and talking to the public and to himself: too cool! "A Little Time" is an awesome rocker, "Future World" is a great positive song, and the last track, "How Many Tears" from "Jericho" is also nice. I bought this CD for $5 and believe it to be among the greatest bargains of my life.
THE BEST, THE REST, THE RARE (1991)
RATING: ****
BEST SONGS: "I Want Out," "Future World," "Dr. Stein"
After Kai left, Noise released a compilation of what they considered "greatest hits" as well as some b-sides. One thing that catches the eye is absence of Helloween's best song, "Eagle Fly Free," without which no compilation is complete. But everything else is present: "Judas" and "Ride The Sky" from Walls Of Jericho, "Helloween" and "Future World" from Kot7K I, "I Want Out," "Dr. Stein," "Save Us," and title track from Kot7K II. The album also has some new tracks: "Livin' Ain't No Crime" (overly happy and a little weak), "Savage" (great), and "Victim Of Fate" sung by Kiske (great). Pretty decent stuff if you don't have any of the first three Helloween albums, but non-essential if you do own them.
TIME OF THE OATH (1996)
RATING: ****1/2
BEST SONGS: "Steel Tormentor," "Power," "Before The War"
I have already mentioned it somewhere, but let me say it again: I actually dig Deris's voice more than I do Kiske's. Maybe it's because the Andy's vocal is more wicked. He also sounds a bit like Zach Stevens of Savatage in high registers. The album itself is godlike. If someone told me that a band could rock like this in 1996 I would not believe. Super-fast "We Burn" and Priest-dedicated "Steel Tormentor" co-exist with an awesome mid-tempo "A Million To One" and two ballads ("Forever And One" I don't like, but Deris's vocals make up for everything, and "If I Knew" is pretty cool). Melodic rockers "Power" (seemed to be pointed at Hansen and Gamma Ray, but I might be mistaken) and "Kings Will Be Kings" (which is kinda average) pave the way for a dark and medieval "Time Of The Oath." "Before The War" is IMHO the best song of 1996, with the most awesome chorus ("I'm a child of the stars, the blaster of the gods! And I have seen it all before, before the war!"). I freakin' love it! "Anything My Mama Don't Like," which everybody loves to hate, doesn't bother me either. Yeah, it's stupid and everything, but got plenty of catchiness. Oh yes, Helloween would not be Helloween without some humor somewhere: on this album, it's a 8 minute sci-fi epic "Mission: Motherland," a tale of aliens who all move on our planet, but since our sun turns out to be deadly for them, they just fall asleep in the fridges. Like I said, godlike.
HIGH LIVE (1997)
RATING: ***1/2
BEST SONGS: "Power," "Eagle Fly Free," "Steel Tormentor"
I don't know what is the problem (maybe it's the fact that I own a pirate copy that's missing "Dr. Stein" and "Future World"), but I don't dig this CD as much as others. The songs are good, but I prefer the studio versions of all of them. Deris sounds like a good showman, and he does well in turning the crowd on. "Power" has a nice jam in the middle, with Deris screaming: "Left! Right! Left! Right!" to the sides of the hall, and album concluding "Steel Tormentor" is bursting with energy. Uli Kusch is truly a terrific drummer (as well as, as everybody noticed, a gifted songwriter, which is not as uncommon as everyone thinks: recall Lars Ulrich of Metallica and Neil Peart of Rush), and Grapow / Weiki duet is hard not to appreciate.
BETTER THAN RAW (1998)
RATING: ****
BEST SONGS: "Handful Of Pain," "Laudatum Dominum," "Midnight Sun"
Not the best album from the legends and the creators of German power metal, but, still it's pretty decent. What I absolutely hate about this album is the production. What I hate even more is the fact that I can't actually specify what makes this production so poor. At times it's too raw, and individual instruments cannot be heard; other times the sound is too polished and sterile. The songs themselves are actually quite good: speedy and thrashy "Push" and more polished, yet still fast "I Can." "Falling Higher" is a typical Helloween song: people who say that modern Helloween doesn't sound anything like Helloween of the 80s should listen to it closely. "Hey, Lord" and "Don't Spit On My Mind" bore the hell out of me, while "Revelation" and "Time" are both average at best. All album's best tracks come at the end: "I Can," a kick-ass mid-tempo "Handful Of Pain" (to me, it resembles "Million To One" but it's much more dramatic; the best track on the album), "Laudatum Dominum" ("Praise the Lord" – the only tune where I can't complain about the mix, for everything sounds just fine), a fast song with lyrics in Latin, and another fast mid-tempo "Midnight Sun," with Deris screaming his lungs out – just perfect. Lyrics on the album are also OK (too bad, both "Handful Of Pain" and "Midnight Sun" are both love/relationship songs, and "LD" is just a long prayer), and the guys play their instruments very well. But the overall feeling is rather… uhm… uncertain. After a year of listening to this album, I must say that there's only one song on the album that should ever make it to the band's "greatest hits" album, and that is "Handful Of Pain." Still, don't get me wrong, this album is definitely worth owning, especially if you already have all classics from the Pumpkins (speaking of which: excellent artwork in the booklet). They should consider getting another producer, but also adding some punch to their songwriting. We all know they can do that!
