It’s that spooky time of year when some of us are itching to carve up pumpkins, so what better moment than Halloween to scrutinize the discography of metal’s very own Pumpkin Heads? Larry Best and Edmund Morton have shared this special shredding to decide which Helloween albums are tasty power metal treats and which are rot-your-insides tricks!
Despite the slightly spooky name, Helloween are usually depicted as anything but scary, and indeed the genre they helped to pioneer often contains its fair share of sunshine and silliness. However, it would be some time before power metal would infect the Germans, since their roots lie back in 1978, when an early version of the band named Gentry formed. The group included Ingo Swichtenberg (drums), Markus Grosskopf (bass), and Kai Hansen (guitar, vocals), while Michael Weikath (guitar) would join before they became known as Helloween in 1983. Germany was a fertile breeding ground for edgy heavy metal in the early ‘80s, with Accept an established presence and Running Wild, Grave Digger, and Rage on the way up at the same time. Helloween’s earliest releases favoured a speed metal sound influenced by Iron Maiden, pushing twin guitar antics and wailing vocals to their utmost. The group played up to their name by adopting a similar pumpkin mascot to the Halloween movie franchise, taking the intro of “Starlight” (on 1985’s debut Helloween EP) directly from Halloween III: Season of the Witch, then using an instrumental version on full-length Walls of Jericho.
A line is often drawn under these first speedy excursions by the arrival of Michael Kiske, who would take over lead vocals for Keeper of the Seven Keys Part I (1987). Before long, Hansen would leave the band to form Gamma Ray, but not before Helloween had solidified many significant power metal tropes with the second part of Seven Keys. Speed and dexterous guitar work remained important – as displayed on the group’s epic songs “Halloween” and “Keeper of the Seven Keys” – but additional focus on melody, double bass drumming, and uplifting choruses with inspiring fantasy themes added to the developing genre. This success behind them, Helloween took a rather odd direction into the ‘90s, accentuating some of their humorous and experimental elements on the next couple of albums as Roland Grapow settled into the vacant guitarist role and Kiske pushed the band towards a broader rock-based sound. Increasing tensions over musical direction led to 2 replacements prior to 1994’s Master of the Rings: Kiske was forced out and replaced by Andi Deris, and Swichtenberg’s mounting drug and alcohol problems resulted in him being let go. Sadly, he died the following year.
New drummer Uli Kusch assisted the band in regaining some of their former power metal style over the next few years, and Deris brought a different character to the songs with a more flexible though less virtuoso performance than Kiske. This Helloween line-up consciously attempted to add “darker” elements to the relatively bright power metal formula on The Dark Ride (2000), a release that essentially modernized the tonal aesthetic of the music from classic metal to come more in line with contemporary styles. Ever since, this characteristic has been more or less present in the band’s sound. Further member changes came soon after, with Grapow replaced on guitar by Sascha Gerstner and the drum stool briefly spinning with new players until Dani Löble took over. All those members play in the band today and have found time to record a covers album (Metal Jukebox) and unplugged album (Unarmed) besides 16 regular full-lengths, which are the focus of the Shredding below. Finally, the recent history of Helloween has been uncommonly exciting, seeing as the self-titled album was prefaced by Kai Hansen and Michael Kiske returning to the band in 2017, meaning that the 7 strong line-up now includes every singer and all but one of the string players from Helloween’s almost 40 year legacy.
#16 Chameleon (1993)
Forget everything you know about heavy metal. Forget Helloween and their legacy. Forget the exciting tropes of power metal. Now take a listen to 1993’s Chameleon. Gosh, isn’t that interesting? Now, remember everything you know about heavy metal. Remember how good the “Keepers” albums were? Remember Michael Kiske’s soaring vocals, Kai Hansen and Michael Weikath’s guitar wizardry and steely approach to songwriting? Now listen to 1993’s Chameleon again. Gosh, isn’t that fucking bizarre? Whereas Pink Bubbles Go Ape resembled a good album disguised as a bad album, its successor is more akin to a jam session disguised as heavily rehearsed material. Undoubtedly Helloween’s most experimental output, it carries with it an almost funereal air due to the impending departure of Michael Kiske, and tragic death of drummer Ingo Schwichtenberg. This was a very difficult period in the band’s history and it’s hard to impartially enjoy – even though there is some solid stuff here. One thing’s for sure: boring it is not.
