A complete review of Helloween's career

Written by Thomas, November 2004

f anyone says he or she hasn't heard of Helloween, they are lying and they are not to be trusted. The question about where, when and with who power metal started differs but that Helloween was amongst the first is there no doubt about. And their importance is probably something that all metalheads can agree on; power metal would not have been what it is today without Helloween.

This is an introduction and a guide for those of you that might have missed one or two albums from this legendary and genre defining band.

Walls Of Jericho (1985) - 10/10

- The beginning from what would to become legends. Kai is leading on the vocals and even if he doesn't sing very well you can hear he is passionate. At this time Helloween was an underground act and this is speed metal more than the power metal that they would come to be part of forming.
Skilled songwriting and Hansen/Weikath produced many classics right from the start like Ride The Sky, Judas, Heavy Metal (Is The Law) and How Many Tears. Twenty-year-old songs that still wipe away most of the newcomer's still to this day. The most common release of Walls Of Jericho (at least to my knowledge) is the one with the bonus track Judas and the selftitled debut Mini-CD Helloween included that was originally released earlier that same year. And on that one you can find classics like: Starlight, Victim Of Fate and Cry For Freedom amongst others proving that Helloween was a coming force already before their real full-length debut.



Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part I (1987) - 8/10

- The first part of two classic albums that would come to be synonymous with Helloween for an entire generation of young boys. Michael Kiske entered the band and with his voice and the more melodic approach power metal was about to take shape. With tracks like I'm Alive, A Little Time and Future World we got served fast, melodic and catchy metal with refrains that quickly get stuck in the mind and is easy to sing along with. And that they have progressed further as a band can be heard in the thirteen minute long track called Halloween, which shows Kai Hansen song writing at its best.


Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part II (1988) - 10/10

- Even better and with more classics songs and perhaps the most classic of them all: I Want Out. Who haven't sung along to that song? Many people refer to Kai Hansen as the great contributor of classic Helloween songs, but do not forget Weikath that wrote just as many of the old classics. This time it was his turn to write a long epic track with the mighty title track and furthermore we find Eagle Fly Free and Dr. Stein done by Weiki. While Kiske and Weikath stood for the faster and more melodic tracks, Kiske contributed with the slower and darker tracks in You Always Walk Alone and We Got The Right, which provide a range in the style from Helloween.


Live In The Uk (1989) - 9/10

- Also known as I Want Out Live when it was released in America. Six live tracks that were recorded in Scotland and England during a tour in 1988 with great sound and a band that is having a blast. Includes a killer version of A Little Time and How Many Tears that turns out a whole lot better with Kiske doing the vocals instead of Kai Hansen as on Walls of Jericho. The other tracks on the album are Dr. Stein, Future World, We Got The Right and I Want Out, all done in a splendid way.



The Best, The Rest, The Rare 1991) - 9/10

- More or less the ultimate compilation. All of the best tracks from their three first albums plus some additional material. In all, there are thirteen tracks and both Keeper Of The Seven Keys and Halloween, their two epic songs, are included. None album tracks like Don't Run For Cover, Livin' Ain't No Crime and probably the most aggressive song Kiske ever have done, Savage, all helps to make this album even more brilliant. If you decide to only own one Helloween album, this is the one.



Pink Bubbles Go Ape (1991) - 8/10

- A change of direction with the departure of Hansen and the arrival of Roland Grapow. A more direct approach and more heavy metal instead of the typical power metal. Also a strange title for an album and where the hell is the obligatory pumpkin that ought to be on the cover? Kids Of The Century and The Chance are the two tracks that sounds most like the old stuff, but mid-tempo tracks like Number One and others like Mankind or the beautiful ballad Your Turn made it feel like the band had progressed, rather than having abandoned their typical style. And speed were still a factor that you could count with on this album, so for me it was still very much Helloween.


Chameleon (1993) - 4/10

- What the hell happened here? Out goes metal, in come pop. Not entirely perhaps, but that was how it felt when you first heard the album. Although it has certain qualities, like with the traditional Helloween sounding First Time, the catchy When The Sinner track that was the first video released from the album, and the oh so mighty track I Believe. A good album, but should not have been marked with the Helloween brand if you ask me. Also the last album with Ingo Schwichtenberg on drums that later on committed suicide, a tragic loss for the metal world. And that was not the only loss as many fans at this point abandoned Helloween, as did major label EMI after only two albums, and furthermore Michael Kiske decided to leave the band to pursue his solo career with less metal oriented music.


Master Of The Rings (1994) - 5/10

- Time for Andi Deris from Pink Cream 69 to introduce himself and a journey with a destination towards their earlier sound is begun. It is a bit uneven in quality and hardly any real classics to be found here, but the last track Still We Go shows the direction that they are definitely back on the right track again. Their sound has become harder and overall there is a rawer feeling and the pace is getting quicker again.





