- Nov 24, 2002
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Finally it leaked so here is another preview with yours truly.
For some this is one of the most awaited releases of 2005, for me is a turning point in my relationship with the band. As a long time fan I found the PBGA and "Chameleon" time a dreadful one (not even have the albums) and the come of Deris era a rebirth from the ashes. Sadly after the great TDR, Weikath decided to hold an iron grip on the band and take it not to a leading but to a following path. RDCE was a very average power metal album the worst of Deris era IMO.
And now the band takes a big wage on a double CD named after their most revered work the Keepers saga, so the best way to decide id this was a great strategy or a fantastic screw-up is to review it, so let's go:
'The King For A 1000 Years': the opener clocks at 13:54 being a very well executed epic not in the vein of the previous ones. More bright and a bit more on the prog/power side, this one owes totally to the early Deris sound and at the same time is totally true Helloween. The guitar and keyboard work is tight and far from flowery, drumming is precise and vocals are top notch.
Lots of melody changes, extended instrumental passages, some nice choruses and definitively a reason to get into the album.
'The Invisible Man': good one too, heavy, fast, a bit darker than the opener. Deris vocals are fantastic on this one, and the guitar solo is one of the nicest the band have ever come with. This song would have fit perfectly into TOTO, and still is much more complex than most songs on that album. Clocking at 7:17 keeps the spirit on.
'Born On Judgement Day': starts with a weird keyboard and the hits with drumming into a very fast song, also melodic and to more into the happy side of power metal. Not as kisch as some material on RDCE, more like 'Secret Alibi' mix with a prog attitude. Definitively now Helloween relies on keys to deliver the music, the good thing is that is not the drenching abuse of Sonata Arctica or some other flowery bands. And the drums are very prominent, it seems the band is now quite proud with Danny on the skins. So far Helloween has come like a band who has grow over themselves, I definitively like it (6:14)
'Pleasure Drone': I'm sure this one came from the BTR sessions. It reminds me a lot of the vibe of the songs on that album. For sure the band is consistent with the path took with the Deris era. The song is fast, heavy and melodic, extremely Helloween in conception. The guitar work amazes me a lot, I love Grapow but definitively Weikath and Getsner are cliking together like a well oiled machine (4:10).
'Mrs. God': at 2:57 is the shortest and the stain on the album. I still don't understand the purpose of this one on the slab, not even works as a filler IMO. At the same time is the one that reminds me the most of the B-sides of Kiske era. The album version is way better than the single one tho.
'Silent Rain': another fast one totally on the true Helloween spirit, also perfectly capable to fit into the early Deris albums. And after the previous one it sounds also extremely fine. Again the guitar work shines enormously, and never in a shredding/neclassical way.
'Occasion Avenue': this is the one that connects (thru samplers) with the Keepers album, a 11:05 song with a very prog-power attitude, and definitively separates the music from the traditional Helloween song. At the same time is never bad, cloned or weak. As a whole it's difficult for me to describe, it's maybe the most un-Helloween song the band had recorded and at the same time is them alright. One way or another it's a much better path to follow than the conception behind RDCE.
'Light The Universe': the one with Candice Night on side-vocals. A mid-pace song with a lot of the feeling in the ballads of TOTO, also reminds me a bit of 'A Tale That Wasn't Right'. Works for me nicely inside the album.
Do You Know What You're Fighting For: starts pretty heavy after the ballad and therefore it grabs you, sadly when Deris hits the mic something feels wrong and developes into a hard feeling to describe but just doesn't click for me, like 'Mrs God' is a filler type.
'Come Alive': a so-so one, the song starts nicely but the chorus is meeeh. Only 3:21 so not big deal if skipped on the size of the album
'The Shade In The Shadow': on the other hand why is this only 3:25? I'm sure that they could have made it a longer song based on the melody and basic structure of the song. Another true Helloween song that sadly dies before liift totally.
'Get It Up': one more song that could fit into MOTR, fast, happy but not silly, absolutely Helloween and at 4:14 has the proper size for this kind of tune.
'My Life For One More Day': the closer is a 6:51 song that emphazises the notion that Helloween hasn't lost the energy, nor the path. It reminds me of the materila in TDR, so it's basically my favorite of the album.
Final verdict: 13 songs, three deficient, a couple on the medium range and the rest are superb.
This is not a follow up to the Keepers, it is ludicrous to pretend a band can deliver an album exactly like the classics they already made. Iron maiden will not bring another "Powerslave", Black Sabbath will not made another "Heaven And Hell" and Judas Priest cannot deliver "Stained Class" redux. Classical albums become so because of the time when they come and the magic they first sparkled in us.
Being said the above, I must note emphatically that the new Helloween album is a good one, not only better than it's predecessor but also shows that the band can hold all their quality and classical sound and at the same time progress into the future in the proper way (not selling out).