Chameleon never struggles for variety, interest or intrigue. It struggles for memorability, staying power and any cohesiveness whatsoever. Choosing “When the Sinner” as a lead single for the record was one hell of a bold move. The 7 minutes of lumbering beats and brass stabs (which admittedly I fucking love) are enough to convince any listener that this is an entirely different beast. The saccharine lilt of “Windmill”; the jaunty acoustic lounge-jazz feel of “In the Night”; the sleazy swing of “Crazy Cat”… What the pumpkin-fuck is going on?! Approached with the right frame of mind, it’s gratifying to know just what impressive musicians Helloween actually are. They can convincingly pull off trampolining between genres without compromising their artistic integrity. The genuinely good numbers like the rock ‘n’ roll jive of “Get Me Out of Here” might convince you you’re listening to the right band for a few minutes, but the overall puzzlement (and definitely overlong runtime) will having you craving some Pink Bubbles before you even reach the most entertaining material.
FAVOURITE TRACK: Get Me Out of Here (Larry)
#15 Pink Bubbles Go Ape (1991)
I think I was just bandwagoning along with opinions from yesteryear when I considered putting this at the bottom of the list. Over 30 years have passed since fans felt hideously betrayed by one of the weirdest album titles in history, and it really isn’t that bad. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a tad bizarre, lacking in that flow of successive gems Helloween records usually have, and not as powerful as those which came before – but an utter trainwreck it is not. The first run of songs, in particular, make for quite an enjoyable listen. The quirky intro (gotta appreciate whenever Helloween let the humour fly free), and subsequent single “Kids of the Century” quickly became a highlight among the band’s first decade of existence; you have to admit, that’s a brilliant chorus! “Back on the Streets”, “Goin’ Home” and yes, even “Heavy Metal Hamsters” have oodles of energy to back up their radio-friendly singalong vibes.
The overriding feel of Pink Bubbles… is one of gentle swaying and contented clicking along with some happy-go-lucky tunes. Not where you should look for expansive and flamboyant power metal athletics. This might have to do with Weikath’s diminishing say in the songwriting at this period, in favour of Kiske’s preferences (at least that’s the general consensus of the band in this odd era). However, you can’t deny Weike’s contribution to the high-speed “Someone’s Crying” or the bouncy “The Chance” which genuinely sound like Helloween circa 1988. Perhaps the oddest thing about PBGA is how unremarkable Kiske sounds. He never ever sounds ‘bad’, but he doesn’t sound like he’s enjoying himself either. Sure, this LP is missing a spark, and you won’t remember 75% of these tunes unless you really focus, but Pink Bubbles Go Ape is a pleasant enough listen, if unspectacular.
FAVOURITE TRACK: Someone’s Crying (Larry)
#14 My God-Given Right (2015)
Having successfully modernized their music and explored most of the possibilities of their 21st century sound, Helloween seemed to lose direction by the time My God-Given Right rolled around. I can appreciate that the heavier elements definitely remain with some punchy guitar riffing and the occasional instance of extremity, though many of the songs here seem written more for chorus hooks than musical exploration. That can be understood through a look at the album’s structure, which separates 8 shorter songs (none reaching 5 minutes) by the placement of sole ballad “Like Everybody Else” in front of the more fleshed-out numbers that appear late in the listen. On one hand, this tactic accentuates the hooky, upbeat nature of the former part, though can cause the hour-long listen to begin feeling stale before it reaches its conclusion. I have been known to check my watch halfway through.
Within the generous selection of 13 tracks, however, Helloween certainly include some real bangers, such as the impressive run of “Stay Crazy”, “Lost in America”, and “Russian Roulé” that signal the point of highest energy. Significant in this regard, that mid-album trio all feel like a lot of fun and make use of some speedy touches, sounding more like typical good-times heavy metal as opposed to specifically power metal. The same can be said of “If God Loves Rock ‘n’ Roll”, which splits up the more serious cuts like “Creatures in Heaven” and “Living on the Edge”. While the breeziness of My God-Given Right works mostly in its favour, I find parts of it throwaway, especially since less musical detailing goes into the comparatively short songs. Not a poor release for fans of modern Helloween, but nor one of the group’s more important offerings.
