Helloween - The Dark Ride (2000)

In our little stroll through the theme park that is Helloween's discography, we have now come to "The Dark Ride", the first attraction that was instated during the 21st Century. Just as the name suggest, it is closer to a haunted mansion than a horse carousel, being a little darker and a little rougher than the previous rides that we have gone through. But do not be afraid, it only looks tough, it still has that childish joy that this whole park is well known for. Let's ride.

The album opens up in classic Helloween fashion, with high flying power metal. Both "Mr. Torture" and "All Over The Nation" are pretty much standard procedure, with the double bass going red hot, the higher register of Andi Deris' repertoire being used frequently, and the guitars are going wild as well. It is a fun start, but knowing what the rest of the record is offering, it does trick the listener quite good into thinking that this is gonna be another happy Helloween effort.

Well, the third song "Escalation 666" changes the mood quickly with its dark atmosphere and tough as nails riffs. It is strange at first, but thanks to some nice structuring and the ominous, yet catchy, whispering of the title, it managed to persuade me, and also prepare me for the rest of the album. "Mirror, Mirror" continues on the same track, with Andi using some haunting aggression to accentuate this heavy tone. It definitely has influences from classic horror movies in its sound, which certainly gives the song a nice touch.

And so it goes back and forth throughout the record, mixing the brightness and darkness in a very dynamic way that makes the experience really fun, but it is the pure quality of the tracks that makes me come back to this record. There are several tracks in here that are just catchy bangers, from the adrenaline fueling title track and the high soaring "If I Could Fly", to the brilliantly groovy choir piece "The Departed". Helloween is just firing on all cylinders here, pulling off all of their tricks that they have garnered over the years.

There is one thing though that I think is the greatest achievement of "The Dark Ride" though, and that is that it laid the foundation of what the band would become in the future. With some of their 90's records, they have still held tight to their 80's identity, but "The Dark Ride" unleashes the band into the new millennium in the best way possible. The sound in this record set the standard for the upcoming ones with crisp production and versatile song writing, and it is a style the band still uses to this day, a nice and healthy mix of power and darkness that speaks to their old fans, while bringing in some new ones as well. I might as well get my ass to the back of the line again, because I am going for another ride.

Songs worthy of recognition: The Departed, Mr. Torture, Escalation 666, The Dark Ride

Rating: 8,5/10 Immortals

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