HELLOWEEN
“HELLOWEEN”
Album Review by Piers Renfree

9/10

Hello there boys and girls. I hope that you have all been keeping up with band practice and rehearsals for your future socially distanced gigs. 

Today for your listening pleasure, we have the latest album from the great Helloween.

Helloween were founded in 1984, in Hamburg in West Germany (this is during the Cold War, when there was a bloody great wall in the middle of Berlin, dividing Germany into two parts, East and West Germany, a result of the conclusion of World War Two).

The band started life as a speed metal band, but over the years, they’ve evolved into one of the all-time great power metal bands. In the thirty-seven years since the band was founded, they have released a total of seventeen studio albums – which is not to be sniffed at! Their debut “Walls Of Jericho” (which wrestler, author, actor and Fozzy vocalist Chris Jericho used as inspiration for his wrestling name and his wrestling finishing hold) was released in 1985 and two years later, they followed up with “Keeper Of The Seven Keys: Part 1”. “Keeper Of The Seven Keys: Part 2” was released in 1988 and the albums continued to come.

“Pink Bubbles Go Ape” (1991), “Chameleon” (1993), “Master Of The Rings” (1994), “The Time Of The Oath” (1996), “Better Than Raw” (1998), “Metal Jukebox” (1999), “The Dark Ride” (2000), “Rabbit Don’t Come Easy” (2003), “Keeper Of The Seven Keys: The Legacy” (2005), “Gambling With The Devil” (2007), “Seven Sinners” (2010), “Straight Out Of Hell” (2013), & “My God-Given Right” (2015) complete the band’s studio output, up ‘til now.

Like most bands that have survived such a long time in the music business, there have been some changes in the band’s line-up, but currently the band consists of Michael Weikath (guitar and backing vocals), Markus Grosskopf (bass and backing vocals), Kai Hansen (guitar and lead vocals), Michael Kiske (lead vocals), Andi Dervis (lead vocals), Sascha Gerstner (guitar and backing vocals) & Daniel Löble (drums). Long term associate, Matthias Ulmer provides the keyboards for this album. The artwork for the album cover, done by Eliran Kantor, is amazing. 

“So, what’s the new album like?” I hear you ask. Well, seeing as how you asked, I shall tell you.

The twelve songs here go on for an hour and five minutes and the band come roaring out of the blocks and don’t let up. Try head banging to this and you run the risk of causing yourself severe, permanent injury – you have been warned. Each vocalist brings a different pitch to the band’s aural arsenal, from nice clean vocals, to screams that Rob Halford would be proud of. Daniel Löbel’s drums sound like a horde running rampant, the guitarists trade solos that would destroy the hands of mere mortals, and there are melodies, harmonies, time and tempo changes galore. 

Even with the blistering pace of the music, the number of musicians and different styles here, no-one is overshadowed or forgotten. The production is nice and clean, and you can clearly hear everyone.

So girls and boys, if fast paced melodic, time changing power metal is your thing, then this is for you. Enjoy. 

TRACKLIST

Out For The Glory
Fear Of The Fallen
Best Time
Mass Pollution
Angels
Rise Without Chains
Indestructible
Robot King
Cyanide
Down In The Dumps
Orbit
Skyfall

http://www.helloween.org/
https://www.facebook.com/helloweenofficial

This review is the property of Piers Renfree and Metal Gods TV. It is strictly prohibited to copy any part of this review, unless you have all of the parties’ permission, or are the band/record label/PR company in question. Failure to adhere to these instructions will be considered as Plagiarism and you will be reported to the appropriate authorities.

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