FAVOURITE TRACK: “Russian Roulé” (Edmund)
#13 Keeper of the Seven Keys – The Legacy (2005)
Having already recorded 2 vaguely related consecutive “Keepers” albums near the end of the ‘80s, it should come as little surprise that Helloween’s third instalment – known as Keeper of the Seven Keys – The Legacy – attempted to connect itself to that well-known period of the band’s history, though I don’t see anything obvious to link the themes of the records. In the first place, the subject matter of this double-disc release varies a great deal, while the musicians in the line-up had mostly changed from that of 17 and 18 years earlier, meaning this makes poor sense from any anniversary mindset too. Then again, references to Helloween themselves are strewn around in several songs, not least “Occasion Avenue”, which revisits the band’s old songs by way of a radio being tuned at the beginning. The 2 discs also attempt to replicate the formula of the older albums, clocking in at a little less than 40 minutes each and each containing one epic cut, now placed at the start of the experience rather than the end.
Regardless of The Legacy‘s obvious presumption on the tolerance of old fans, Helloween managed to hit home with enough solid material to make this worthwhile, though too rarely dazzling for such a wealth of content. The first portion of the album satisfies me more, bulky numbers like “The King for a 1000 Years” and “The Invisible Man” delivering plenty of up-tempo rhythms and powerful vocal work from Andi Deris before the extremely hooky “Pleasure Drone” and “Mrs God” arrive in more digestible portions. Some of the heavier songs use those darker elements that the band had begun to incorporate, Deris even turning to snarled vocals at times, while the second disc feels rather more traditional and unfortunately has a few inessential tunes close to its end. Despite these imbalances, The Legacy hinted at Helloween on the ascent, having filled the drum stool more permanently with Dani Löble and solidified their aims a little better than on the prior album.
FAVOURITE TRACK: Silent Rain (Edmund)
#12 Master of the Rings (1994)
Sometimes referred to (and I heartily agree) as ‘the album that saved Helloween’, this record marked one of the biggest moments in the band’s long history. Hiring ex-Pink Cream 69 vocalist Andi Deris changed everything that was to come. I don’t want to get heavily into the bad blood that led to Kiske’s departure, but I will say that this album has a track called “Mr. Ego”. Yeah. Anyway. Whilst Master of the Rings is most definitely a rejuvenation of sorts (i.e. the band sound like they’re having fun again), it’s definitely not in the upper echelons of the Germans’ discography. Deris’ contribution to the songwriting and his amazing vocal performance are a big part of why this album succeeded, but Roland Grapow can chalk a tally on the scoresheet for track 11: “Still We Go”. Along with the catchy single “Where The Rain Grows”, these are easily the classic Helloween-esque highlights, and my go-to 1994 songs for when I wanna pick ‘n’ mix from various albums.
Overall, however, MOTR is very middle-of-the-road by the quintet’s high standards. It lacks the hyper-speed jollity the band is known for, and doesn’t delve deep enough into hefty/chunky territory to create the contrast. The opening duo of “Irritation” (love that title) and “Sole Survivor” is strong, and “Perfect Gentleman” remains a live favourite (though fuck knows why) and at least “In the Middle of a Heartbeat” is one of the Pumpkins’ better ballads. It was a solid start to the new, longest and best era of Helloween, but it only displayed about 70% of their awesome potential. Next, it was time for the guys to take an oath…
FAVOURITE TRACK: Where the Rain Grows (Larry)
#11 Rabbit Don’t Come Easy (2003)
I bought this album as part of a double-disc special offer with The Dark Ride. I heard it over and over, loved it dearly, but always thought of it as the less-good add-on to The Dark Ride. Considering there was at least 3 years between these two releases, the oddly-titled Rabbit Don’t Come Easy definitely has its own identity. It’s one of mild schizophrenia, but it’s an identity nonetheless – and you can never truly escape the classic Helloween sound. That’s clear right from the off. Opener “Just a Little Sign” is full-tilt, happy-go-lucky power metal madness with lyrics about erections to boot – and quite possibly the best Rabbit has to offer. Not that things go south any time soon, because sophomore track “Open Your Life” is one of my favourite choruses in their catalogue, a classic Deris wailer.
