Another discography completed here at FaTG, so it is once again time to summarize what we have learned during the journey. Well, we learned that while the Kiske/Hansen era of Helloween was important, it lasted for only a short time, and that the Weikath/Deris era has lasted far longer. We also got to know a band that has become heavier over the years, which is kind of the opposite direction most bands take, and also that they are not afraid to get a little silly, referring to themselves as hamsters, or calling you an asshole. Anyway, Helloween is still a fun and exciting band over 40 years later since their inception, and they have created a lot of quality power metal over those years. The question remains though, which of the 15 full length records is the best, and which are the rest. Time to rank them, and as always, this is my list, and my opinion, which means that I am not right or wrong. Let us get to the list now.
15. Chameleon
This placement was a no brainer, for several reasons. It is the album that ultimately ended Kiske's tenure with the band, and it did so by being as much 80's as possible, despite being released in 1993, while also having very little metal in it. "Chameleon" is an experimental effort made by a band that was as divided as one could be, which led to several weird choices, from progressive influences, to Bon Jovi rip offs. I am all for bands trying to be creative, trying something new, but this particular attempt was a failure from the get go, it never had a chance to be a cohesive, interesting record that would expand the minds of their fan base. Just do like the animal, and disappear in your surroundings, thank you very much.
14. Better Than Raw
I am not exactly sure if this album is what it says, but "Better Than Raw" is certainly not a tasty treat. This album is a full on stew with tons of ingredients that makes a disjointed soup, with very few songs sounding like they were made for Helloween, and more for other bands. We got hair metal, neo classical power metal, and more. I give it some credit that it has a pretty good start with both "Push" and "Falling Higher", but everything after is either bland, or confounding. It was obvious that the band tried some new things, throwing them all at a wall to see if anything stuck to it, but it ultimately ended up with a big mush of mediocre metal. At least the witch on the cover is hot (and technically the cauldron too I guess).
13. My God-Given Right
The band's latest entry is also their most forgettable one. While the previous two albums are worse, they at least had some personality to them that made them stand out (not in a good way, but still). This one however is as bland as you will ever see the band, and with a play time of 1 hour and 13 minutes, it becomes a big slog of a record. A couple of tracks are fairly decent, like the title track and the fun ride that is "Lost In America", but they cannot help "My God-Given Right" to any greater heights. Do not bother with this one, go off plunder some sky mall instead and wait for the band to finish off their "Pumpkins United" tour so they can get to the next record.
12. Pink Bubbles Go Ape
This is a bonkers album on so many levels, from the songs, to that mind boggling cover. Seriously, I still cannot get over the fact that this was made, that everyone involved in this cover looked at each other with straight faces and say "Yes, this is good". What about the music though? It was certainly better than I expected from the first album without Hansen, having a lot of fun really in several tracks. In the end though, it did not have enough staying power to it, and it certainly did not help that the band got away from the epic, medieval themes that made the "Keeper..." albums so successful. An interesting album for sure, but one that is overshadowed by a woman seducing a fish,
11. Gambling With The Devil
There is no other Helloween record that has made me so mad as "Gambling With The Devil" did. Not that it is a bad record, but more for it being an inconsistent record that had a ton of wasted potential. Several songs in here could have been great tracks that would have been fantastic additions to the band's legacy, but they screw it up with songs that are too similar to classics, have lame pay offs, or are just extremely hard to remember. It is still a decent record though, and you can get through it without any problem, but it would be far from the first choice if you had to chose a Helloween album to listen to. This gamble just did not pay off.
10. Keeper of The Seven Keys: The Legacy
Is this album unnecessary? Absolutely, but it still manages to entertain quite a bunch, and some how bring back some of the magic from its predecessors. It is a bloated double record that certainly needed some cutting done, but it does pull you back in to it from time to time with excellent song writing, and even better performances. The band took on this effort as a challenge, to show people that they could still write compelling concept records. "Keeper of The Seven Keys: The Legacy" has its flaws, and the run time keeps me from coming back to it, but it does deserve respect for not dragging the whole series down in the mud, while also delivering some cool moments along the way
9. Master of The Rings
The first Andi Deris record was a return to form for the band, going back to their bread and butter, and make some epic songs out of that. It is an inconsistent record, but maybe that was to be expected for a constellation that was new, that had not really settled down yet in their roles. There is a harmony to "Master of The Rings" that just feels nice, an aura going through this record that just makes you satisfied, and while its life span was not as long as I hoped, it still brings enough enjoyment to go around. With that said, I am still confused over "Take Me Home". Seriously, how can this song NOT be a Van Halen track, it just screams it in both the song structure and the guitar tone. Still a fun as hell track though.
8. Rabbit Don't Come Easy
Just like the rabbit refused to come out of the hat, this album was not easy to put in this list. In one hand, it has a great bunch of tracks that are some of the band's best, but on the other hand it has some real duds, keeping the album from being truly spectacular. I ultimately ended with this place just to be sure that the duo of "Listen To The Flies" and "Nothing To Say" does not influence me all too much. This album is still a great listen, pulling off a lot of cool metal magic tricks that is worthy of an applause. Bet even the rabbit enjoys this one.
