Helloween - 7 Sinners (2010)

The peak of the heavier Helloween era is the 2010 release "7 Sinners", an album that capped of 10 full years of Helloween embracing their tougher side, giving their fans something different to what they had been used to from the band's early career. Still, "7 Sinners" took the band's mind set, and kicked it into an even higher gear, ultimately giving us something that could have easily been a thrash metal record, if it was not for the classic power metal elements that Helloween always brings to the table. Question is though, is this album a sinner, or a winner?

The two opening tracks sets the stage instantly, with "Where The Sinners Go" kicking it off by out right stealing the main riff from Dream Theater's "A Rite of Passage", and a heavier tone to it, and then creates a kick ass song around it, with a cool solo and all. Then we have "Are You Metal?" (what a silly question, of course I am), which just goes full force at you with aggressive keyboards, a mad Andi Deris pushing his vocal chords, and an even sweeter guitar solo than the last one. It is a start you will not forget in the nearest future, putting quite a significant mark on the listener.

While the rest of the record never reaches those levels of face melting heaviness, there is still enough in here to keep the personality of "7 Sinners" solid. "Long Live The King" has a main melody ripped straight out of Testament's book of thrash metal, while "Far In The Future" goes more for a apocalyptic theme, to foreshadow the impending doom of the record (it is the last song). Do not expect though to see Helloween going full thrash metal though, because this is a power metal through and through, acting on most of the same strategies that Helloween have used over the years.

Even if the heavier tracks take over, there is still a lot of great quality in this just under an hour record. The energy is surging in a steady pace throughout the record, pumping your adrenaline in a constant flow, save from the slower "The Smile of The Sun". This album is simply packed with memorable and catchy tunes, such as "Who Is Mr. Madman?", "The Sage, The Fool, The Sinner", and "World of Fantasy". Then there is "Raise The Noise" that take it to a whole new level, not with the 80's styled chorus that is easy to scream out. No, this song is memorable simply because it has a flute solo. That's right, a god damn flute takes over and starts showing off, completely out staging the guitars, and I freaking love every second of it.

"7 Sinners" does have a couple of dips, like "You Stupid Mankind" and "My Sacrifice", but this album is all and all a really solid release by a band that took a swing, and while it would not have hurt if they had amped up the heavy bits even more, it still does the job. Most of the songs in here are still of good quality, making "7 Sinners" one of the more pleasant experiences in the Helloween catalog. This is certainly no fool, nor a sinner, it is a full fledged sage that puts a marvelous spell on its listener.

Songs worthy of recognition: "The Sage, The Fool, The Sinner", Are You Metal?, Raise The Noise, Long Live The King

Rating: 8/10 Worlds of Fantasy

www.helloween.org/
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Motörhead - The Wörld Is Yours (2010)

For any other band, reaching the milestone of 20 full length records is quite an impressive feat, but for Motörhead, it was kind of expected. With a front man that only seems to stop when he drops dead (which he did, RIP), there was no surprise at all to see this band present their 20th release in only 35 years, while still maintaining the quality of course. And with a title like "The Wörld Is Yours", it is evident that their self esteem is as high as ever.

This is one of the band's albums that I am most familiar with, mostly thanks to the fact that it was released when my interest for metal started to rev up towards full speed, so I am gonna try to see this beyond my nostalgia goggles, but it is hard to look past it. Even though, I can still see that this album has some weaknesses, that the drop from top to bottom is a little steep and that the instrumentation is not the best that we have seen from the band, but to me, the strong points of the album sticks out even more.

The biggest strength of this record is without a doubt that more than half of these songs are really memorable, just containing their own special groove that makes you remember them for quite some time. Sure, we get tons of familiar songs that are just typical Motörhead products, but they are not simply "Ace of Spades" clones, they have personalities to really make this album a varied experience.

It is especially at the later half of the album where Motörhead start to flex their muscles, especially with the "Orgasmatron" oozing "Brotherhood of Man", a slow and heavy stead fast tune with a Lemmy who summons his darkest of vocals, creating this mysterious mood that hits just right in the gut. That one is followed up by the speedier "Outlaw" where Mikkey Dee and his drums takes the charge, dominating the verse with some fine technical work and blasts on through in both chorus and solo, creating a simple burner. We also get the really fun side of the band in the finisher "Bye Bye Bitch Bye Bye". The title itself is just fantastic, but it is the ultra rapid rock n roll swing that sells the cake, making every listener rock their head in a frenetic manor, screaming those infectious words.

The first half has its gems to, even if they are more of the standard that we have come to expect from the band. The first single "Get Back In Line" is about waiting, but somehow, Lemmy just turns it into a groovy and simple song that is easy to like, even with an underwhelming chorus. Opening track "Born To Lose" is a little more complex in its riffs and beat, and it is a nice start to the album, also displaying one of the best build ups to a chorus I have heard from the band. These two tracks are not super special or anything, but they do their work just how you would want it, so you cannot really complain.