Even though this record is notably jollier than its predecessor thanks to tunes like … erm, “The Tune”, it does retain a certain darkness that its weird-ass artwork would not imply. “Back Against The Wall” sees the Germans get as close to Pantera as they dare, with some mean, gritty, swinging riffs; it’s one of my favourites and I can’t resist screaming ‘GET BACK!’ along with Deris. “Nothing to Say” is a strangely sleazy finale, the length of which might put off some fans, but I appreciate the bluesy approach and genre-switching – not to mention the epic feel of the ending. Even “Hell Was Made in Heaven”, with its ultra-soppy chorus, puts a hammer to the grindstone in the middle section with some machine-gun riffage. The slightly forgettable numbers still manage to have little moments of intrigue, like “Sun 4 the World” with its fist-pumping riff, and “Never Be a Star” with its…nope, that one’s pretty much totally forgettable. At least we’re left with the firecracker energy of “Listen to the Flies”, and one of Deris’ most vicious performances in “Liar”, the closest post-2000s Helloween get to being a thrash metal band. Rabbit Don’t Come Easy ain’t a half bad album, but it’s definitely a fans-only mixed bag.
FAVOURITE TRACK: Just a Little Sign (Larry)
#10 The Dark Ride (2000)
One of the more divisive records in this article, both between myself and Edmund, and quite a lot of Helloween’s fanbase. For me: possibly top 5. For Edmund: right at the bottom. Though overall, reviews for Deris and co.’s ninth studio effort are generally positive. So I win. From the external characteristics, it would appear that The Dark Ride was the Germans’ attempt to get…well, dark. And in some ways that was successful. However, in typical Helloween fashion, even when they specifically set out to toughen up the tone, they end up with ‘ALL OVER THE NATIONS, THE TUNES COME ALIVE!’ They can’t resist (or rather Weikath can’t resist) shoving in those energetic feelgood power metal hymns. It just wouldn’t be Helloween without ’em. So yes, there’s “All Over the Nations”, “Salvation” and “We Damn the Night” flying the flag for traditional Euro power metal – though that latter track has some serious riffage in the solo section; an underrated highlight.
Where the darker stuff does rear its head, however, it can be a mixed bag. I love all these tracks, but can totally understand where Edmund’s gripes come from – hideously wrong though they are. There’s the chugging stomp of “Mirror Mirror” which one could argue is rather on the simplistic side, especially in the riff department, though Deris sounds beautifully manic in the chorus. There’s the mid-paced ode to sadism in “I Live for Your Pain” which has one of the oddest main riffs ever. There’s the fantastic opener “Mr. Torture” which is exactly how ‘darker’ Helloween should nail the compromise of light-hearted and vibrant, yet slightly haunting, power metal; and it is, at times, genuinely hilarious (‘Mr Torture sells pain to the housewives in Spain’). The biggest ‘offender’ according to most critics is the broody chugathon of “Escalation 666”. If you don’t like breakdown-esque riffage, pseudo-growls from Deris, a nifty 7/4 time signature and wannabe tough-boy lyrics about shadows ‘n’ stuff – then it ain’t for you. But it is for me, and it’s awesome. The slower numbers might phone in the energy too much for casual fans, especially “The Departed” and “Immortal” but they err just on the right side of wistful melancholy for me. Oh, and the title-track is epic. The Dark Ride sets up Helloween very well for the 21st century, and hints at where the band would peak.
FAVOURITE TRACK: Mr. Torture (Larry)
#9 Better than Raw (1998)
Here’s a contentious one in our Shredding. I thought Better than Raw might be worthy of a place right near the top of our ranking, Larry not so much… For what it’s worth, this was the first album I bought from the Pumpkins and satisfied most of my demands when getting into power metal. The meaner character to a few of the tracks balances a mainly lightweight and melodic guitar style, something evident particularly during the solos, when even “Push” and “A Handful of Pain” revert to sunshine-soaked methods from gruff vocals and strong rhythms. Compared to the preceding few albums, Weikath and Grapow spend a lot of time playing leads, both melodies and actual solos, including the wondrous twin lead section in “Falling Higher” and structured shred masterclass of “Midnight Sun”. Owing to that feature, pace and heaviness aren’t in constant supply, yet I couldn’t really imagine them being emphasized much with the slightly crispy and crumbly production.