METAL JUKEBOX (1999)
RATING: ***
BEST SONGS: "He's A Woman, She's A Man," "Locomotive Breath," "Hocus Pocus"
A set of covers from some more or less famous bands that influenced Helloween or are simply liked by Helloween. I must admit I have not heard any of the originals, with the exception of "All My Loving," so I can't compare these versions with the originals. The album opens up with a rocking cover of Scorpions "He's A Woman, She's A Man," which simply rips. Man, what a blast. Next comes my favorite tune on the album, a kick-ass cover of Jethro Tull's classic "Locomotive Breath." Andy's "evilness" is simply unequaled in this song. Next comes the first single off of this album, Abba's famous "Lay All Your Love On Me." Apparently, covering Abba has become somewhat fashionable in the metal community, especially after a great job Morgana Lefay has done on "Voulez Vouz," and the Metal tribute to Abba came out in 2000. I thoroughly dislike "LAYLOM," and often skip to the next track, which is a rather odd (but neat) cover of David Bowie's "Space Oddity." Some other highlights include the aforementioned "All My Loving" from The Beatles, a pretty cool instrumental "Hocus Pocus" from Focus, and "White Room" from Cream. What can I say: it's pretty good, and, even though it's not exactly your typical "energetic" Helloween. Hell, at least they're not covering lame punk tunes!
THE DARK RIDE (2000)
RATING: *****
BEST SONGS: "Mr. Torture," "Salvation," "The Departed (Sun Is Going Down)"
Oh, hell yes! Or, should I say, "Helloween yes!" The best album since Keepers. Granted, it only has one superhit (in the "Tormentor" / "Before The War" league), and that's "The Departed," but the overall level of songs is so incredibly high, the production is so heavy and sharp (the best production I've heard from these guys; Roy Z does it again), and everybody sounds so much into what they're doing, that one can't but wholeheartedly applaud their effort. The album is classic Helloween, just with the updated sound. Opening "Mr. Torture" is catchy as hell, with great use of keyboards, that just contribute in places, but do not overflow the music (the way Rhapsody does it, for example). Songs like "All Over The Nations," "Salvation" (one excellent song, sounds a bit like "Father Time" by Stratovarius in its chorus), and "We Damn The Night" (another great one) are classic Helloween, the band's tribute to its star period of the late 80s. "Escalation 666" is like the majority of Grapow's songs: slow, mezmerizing, and heavy as hell. "If I Could Fly" I don't like as much (some unnecessary hysteria and keyboards), but many people do, so I restrain from commenting. "The Departed (Sun Is Going Down)" is a sheer masterpiece, one of the best Hello songs ever. This will definitely broaden the listener's horizons on just what exactly can Helloween do. Synthetic sounds, desperate voice of Deris (who never sounded better), haunting chants ("will you catch the bullet that was meant for me?") all make this tune a worthy addition to the band's impressive "best of" collection. "I Live For Your Pain" is not quite as strong ("Handful Of Pain" from the previous album already said everything there was to be said on the subject). "Immortal" is pretty cool too, and the album-closing "The Dark Ride" is definitely NOT like any other song written by Grapow: it's faster, energetic, and has an excellent lead break (one of the best I've heard lately). An outstanding album, one of the year's best, if not THE best, from the band that once defined and continues to redefine the genre of power metal. If you can get your hands on it, don't hesitate.