7. Walls of Jericho
"Walls of Jericho" is not only the album that kicked off the career of Helloween, it kicked off the power metal genre in general really. It has everything that we associate the genre with, an extremely fast pace, soaring vocals, epic melodies, and some parmesan cheese sprinkled on the top. There is still some more heavy metal elements to this album, so it showed that the sound was not fully completed yet, but as far as a debut get, it did leave an immediate impact that is almost as effective today as it was back then. With Kai Hansen on the vocal duties, it could also be seen as the original Gamma Ray record to, or at least an early look at what the future would hold. No matter how you look at "Walls of Jericho" it is still a nice metal record that delivers a lot of great punches (although I am not sure if those are strong enough to tear down a castle wall, like in the cover).
6. 7 Sinners
Everything is metal about "7 Sinners". The sound is metal, the band is metal, the cover is metal, even the god damn pumpkin in the logo is metal. It takes everything that the band had built up to during the 21st century, and just added another layer of metal coating to it, officially creating the closest to a thrash metal record that Helloween will ever reach. It is simply a solid record that makes sure that the band does not lose its edge after so many years on the scene, showing all of these young guns that they still have a challenge to get past these tough Germans. But despite all of this manly as hell metal that this album offers, it is a god damn flute that steals the show, and I still love it.
5. The Time of The Oath
While the "Keeper..." series is the most famous concept by the band, you should definitely not sleep on what they did with "The Time of The Oath", an album that tries to look into the future and see what it holds for mankind. The fun levels are through the roof here, with some really creative music being displayed throughout the record, and while the momentum does take a few hits here and there, it does not take long for the band to get back on track to amaze us again. If not for anything else, it is at the very least the best concept record about Nostradamus (sorry Judas Priest).
4. Straight Out of Hell
This might be more personal for me since this is the first Helloween album I truly dived into, but I think "Straight Out of Hell" still holds up more than well. This album is just filled with solid as hell songs that makes you scream your lungs out. "Nabataea", "Far From The Stars", "Burning Sun", the title track, "Make Fire Catch The Fly", and "Asshole" are just some of the goodies from this record, helping out to make it one of the most solid releases by the band. Sure, there are a couple of fillers here too, but there is enough quality in here to warrant its full run time, certainly not an album that was originally spawned from hell, more likely that it fell from the heavens.
3. The Dark Ride
Looking back at my review of this album, I might have exaggerated the whole darkness part of the record. Sure, the black on this record is deeper than on its predecessors, but it is still Helloween to the core, so there was not that massive of a difference. Still, "The Dark Ride" did kick off a whole new era of Helloween, an era that saw a heavier sound and less fantasy elements. This strategy ultimately paid off, ending with a record that gave a lot of new juice to a band that was in need of it. It is a rock solid effort with tons of devastating fire power, setting up the band for the new millennium in the best way possible.
2. Keeper of The Seven Keys: Part 1
So to no one's surprise, the top two records are the original "Keeper of The Seven Keys" records, but how do you determine which is the better part? With a decision like this, you ultimately have to go with your gut feeling, and while I do believe that Part 1 have the top two songs ("Twilight of The Gods" and "Halloween"), it also has some of the weaker tracks as well. Still, this album is a thrilling experience that gave us the first taste of what Hansen's magnificent song writing could be now that Kiske backed him up with his vocals. Man, this is pure power metal bliss, and it certainly feels wrong to put this only at the number two spot, until you realize who is number one...
1. Keeper of The Seven Keys: Part 2
Yes, the younger brother wins this hard fought fight, basically because it has a better song average. It also wrapped up the story in such a marvelous way with the title track that you just cannot go away from it without a lot of satisfaction. This is metal history at its finest, an album that defined its genre and spawned a thousand bands to a path they might not have taken without its emergence. There is just a hell of a lot of things to appreciate over this album, from the high soaring screams on "Eagle Fly Free", the grandness of "March of Time", and of course that iconic guitar riff and chorus combination of "I Want Out". It is a brilliant record from start to finish, and it still stands as one of the strongest power metal records in existence, one that every other album in the genre has to measure up against.
And as always, I am also gonna list my 10 favourite tracks from the band, in alphabetical order
Eagle Fly Free
Cannot turn down this classic, just as epic as ever.
Halloween
13 brilliant minutes of haunting metal mastery.
I Want Out
Cannot turn down this classic ever, just as catchy as ever.
Listen To The Flies
Ha, and you thought I would fill this with only "Keeper..." songs. Nah man, the flies cannot be ignored.
Nabataea
One of the most versatile Helloween tracks, you do not know where it is going at first listen.
Nothing To Say
Putting the reggae element aside, that ending makes it a riser, for sure.
Ride The Sky
Early power metal at its finest, all speed, all confidence.
Shade In The Shadow
A legacy song that actually matches up with its predecessors.
The Departed
I would catch the bullet that was meant for this song every time.
Twilight of The Gods
The guitar wizardy here is real, pure Hansen magic.
So how would you rank this discography? Hit me up on the comment section or on twitter @ForsakenGates, and give your thoughts. Next up, we are taking a trip to France, to see if we can find a big lizard that has a habit of destroying both cities and other monsters.
Stay metal!
Sharkruisher
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