On the other hand, I can understand Larry’s reservations about certain areas of Better than Raw. “Hey Lord!” and “I Can” almost seem too catchy for the Weenies, bopping along with such feelgood vibes that the less sensitive listeners may feel a bit sick, while “Revelation” seems longer than necessary and “Time” probably appears as a stronger ballad for being the only one. A few jokes can also go either way, such as the Dark Ride-anticipating “Don’t Spit on My Mind” sounding a bit odd, and – best of all – “Laudate Dominum” having completely Latin lyrics. Why Latin? Because it’s a thank you to Helloween’s Latin American fans, of course! Still, that’s another melodic humdinger in a mighty catchy album, which I feel set the course for the modern stage of Helloween. Also, if you look at the placement of tracks, it’s more or less the formula for an album that both Larry and I like a lot. More on that in a sec…
FAVOURITE TRACK: Midnight Sun (Edmund)
#8 The Time of the Oath (1996)
I view The Time of the Oath a little strangely, because I would describe it as a massively enjoyable Helloween album that’s difficult to recommend to others. In the first place, the second Deris/Kusch record has no fixed character and thus can feel like a mixed bag; however, let me immediately moderate that by saying that it packs in a huge amount of great entertainment. The mixture of styles still owes a bit to the experimentation seen at the start of the ‘90s, only without the huge jolting changes of Chameleon, so we end up with a few speed metal burners, a couple of very specific ballads, a vastly uneven pair of epics, plus some more standard chorus-boosted power metal. And yeah, The Time of the Oath does feel a bit long, though at 62 minutes and 12 songs it doesn’t actually rank among the most overburdened Helloween full-length.
The enjoyment starts off right away after sounds of a boiling kettle (of course) for “We Burn”, which along with “Before the War” and the absolute romp through “Kings Will Be Kings” sets the tone at the heavier and faster end. Nothing sits next to a similar track though, particularly getting into the back half of the listen, where “Anything My Mama Don’t Like” channels a kind of rock ‘n’ roll swagger with its tongue in cheek lyrics and not long after “Mission Motherland” drops 9 minutes of rhythmic play, funk solos, and choir boy mellowness in an ode to aliens. Looking at “Revelation” and “Skyfall”, this one certainly set a precedent for songs of that unique type and theme. Despite “If I Knew” dropping the ball as the plainer of the ballads, the title track is worth waiting for – a massive epic with some of the riffs returned which were downplayed elsewhere. As such, The Time of the Oath possesses a good bit of charm, only it requires time spent looking for it all.
FAVOURITE TRACK: The Time of the Oath (Edmund)
#7 Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 1 (1987)
Until recently, I’ve always been of the opinion that this album is superior to its successor. This was an opinion tainted by two things – 1: Keeper of the Seven Keys Part One was the first Helloween album I ever heard and bought. And 2: it has “Halloween” on it. Not only am I addicted to all things spooky, autumnal and halloweeny, but “Halloween” is so much better than “Keeper of the Seven Keys”. In fact, it’s the best epic-length track the Germans have ever done; only very nearly beaten by the magnificent “Skyfall” last year. However, my defiance has dimmed upon reflection of both albums as a whole. Part One suffers from only having 6 tracks, once you discount “Invitation” and “Follow the Sign” (which are great pieces of atmosphere in their own right), and from not having as powerful a mix as Part Two. But it’s still considered a classic power metal album, and for damn good reason.
This might be the earliest example of the flowery, joyful, fantasy-based power metal that’s so popular now and quickly gave rise to bands like Edguy and Freedom Call. Take a listen to the first 10 seconds of “Twilight of the Gods”, or the ultra-saccharine refrains of “Future World”… I don’t see how any seasoned metalhead can regard these with such honour, then disparage bands like Twilight Force or Power Quest. But I digress; Keeper of the Seven Keys Part One sounds majestic, has some of the band’s most memorable solos, and definitely sees Michael Kiske at the height of his powers (at only 18 years old, no less!). “I’m Alive” rockets out of the starting gate, “A Little Time” executes the ‘second track groove’ perfectly, “Twilight of the Gods” is pure Euro-power glory, “A Tale That Wasn’t Right” is one of the best ballads in Helloween’s catalogue, “Future World ” is a FUCKING ANTHEM, and “Halloween” is one of the greatest songs ever written, period. Not that I’m biased or anything.
FAVOURITE TRACK: Halloween (Larry)
#6 Walls of Jericho (1985)
Just in case you bumped into Helloween at a later stage of their career and never really understood all the fuss over speed metal and power metal and starting genres, I’d like to fill you in on Walls of Jericho. In one camp, we have the Michael Kiske lovers, and – somewhere further from public view – we have the Kai Hansen lovers, I guess also probably known as Gamma Ray fans. Because Helloween’s debut full-length was not a “warm-up” for the Keepers albums, nor was Kiske’s arrival the year zero for the band. For sure, Walls of Jericho feels like a debut, but that’s a positive attribute of an album that has more raw power than any of the band’s other records in the 20th century and a quite different kind of energy to everything that came after. Arguably a stalwart of German speed metal at this point, Helloween nonetheless managed to produce something rather startling here, which combined the relentless energy of double bass drumming, shrieking vocals, and guitar acrobatics with a rare epic sensibility that would come to fruition in the following couple of years.