For some this is one of the most awaited releases of 2005, for me is a turning point in my relationship with the band. As a long time fan I found the PBGA and "Chameleon" time a dreadful one (not even have the albums) and the come of Deris era a rebirth from the ashes. Sadly after the great TDR, Weikath decided to hold an iron grip on the band and take it not to a leading but to a following path. RDCE was a very average power metal album the worst of Deris era IMO.
And now the band takes a big wage on a double CD named after their most revered work the Keepers saga, so the best way to decide id this was a great strategy or a fantastic screw-up is to review it, so let's go:
'The King For A 1000 Years': the opener clocks at 13:54 being a very well executed epic not in the vein of the previous ones. More bright and a bit more on the prog/power side, this one owes totally to the early Deris sound and at the same time is totally true Helloween. The guitar and keyboard work is tight and far from flowery, drumming is precise and vocals are top notch.
Lots of melody changes, extended instrumental passages, some nice choruses and definitively a reason to get into the album.
'The Invisible Man': good one too, heavy, fast, a bit darker than the opener. Deris vocals are fantastic on this one, and the guitar solo is one of the nicest the band have ever come with. This song would have fit perfectly into TOTO, and still is much more complex than most songs on that album. Clocking at 7:17 keeps the spirit on.
'Born On Judgement Day': starts with a weird keyboard and the hits with drumming into a very fast song, also melodic and to more into the happy side of power metal. Not as kisch as some material on RDCE, more like 'Secret Alibi' mix with a prog attitude. Definitively now Helloween relies on keys to deliver the music, the good thing is that is not the drenching abuse of Sonata Arctica or some other flowery bands. And the drums are very prominent, it seems the band is now quite proud with Danny on the skins. So far Helloween has come like a band who has grow over themselves, I definitively like it (6:14)
'Pleasure Drone': I'm sure this one came from the BTR sessions. It reminds me a lot of the vibe of the songs on that album. For sure the band is consistent with the path took with the Deris era. The song is fast, heavy and melodic, extremely Helloween in conception. The guitar work amazes me a lot, I love Grapow but definitively Weikath and Getsner are cliking together like a well oiled machine (4:10).
'Mrs. God': at 2:57 is the shortest and the stain on the album. I still don't understand the purpose of this one on the slab, not even works as a filler IMO. At the same time is the one that reminds me the most of the B-sides of Kiske era. The album version is way better than the single one tho.
'Silent Rain': another fast one totally on the true Helloween spirit, also perfectly capable to fit into the early Deris albums. And after the previous one it sounds also extremely fine. Again the guitar work shines enormously, and never in a shredding/neclassical way.
'Occasion Avenue': this is the one that connects (thru samplers) with the Keepers album, a 11:05 song with a very prog-power attitude, and definitively separates the music from the traditional Helloween song. At the same time is never bad, cloned or weak. As a whole it's difficult for me to describe, it's maybe the most un-Helloween song the band had recorded and at the same time is them alright. One way or another it's a much better path to follow than the conception behind RDCE.
'Light The Universe': the one with Candice Night on side-vocals. A mid-pace song with a lot of the feeling in the ballads of TOTO, also reminds me a bit of 'A Tale That Wasn't Right'. Works for me nicely inside the album.
Do You Know What You're Fighting For: starts pretty heavy after the ballad and therefore it grabs you, sadly when Deris hits the mic something feels wrong and developes into a hard feeling to describe but just doesn't click for me, like 'Mrs God' is a filler type.
'Come Alive': a so-so one, the song starts nicely but the chorus is meeeh. Only 3:21 so not big deal if skipped on the size of the album
'The Shade In The Shadow': on the other hand why is this only 3:25? I'm sure that they could have made it a longer song based on the melody and basic structure of the song. Another true Helloween song that sadly dies before liift totally.
'Get It Up': one more song that could fit into MOTR, fast, happy but not silly, absolutely Helloween and at 4:14 has the proper size for this kind of tune.
'My Life For One More Day': the closer is a 6:51 song that emphazises the notion that Helloween hasn't lost the energy, nor the path. It reminds me of the materila in TDR, so it's basically my favorite of the album.
Final verdict: 13 songs, three deficient, a couple on the medium range and the rest are superb.
This is not a follow up to the Keepers, it is ludicrous to pretend a band can deliver an album exactly like the classics they already made. Iron maiden will not bring another "Powerslave", Black Sabbath will not made another "Heaven And Hell" and Judas Priest cannot deliver "Stained Class" redux. Classical albums become so because of the time when they come and the magic they first sparkled in us.
Being said the above, I must note emphatically that the new Helloween album is a good one, not only better than it's predecessor but also shows that the band can hold all their quality and classical sound and at the same time progress into the future in the proper way (not selling out).