KEEPERS OF JERICHO: TRIBUTE TO HELLOWEEN (2000)
RATING: ****
BEST SONGS: "Guardians," "I Want Out," "Save Us"
Tribute to the "classic" Helloween era, when Hansen was in the band. So, don't look for any 90s or beyond material. Moreover, the organizers of this project take a rather unnecessary stab at current Helloween, saying in the notes, that "We try to rescue the essence of those incredible years when Helloween reigned the European scene. Unfortunately, those times will never return." I find this comment to be of very bad taste. Anyhow, to the tracks. The vast majority of the bands comes from either Germany or Italy, and the majority of the featured artists are fairly new (with the exception of Heavens Gate, for which it was their final stand). Rhapsody opens with a blistering version of "Guardians." Sonata Arctica delivers a splendid version of "I Want Out" (slightly altered, but not as much as their version of "Still Loving You" on the Scorpions tribute). Heavens Gate does a solid job on "A Litle Time" and Metalium does likewise on "Ride The Sky." This tribute features FIVE Labyrinth-related acts: Labyrinth itself, Rhapsody (with a former Labyrinth vocalist, Fabio Leone), Luca Turilli (Leone's bandmate from Rhapsody), Vision Divine (Labyrinth plus Leone), and Cydonia (featuring Labyrinth's drummer, Mat Stancioiu). Turilli (joined by more than half of Heavens Gate) does a decent job on "I'm Alive." "Eagle Fly Free" done by Vision Divine leaves some to be desired: the production is subpar, Leone's accent is very prominent, and the whole thing just sounds forced. The same is true for "Future World" by Labyrinth itself. Swedish band Morifade's version of "Judas" is excellent: this is what Kai Hansen would have sounded like with better voice and modern production. "Savage" by Brainstorm is also solid. Excellent performances by Cydonia on "Save Us" and Squealer (featuring Edguy's drummer, Felix Bohnke) on "Victim Of Fate." Spanish band Dark Moor presents a very interesting take on "Halloween," mostly due to the female vocalist (a very powerful voice). All bands try to stay as true to the originals as possible, no surprises of any kind (not counting the surprisingly lacklaster performances from Labyrinth and VD). Worth getting if you are, like me, a Helloween fan.
RABBIT DON'T COME EASY (2003)
RATING: ****
BEST SONGS: "Just A Little Sign," "Open Your Life," "Listen To The Flies"
Upon hearing this album, many people cursed the day when Michael Weikath's mother decided to have a son. To me the situation is not quite as dramatic: yes, RDCE comes in footsteps of what can arguably be considered the best Helloween album of all time, and it is significantly worse. But is this a bad album by itself? I don't think so. I like it. The choruses are indeed VERY happy, but isn't it what made Helloween so easily distinguishable from the gazillion of other bands that take themselves VERY seriously? One album that I can definitely compare this album to is Better Than Raw. The sound in both is fairly similar, and the general style of songwriting lies somewhat in the land with the similar musical climate. The songs are slightly stronger on this one, because BTR, doesn't really start rocking until the second half, and this one is more consistent. On the other hand, this album doesn't have "Handful Of Pain." Of course, I miss Uli, moreso because the apparent chemistry between the Helloween members on the last several albums was amazing, and Uli has contributed some terrific songs. The drums on this album are mostly played by Mikkey Dee, of King Diamond and Motorhead fame, and he is phenomenal. Not once during the album I actually missed Uli in the skin-beating department, simply because Dee's fills make me shout "Oh my god!" The new guitarist, Sascha Gerstner, is quite capable of standing alongside Weikath, and he already contributed some pretty cool songs. Now, for the songs themselves. "Just A Little Sign" is a good representative of the album: fast, melodic, happy, and with absolutely retarded lyrics (I don't think Helloween wrote such imbecile crap since "Heavy Metal Hamsters"). But the song is catchy as hell, and if you can find the video for it, it's also quite good (not to mention being an advertisement for plasma tvs). "Open Your Life" is the best Helloween anthem I've heard since "Before The War." It rocks, especially the chorus. "The Tune" is a mandatory Weikath's happy whistler (and I can't but admire the band's fascination with Jews: last album had "all over the nations the Jews come alive," and this one has "And the Jew goes on eternally"). "Never Be A Star" is a skipper, as Deris is still trying to write an anthem like "Take On The World" without putting any effort into it (and the whole song sounds quite stupid if you recall the chorus to "Immortal" off of TDR: "Tonight we're stars!"). "Liar" tells a silly mystery story, and the chorus resembles both "Rep-tile! Rep-tile!" from the Jericho, as well as of "liar, liar, pants on fire." Other songs all have their moments, but they are a bit sporadic. "Nothing To Say" has a good reggae chorus, perfectly executed. Well worth having if you like Helloween (and all of their mood swings) and for "Open Your Life" alone. Oh yeah, and I find this album to be catchier than the Masterplan s/t, which doesn't mean it's better, it just means it spends more time in my cd player.