Kai Hansen lovers can rejoice in the most untamed performance ever from the demon vocalist and guitarist, hitting any patch of wailing or shredding with uninhibited enthusiasm and excess, which Michael Weikath ably reciprocates in some startling twin solos. The pair do not always test Ingo Schwichtenberg’s stamina on drums, but the longer songs reach to the skies in terms of pure pace and grandiose sentiment, “Ride the Sky” and “Phantoms of Death” in particular earning their place as formative power metal notwithstanding their considerable ferocity. The quirky side of the band was already in full flow, “Reptile” including lyrics about taking a poo that I’ll definitely never forget and “Gorgar” being the first of Helloween’s successful character pieces. However, some leftover generic touches in “Heavy Metal (Is the Law)” suggest that those into Brocas Helm and Omen might actually prefer this to most of the other European efforts of the time. Walls of Jericho might not be the perfect summation of Helloween’s talents, and its production shows its age, but I rate it as probably the most visceral release from this bunch.
FAVOURITE TRACK: Phantoms of Death (Edmund)
#5 Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 2 (1988)
Drawing a wedge between the pair of Keeper albums is akin to picking a favourite child, but Larry and I had to do it. Both have subtly different characters and Part 2 certainly makes its claim with variety more than consistency. Rather than balancing speedy songs with ballads, Helloween began to use mid-paced rockers as their method to garner catchy approval, leading to “Dr. Stein”, a lyric about a crazy scientist that has all the kooky German humour you’ll ever need, and “I Want Out”, a song penned by Kai Hansen about his desire to leave the band…only in Helloween, right? The epic on this release also favours a slow build rather than the screaming and guitar hero style of “Halloween”, but as the title track of the whole venture delivers a truly epic conclusion, progressing through at least a dozen sections before the instrumental pay-off arrives in fine fashion. To me, the solos on this album rival the best in the whole of the group’s catalogue.
Obviously, Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 2 continues to show the dominance of Helloween’s new power metal innovations and Michael Kiske’s soaring vocals. If “Eagle Fly Free” isn’t the band’s staple song, I’m afraid I’ve been wrong about this whole thing, while the boisterous “March of Time” surely takes the trophy as the last great Hansen composition in the band. A couple of mid-paced songs also lean more towards an exaggerated version of Iron Maiden’s mid-’80s output, meaning that the melodic quotient ranks high and so do triplet riffs, just the vocals (comparable to John Arch of Fates Warning here) and mazy solo runs drawing a strict difference from traditional heavy metal. That said, if we consider “Rise and Fall” (a song most likely about boners), the actual maturity of Part 2 doesn’t rank awfully high compared to previous Helloween efforts despite its musical blossoming.
FAVOURITE TRACK: March of Time (Edmund)
#4 7 Sinners (2010)
It’s happened several times in Helloween’s career where the band has decided to head out in a particular direction, and 7 Sinners will always be the heavy album. After the possibly unwise choice of releasing Unarmed as a 25th anniversary celebration without any heavy elements (essentially Helloween covering Helloween songs in a power cut), it seems especially deliberate that the Weenies heaped on the power for a vaguely safe bunch of songs. Why do I say safe? Well, consider titles like “Are You Metal?” and “Who Is Mr Madman?” (which revisited the dude from “Perfect Gentleman”) and tell me whether you’ll be requiring a literature degree to understand this album. 7 Sinners may not be poetic, but it makes me bang my head till it’s sore, not only in answer to “Are You Metal?” but also to the likes of “Long Live the King”, “Raise the Noise”, and “You Stupid Mankind” as they pummel and thrash their way into your mind. I have to be honest, it’s great to hear Helloween letting loose for a change.
