Yes, Helloween is one of the main creators of the power metal genre, and their journey towards metal fame started with the 1985 debut release "Walls of Jericho", an album that could easily be mistaken for a Gamma Ray record simply because I think a lot of people tend to forget that Kai Hansen did the vocal work here, the only Helloween record in which he handled those duties. Otherwise it is no mistaking that this is German power metal, even if it is at its most infant stages, with some blends of speed metal mixed in to bridge the gap between the genres.
Even if their sound was not fully developed, there were still a lot of bits and pieces that would be the staples of this band. Kai roars out those high pitched vocals in a frightening manor, the drums of Ingo Schwichtenberg goes hot from all the double bass usage, and the pure speed of the music would attract a lot of speeding tickets. There is no question that the band had a vision for what they wanted to do, but that they might need some more time and resources to finalize it. This album has some edges that are a little rough after all, but it is a debut record, so you can easily look past it.
Oddly enough, the album starts with the nursery rhyme "London Bridge Is Falling Down", but with trumpets like it is some royal coronation in medieval times. It is a surprising start, and not the only time the band blatantly steals from other famous melodies (the solo in "Gorgar" is very familiar). It transitions into "Ride The Sky", a fast as hell banger with thrash like riffing from Kai and his fellow guitarist Michael Weikath, but it still has this epic feel to it that makes power metal so wonderful. Follow up "Reptile is, just as the title suggest, a little more primal in its nature, a little slower with more focus on the musical side of things, with some nice bass lines as well from Markus Grosskopf.
Then Helloween goes in Judas Priest territory with "Guardians", "Phantoms of Death", and "Metal Invaders, channeling more of the speed metal side of things, which does make the album sound a little uneven in its delivery, but the songs are good enough to hold up on their own. I cannot say the same thing to "Gorgar" however, which just feels like a mediocre Mercyful Fate cover, slowing things down one or two notches too many.
"Walls of Jericho" fortunately ends on two high notes, starting with "Heavy Metal (Is The Law) taking you straight to a live show, placing you among a crowd of thousands that screams with every beat of the track. The longest track of the record, "How Many Tears", closes the album as an epic cry over the state of the world during those days, with Russia and USA having a staring contest against one another and the rest of the world watches on with fright. Pretty interesting that Helloween would put this in an album that also speaks about a gambling monster named Gorgar.
So for a debut, "Walls of Jericho" is more than serviceable, even if it does not have a straight direction to follow it still manages to engage the listener into some good old head banging. It is a first step for a band that sought out to evolve metal with a new and exhilarating style, blazing away at breakneck speeds and soaring vocals. It is a very enjoyable experience that might be a little rough around the edges, but it certainly is a fun album to put in at any time. A great start for a bunch of pumpkin heads.
Songs worthy of recognition: Heavy Metal (Is The Law), Ride The Sky, Guardians, How Many Tears
Rating: 8/10 Gorgars
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