KEEPER OF THE SEVEN KEYS: THE LEGACY (2005)
RATING: ****
BEST SONGS: "The Invisible Man," "Silent Rain," "Occasion Avenue"
This album started out slow with me, but grew on me eventually. First of all, I don't understand why make two forty minute discs. Wouldn't it would be cheaper to make one eighty minute disc? Format aside, this would be a pretty good album, had it come out in mid-90s and not had such a legacy in its title. After two groundbreaking Keeper albums of the late 80s, Helloween would be best to stay away from this title, which gives it unnecessary burden and unlikely-to-be-met expectations. On Time Of The Oath Helloween demonstrated that they can match their classic works, and The Dark Ride -- even surpass it, but since then they have decided to revert to the formula, and the results have been spotty. If you, after all these years and after all these good albums, still like melodic speed metal, professionally executed from the most experienced people in the genre, you will like this album. If not, you won't. There are plenty of good moments on these two discs. "The Invisible Man" has a nice chorus, "Pleasure Drone," "The Shade In The Shadows," and "Silent Rain" -- nice main riffs, "Mrs. God" -- a nice vocal line and trademark Deris's silliness. "Do You Know What You're Fighting For" has a very Led Zeppelin-ish ("The Immigrant Song") rocking main riff, but it wanes away in the chorus. At this point, Helloween is Deris's and Gerstner's band, with both "senior" members seemingly concerned with not letting them stray too far away from their "expected" style. Strange as it may sound, the biggest weapon of Helloween at this point is Gerstner's guitar, he provides the essential energy. The album has two epics, "The King For A 1000 Years" and "Occasion Avenue." The former is completely forgettable, but "Occasion Avenue" is, in fact, the best epic the band released since at least "Mission Motherland." I am, generally speaking, not a big fan of big bloated epics, because to me, to justify a 10+ min opus, one must really have a lot of ideas that are coherent enough to be in the same song, yet do not fit into a normal length. "Occasion Avenue" has these qualities, and, as such, is a good song (although it's still a little overextended). Unfortunately, the rest of the album is not as strong and has plenty of those "background" tracks. Basically, in my opinion, not every musical idea needs to be put on tape, and the more screening is done by the band and the producer, the better. Maybe then, the second-rate derivative material like "Come Alive" would not be clogging up the discspace. Deris is a little one-dimensional here, and never he actually sounds like a man on fire he once was. Candice Night's contribution on "Light The Universe" is nothing special, but the song is kinda pretty. Oh yeah, and can we survive without a mandatory phallic reference ("Get It Up")? Overall, a pretty decent album, but suffers from the lack of focus.
GAMBLING WITH THE DEVIL (2007)
RATING: ****
BEST SONGS: “Paint The New World,” “Final Fortune,” “I.M.E.”
The reason I’m not sharing many people’s admiration for this album and not jumping the “they’re back!” bandwagon is because I simply did not hate Rabbit and Keeper III as much as they did. Granted, it’s more even than either of those two, without obviously shitty tracks, but it doesn’t have the immediate masterpieces like “Open Your Life” and “Invisible Man.” “Paint A New World” comes the closest: it simply rips. Once you pop the album in, it’s very solid and tight throughout, but overall I think they are repeating themselves too much musically. Most of the songs are double-bass speedsters, with several mid-tempo numbers thrown in (“As Long As I Fall,” which, to me, sounds like a grammatical mistake: I think they wanted to say “while I’m falling”). “Kill It” is a strong in your face (perhaps, even too much so) opener. “Bells Of The 7 Hells” has a blaster of a chorus and more diverse verses and a bridge. “The Saints,” “Final Fortune,” and “Can Do It” are vintage upbeat Helloween, and I like them all. "I.M.E." I also dig quite a bit, also due to its slight versatility. “Turn Black Into White” sounds too much like “We Damn The Night” from The Dark Ride, but it’s not quite as strong. Overall, it’s the closest they’ve come to Time Of The Oath, but stopped a few steps short of matching it.
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