All the same, the Germans don’t forget about melody, and they provide more than enough to sing (or shout) along to with the irresistible “World of Fantasy” and “If a Mountain Could Talk”, both of which emphasize the importance of Andi Deris to the band by this juncture. For my money, his intensity ranks at least as important as the guitarists’ and Dani Löble’s, since solos and harmonic leads are downplayed in favour of screaming bridges and the building darkness of “Far in the Future”. Despite the changes in formula, 7 Sinners retains that most crucial of Helloween features and feels fun for over an hour. It may flag slightly by two thirds of the way through, yet I still find it hard to pick fault with the gentler approach of “The Sage, the Fool, the Sinner” and “My Sacrifice”, which prove that even ballads can be heavy if you really want them to be. This is the band’s most brutal statement that can still appeal to the core fanbase.
FAVOURITE TRACK: Who Is Mr Madman? (Edmund)
#3 Straight Out of Hell (2013)
This beastly bugger of an album seems to unfairly fly under radars. I nearly always see it near the bottom of lists, with “Nabataea” hailed as the best song. To those who share that opinion, I ask: Did you actually make it past the first track? Yes, “Nabataea” is a cracker – one of the power metallers’ best openers, making 7 minutes whizz by in a hail of riffs and piercing wails, with lyrics that certainly taught me a thing or two. How-fucking-ever, directly afterwards your ears are bombarded by the sheer fury of “World of War” – my personal second favourite track. This monster hypes up the drama with an enormous chorus, unrelenting speed, and a nasty grinding riff that sounds like a bitch to play. Combine that with the glorious high-speed majesty of “Far from the Stars” and the apocalyptic frenzy of “Burning Sun” and you’ll realize that Straight Out of Hell, varied though it may be, is really shifting gears up, up and away. The sense of urgency made me think that this was a heavily Weikath-based record. But nope! Deris and Gerstner wrote most of this album, though it’s clear on the playful “Years” that Weikath was not entirely absent.
Every band member sounds like they really love this LP. There’s this unidentifiable joviality and hunger behind what must be some of Helloween’s grittiest and heaviest material (though not as deliberate as 7 Sinners). Deris in particular shines when he’s crooning near the top of his range, which he does spectacularly on my favourite track “Make Fire Catch the Fly” (‘Must go on and ooooonnnn! Until I diiiiie!’) – I cannot get enough of the anguished power behind that chorus. Side A on disc 2 is where the oddities lie; the strangely moving ballad “Hold Me in Your Arms”, the percussive chants of the Freddie Mercury homage “Wanna Be God”, and the groovy goofiness of “Asshole”. They give you a dose of something different before the title track brings a classic ‘Ween sound right back to the fore; surely one of the Germans’ most singalong-able anthems. Straight Out of Hell is my third favourite Helloween album (yup, I got my way), and I say that with unabashed pride. It’s vicious, humorous, theatrical and triumphant in equal measure. And that artwork is nuts.
FAVOURITE TRACK: Make Fire Catch the Fly (Larry)
#2 Helloween (2021)
I could just link you to my review of this masterpiece and be done with it, but that would provoke my fellow writer to bring the lazy-hammer down upon my feeble head; a head made feeble by the constant banging and shaking and screaming done along with THIS AMAZING ALBUM. Honestly, what a stunning way to honour the past, present and future of one of the most iconic metal acts. They even used the same amps as they did back in 1985! Deris, Weikath, Grosskopf et al are joined by none other than Kai motherfuckin’ Hansen and Michael holyshitisitreallyhim? Kiske. All bad blood was laid to rest and the resulting harmony created a wonderwork, where somehow three lead vocalists and three guitarists managed to share the limelight equally. And of course they all sound incredible. Kiske still has a range that can ascend beyond the heavens, Deris sounds like he means Alan Sugar levels of business on every. fucking. line. And then there’s Hansen, adding his familiar tones sparingly but effectively, whilst keeping up with Weikath and Gerstner on the six-stringer.
Dare I even get into individual cuts for fear of this becoming an essay? Too late, here I go. “Out for the Glory” follows along with Helloween’s tradition of opening albums with total bitching masterpieces – everything just feels right; Kiske leading, the ultra-majestic chorus, the comical narration, unique melodies, and an utterly kickass execution from all involved. Along the speedy lines, there’s the quirky “Down in the Dumps” (so obviously a Weikath penned track!), the unimaginably epic “Robot King” where they treat every section like it’s another chorus trying to outdo itself in epicness, and “Rise Without Chains” which is…y’know…great. But oh boy does this album have shit tons to offer! The mid-paced fist-pumpers like “Cyanide”, “Best Time” and “Mass Pollution” are all laden with Deris’ trademark attitude and a few cheeky nods to previous albums. Then there’s “Skyfall”… Oh my pumpkin GODS what a track. The only one fully written by Hansen, it covers the whole range of Helloween’s sound whilst retaining the tense excitement for 12 minutes. As the LP fades away to the sound of Hansen crooning ‘somewhere out in spaaaaaace!’, you’d be forgiven for having a lump in your throat. Oh, and that artwork is just completely fucking phenomenal. Objectively the best they’ve ever had.
