Helloween - The Time of The Oath (1996)

What is it with metal bands and their urge to make concept records of Nostradamus? Sure, the Frenchman was quite the character, spewing mysterious predictions left and right like he was the 16th century version of Oprah Winfrey, but is his life and work really interesting enough for not only Judas Priest to make a concept record about him, but also Helloween. It would maybe make some sense is any of the two bands has shown some previous interest in history and also has some kind of origin in France, but nope, none of that, just a random choice for a random concept. Fortunately for the power metal lovers, Helloween did not make a slog of a record.

So to get more into the concept, "The Time of The Oath" talks about what Nostradamus predicted for the years 1994-2000, and the choices humans might make after these happenings. While none of these predictions did come true, like a third world war, it does encourage some inspiration for the song writing that is interesting to look into. It is also nice to see the band branch out, not staying on the same type of brain patterns for the song writing process, showing some good development.

Even if it is a new direction for the band lyrically, musically it is still that epic style that they created in the predecessor "Master of The Rings", flying far on those golden rings towards eternity. The lads perfect this sound further here with clearer production, and song writing that is euphoric when it is at its best. It still has a little 80's touch to it, so it does sound a little outdated, but who cares when you crank out tunes like the blazing trio "We Burn", "Kings Will Be Kings" and "Before The War", the galloping "Steel Tormentor", and the incredibly fun and catchy "Anything My Mama Don't Like". A good amount of fun and diverse tracks for all of you to devour.

This would make a brilliant 40 minute record, if it was not for the fact that there is an additional three tracks that tacks on 20 more minutes of clearly competent, but highly unnecessary music. The trio of "Mission Motherland", "If I Knew", and the title track brings "The Time of The Oath" to a screeching halt, and keeps the stick firmly stuck at 2nd gear until the end. As individual songs, they are fine, especially the title track is a neat little semi-progressive gem, but putting them all together is not a good idea, it creates a black void of slow motion that takes forever. In other words, this album is too long.

Despite that ending, "The Time of The Oath" is still a very enjoyable effort that sees the band continuing to re-build the respect they got with the "Keeper..." albums, and lost with what came after those. The Germans manage to excel with their team work, helping each other out in all aspects in the making of this record, creating a diverse and fun experience that may overstay its welcome a little, but there is enough goodies in here to go around. We are truly witnessing the masters of the rings, and none of them are on the cover.

Songs worthy of recognition: Steel Tormentor, We Burn, Anything My Mama Don't Like, Kings Will Be Kings

Rating: 8/10 Motherlands

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