The Time Of The Oath (1996)- 6/10

- The speed is now back at a pace where it should be and the band seems to be getting back into shape again. The production leaves a bit more to wish for though, an unclear and fuzzy sound make it sound almost like you are listening from the next room. Even if some tracks like the cheesy Anything My Mama Don't Like doesn't really match up, the songwriting is beginning to shape up again and shows a band that is pouring out intensity and the magnificent guitars are sounding as the Helloween we want them to sound like. Fast tunes like We Burn, Before The War and Kings Will Be Kings are holding the pumpkins high just like the mid-tempo track A Million To One.


High Live (1996) - 6/10

- Double live album and Deris shows that he is capable of the old songs as well. The sound is pretty good although it tends to a bit hollow from time to time. The focus is being kept on the later albums and only four tracks are taken from previous albums with Kiske. It is a good live album, but the selection of songs could have been done better, and even if Live In The UK only contains six songs it still outdoes all of the sixteen songs on this one. In addition to this, a dvd with the same name was released. The tracklist is the same, and it gets the same grade as the album. It is nice to see the band live, as there have not been much live concerts release with Helloween. The sound is decent, but the footage is dark and sometimes irritatingly cut, and that takes away a bit of the viewing pleasure.


Better Than Raw (1998) - 7/10

- This one more or less continues where The Time Of The Oath ended. The songwriting is more even and there are fewer ups and downs on the album, which overall holds a good quality. Here is introduced the first Helloween song in an other language than English, in this case Latin. Laudate Dominum is a track in traditional fast and catchy Helloween manor but with a language that it is almost impossible to understand, nevertheless it works and it is a funny little tune. With the pace and melody still intact the edge is getting harder, with tracks like Push and Revelation there is more aggression in the music adding another element to Helloween.


Metal Jukebox (1999) - 4/10

- Helloween goes cover band for an album and it is more of a fun character than what it is good. I still really haven't seen the need for this album, but if you are a fan you probably must have this one. Scorpions, Beatles, Abba, Bowie, Faith No More among others get new and in some cases really good versions. For the most of it, Helloween have stayed true to the original version simply adding their own sound, and at times it is really good, like with From Out Of Nowhere (Faith No More) and Hocus Pocus (Focus), but otherwise it is mostly for the Helloween album collector.


The Dark Ride (2000) - 8/10

- By far their darkest album and also one of the better ones. Produced by Roy Z (Halford, Bruce Dickinson) the sound feels softer, and yet the music comes out darker and heavier. Some of the tracks are surprisingly heavy for being Helloween but nevertheless they sound very suitable, and overall there is a heavier feeling than before on The Dark Ride. This is the most homogenous album since The Keeper albums, and there are many great tracks to pick out from here. Both traditional fast paced catchy music as well as mid-tempo tracks, and of course the mighty ballad If I Could Fly. A more thorough review can be found here.


Treasure Chest (2002) - 9/10

- A triple album collection that spans over the entire Helloween career. But even though it is a really great collection it isn't as good as their first compilation. It works splendidly as an introduction to Helloween, but it is a bit uneven with the selection of songs and not as packed with perfect tracks as The Best, The Rest, The Rare was, where every song is more or less a perfect ten. CD 1 and 2 contain the traditional `best of` tracks, and the third CD is a compilation of single B-sides. The last is definitely mostly for the fans and doesn't contain anything to get too enthusiastic about.


Rabbit Don't Come Easy (2004) - 9/10

- Almost a Spinal Tap moment went on before it was done with the drumming situation surrounding Helloween at the time for the recording. But in the end Mikkey Dee from Motörhead helped out as a guest with the drums as Stefan Schwarzmann was announced as replacement for Mark Cross that in fact was the new drummer but only got around to record two tracks before he got ill and had to be replaced. And now Helloween is definitely back on top again with an album that is full of catchy melodies and a fast pace, it is as if Helloween have had a new and fresh start. It is a more vital album that is sparkling with a band that sound like they are having fun again, and new guitarrist Sachsa Gerstner has brought a fire back in the band, which has a more positive vibe surrounding it now. A more thorough review can be found here.

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Many are those that have passed through the Helloween camp, but Markus Grosskopf and Michael Weikath has been there all along. Kai Hansen went on to form Gamma Ray and Roland Grapow together with Uli Kusch went on to form Masterplan, so there have been more great music coming out of Helloween than simply Helloween in an sense.

And always remember that if you spell the song Halloween from Helloween with an E and the group with an A you will immediately be turned into big ugly half-price-selling pumpkin!

Thomas - November 2004