FAVOURITE TRACK: Skyfall (Larry)
#1 Gambling with the Devil (2007)
It was never going to be easy to pick a “best” Helloween album, certainly not with such a long and largely consistent discography. So, rather to our surprise, both of us pointed to Gambling with the Devil as the one worthy of the first spot!
This 12th proper studio album both is and is not exceptional within the context of the Germans’ career. First off, it represents just a minor transition for Helloween, the same line-up that recorded Keeper of the Seven Keys – The Legacy remaining intact and pushing ahead in terms of pace and heaviness, the latter element something that has come into play more thoroughly since then, which apparently both Larry and I love! The modern bulk heralded by tough hits like “Kill It”, “The Bells of the Seven Hells”, and especially the clinically vicious “Paint a New World” draw from power metal in the main but surpass the somewhat awkward attempts to darken that sound on The Dark Ride, while the more upbeat yet equally damaging “Dreambound” and “The Saints” ensure that focus remains on the heroic riffing, solos, and thunderous rhythms during the instrumental parts. I feel Andi Deris also pulls out one of his most convincing performances on the mic, meaning that every single song has a potentially deafening chorus.
In effect, Gambling with the Devil accrues its brilliance gradually rather than suddenly dazzling the listener with surprises. From the extremely neat Biff Byford-voiced introduction onwards, each song hits a familiar target that fans will joyfully recognize, and then the subsequent song hits a slightly different one, and another. All the songs hit, though: that’s the important point here. Even the relatively low-key “As Long As I Fall” and “Fallen to Pieces”, which I would normally pass over, aid the album’s variety, utilizing pensive keyboards to build into slow-burn choruses, while “Can Do It” takes the route of simple guitar shapes to chalk up a welcome fun number in among relatively serious topics for Helloween. However, Gambling with the Devil doesn’t try to be a moody or dark album as the band had tried before. More than that, it just seems the guys were in a mean mood when writing and expressed that by putting all the hard-hitting elements together in one listen. Rarely has Helloween’s modus operandi been subtlety, and gambling on throwing all subtlety to Hell paid off here.
FAVOURITE TRACK: Dreambound, I.M.E., Paint a New World (Edmund)
It’s gonna be hard to keep this one concise. Not only is this my favourite Helloween album (an opinion of which I’m glad I share with my fellow writer), but it’s one of my top 10 albums of all time, and an absolute staple of my October. Here is where Helloween really live up to their name. Gambling With The Devil is the most halloweeny-sounding album ever produced. It’s not that it’s full of wolf howls, skeleton bones and ghost wails – it’s a strangely unidentifiable thing but it just. sounds. spooky. Everything about this album is perfection. The super powerful production, Andi Deris’ inimitable and fierce vocal approach, the best of the weird CGI artworks, that haunted carnival intro (with Biff Byford no less!), even the runtime…yes, bonus tracks and all. The full 80-minute edition with “Find My Freedom”, “We Unite”, “Never Surrender” and the sublime “See The Night”. On 7 Sinners, the guys were deliberately trying to be heavy, as an antithesis to the negative reviews of Unarmed. But on Gambling… the ferocious guitar tone and chunky riffs feel natural. Not that they weren’t capable of less-heavy material such as the fantastically relatable “As Long As I Fall”, or the quirky “Can Do It” – they just feel right at home when making ears bleed. In particular, the alarming extremity of “Kill It”, the headbangable menace of “I.M.E.”, and the sheer hurricane of power that is “Paint a New World”. Lest we forget how much Helloween shine when they pick up the pace and do good old-fashioned European power metal like “The Saints” (one of Dani Löble’s finest moments) and “Heaven Tells No Lies” – both with exquisite choruses. Why the unholy fuck Helloween don’t play songs from this album live utterly baffles me. It’s their best, no question. Oh, look at that, I didn’t keep this concise at all. Shocking.
FAVOURITE TRACK: The Saints, Paint a New World, Heaven Tells No Lies, See the Night, basically fuckin’ all of them. (Larry)
