Helloween - Keeper of The Seven Keys: The Legacy (2005)

Going through this discography so far, it is fair to say that Helloween is more than just what the "Keeper..." series has eluded to. The band has created a lot of great music over the years, which has certainly helped them stay relevant during the course, but it is those two legendary albums that fans keeps coming back to, that completely over shadows every other achievement the band has done, which is a crying shame. So from that perspective, it is easy to see why the band took another shot at the series, to see if they could strike lightning in a bottle again with an expansive concept set in this world they have created themselves, to see if they could add anything to its legacy. Gotta admire the confidence of the guys, because it is basically a suicide mission from the start.

The first question that comes up is how you can recreate a legendary (or in this case, two) album with a completely different line-up. The answer, you can't. Let us be clear here, "Keeper of The Seven Keys: The Legacy" certainly has moments that is reminiscent of its predecessors where the band is soaring on those eagle wings again, but as a whole it has more in common with more recent efforts like "The Dark Ride" and "Rabbit Don't Come Easy", having a heavier and darker edge to the music. It is a nice blend of styles, and it is necessary since it is hard to recreate that classic sound. For instance, Andi Deris cannot carry those high soaring vocal parts as Michael Kiske can, thereby the music does not get as much of an impact, making some of the more nostalgic bits in here not as good.

Then it is fair to wonder how many asked for a continuation of this series, 17 years after the last album. Well, whether the fans wanted it or not, they got a mouthful to say the least, 1 hour and 17 minutes of music split into two discs to be exact. It is an incredibly meaty record that takes its time to get through, and it shows. Out of the 13 songs in here, I would say that there are about 5 fillers in here, and each of the opening tracks are over 10 minutes long (which is the opposite tactic from the first two albums that both ended with a 10+ minute song). This is definitely way too excessive, and also an obvious sign that the band was feeling themselves, going for broke as much as they could.

Despite their length though, both of the mastodons "The King For A 1000 Years" and "Occasion Avenue" are two fine highlights of this record, showing once again that the group are excellent at writing long tunes. "The King..." opens up nicely to tie together the past and present Helloween in a dark opener that sets the mood spot on. "Occasion Avenue" is more of the modern era though, having this apocalyptic choir that haunts the listener, bone heavy riffs to make a bigger impact, and a great, epic chorus to seal the deal. They say "Occasion Avenue" a couple times too many though, making sure that the listener does not forget what the song was called again.

As far as comparing the two discs, I would say the first disc is the better one, with a consistency that is impressive, from the nostalgic "The Invisible Man", the adrenaline fueled "Silent Rain", and the incredibly fun and catchy "Mrs. God". Only real downer on that disc is "Pleasure Drone", otherwise the first disc is a great album by itself. The second disc absolutely has its moments, like "Shade In The Shadow", "My Life For One More Day", and the previously mentioned "Occasion Avenue", but it is in here we find most of the boring fillers, which makes the entire endgame a much longer journey than it had to be. Songs like "Come Alive" and "Do You Know What You're Fighting For" should have been left out, because they do not add anything besides some story context.

It ultimately stands clear though that "Keeper of The Seven Keys: The Legacy" might not reach the same heights as its older brothers, but then again, who the hell expected that? This is a record that is way too long for comfort, but there is still enough good quality in here to go around for everyone. With an eye looking in the past, and another looking towards the future, Helloween has created a record that fits the legacy of the band nicely, displaying some mighty fine songwriting from a group that is as confident as ever. Only time will tell if this is truly the last we will hear from the keeper and his seven keys, but I think I speak for most of us that we do not need another sequel, just let the legacy be.

Songs worthy of recognition: Shade In The Shadow, The Invisible Man, Mrs. God, Occasion Avenue

Rating: 7,5/10 Pleasure Drones

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Walls of Jericho
Keeper of The Seven Keys: Part 1
Keeper of The Seven Keys: Part 2
Pink Bubbles Go Ape
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The Time of The Oath
Better Than Raw
The Dark Ride
Rabbit Don't Come Easy
Gambling With The Devil
7 Sinners
Straight Out of Hell
My God-Given Right