But as stated before, the drop from the best songs to the worst are a tad bit too high. Songs like "Rock 'N' Roll Music" and "Waiting For The Snake" have some charm, but does not hold up for multiple listens. So this makes "The Wörld Is Yours" a little divided, coming off as half great, half meh. Still, I do enjoy this album a hell of a lot, and it has a flow that just works really well throughout its run time, mostly thanks to the really strong finish. It is far from the finest work the band has done, but it deserves more credit, it delivers some great metal that builds the Motörhead legacy even stronger, and while it might not be enough to take over the world, it is enough to conquer the Wörld.

Songs worthy of recognition: Brotherhood of Man, Born To Lose, Outlaw, Bye Bye Bitch Bye Bye

Rating: 7,5/10 Devils In My Head

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twitter.com/myMotorhead

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Halford - Halford IV: Made of Metal (2010)

The fourth, and to this date the latest, Halford album saw the Metal God return to what first made his project Halford so awesome, pure and classic heavy metal with a modern touch to it. While the title of the album is really unoriginal and the cover, which features the front of a Nascar car sponsored by Metal God Records, is a little too American for my, and should be for Rob's, taste, it was ultimately the music that spoke to me, and the music really knew how to persuade.

The album was released in 2010, a time when my interest for metal started to grow larger and larger, exposing me to all kinds of new exciting music. I got a hold of "Halford IV: Made of Metal" after hearing the title track, and watching its music video. I still get some good nostalgia watching that video, but I have to admit, it is a really corny video. An Alien coming down to Earth, transforming his spaceship into a Nascar car, competing in a race, all of which was computer animated. Yeah, the video flat out sucks, but you still get a good laugh out of it, and it does not really help that the song fits right in. While having a catchy chorus and some great instrumentation, the songs gets ripped to shreds thanks to the added effects. A good first single, but way too overproduced.

So my nostalgia did not answer back here, but there were other moments in the album that made me go "Oh yeah, I remember this one, and I still love it". "Halford IV: Made of Metal" contains a good package of great songs, showing great variety in the sound. While most of the songs lean towards a more metallic sound, there are a few nods to Rob's Judas Priest days. "Speed of Sound" is the perfect example of that, a classic NWoBHM anthem that is simple, but extremely enjoyable retro metal that would go well with "British Steel" or "Stained Class".

Another nostalgic tune is "Hell Razor" and this one REALLY sounds like it was taken straight from the 80's, even the mix here sounds old but gold. It almost makes me a little bummed that Rob did not go full swing and create a full album with nostalgic tunes, but I do understand that it would not work in full scale. If he did that, then the album would sound like it came out 25 years too late. A clear evidence that while Rob glimpses back to the past, he still has his mind set to the future.

When it comes to the more modern stuff, "Halford IV: Made of Metal" sways like a pendulum, from really good, to simply awful. The opener "Undisputed" kicks ass, a explosive start and a knockout punch already at round 1, while "Matador" tires out the rest with its grand performance towards the end of the album. "Like There's No Tomorrow" is another highlight, and one of Roy Z and Mike Chlasciak's finest moments in Halford history (they are doing some amazing work in this album). But songs like "Thunder And Lightning", "Heartless", and "I Know We Stand A Chance" drags down the momentum of the album, and the overall mood.

One songs stands in the middle of this ever rocking pendulum, and that is the final song of the album, "The Mower". Just like any other Metal God fan, I get a freaking huge boner of Rob's screaming falsetto, and he truly nails it in this song. However, the song falls completely flat thanks to its extremely sluggish tempo and mediocre riffing. What is the point of using this amazing voice if you don't have a song that can match up to its furiosity? Such a shame, this song could have been the icing of the cake, but ended up as burned toast.

When this album first came out, I loved it, and I still do 6 years later, although not as much as before. "Halford IV: Made of Metal" will forever stand as the second best Halford album out there (after "Resurecction"). It has some inconsistencies here and there, but overall, it is a well oiled machine that runs on pure metal, and Rob runs it with an iron fist.  It may not be a pretty album, but it is still pretty good.

Songs worthy of recognition: Speed of Sound, Like There's No Tomorrow, Hell Razor

Rating: 7,5/10 Matadors

Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier (2010)

With the full embracement of their progressive style in their previous album, it was pretty predictable that Iron Maiden would continue down that path in their 15th album. And sure enough, the band left the atmosphere and took their music out of this world with the 2010 release "The Final Frontier". A album that could hint to be Maiden's last (Steve Harris have even said that 15 albums is the amount that he thought his band would release), but in recent interviews, all the members have been positive of releasing future material.

Just like with its predecessor ("A Matter of Life And Death"), there are few songs in "The Final Frontier" that are easily digestible, and those songs are also the weak point with this album. The opening track is divided into two parts. The first part, "Satellite 15", Is a very interesting start with fast paced bass lines and a space like feeling. Unfortunately, this song gets completely wrecked when the title track kicks off with its predictable structure and annoying chorus. I wished that "Satellite 15" would have been a song of its own, since I think it would fit perfectly with the rest of the album. Out of the other easy tracks I would say that the epic "Coming Home" is the only one that qualifies in the recognition zone. It is a great track about Bruce's experiences in the aviation business and I definitely wished that they would have released this as a single instead of the hooky, but still slightly boring "El Dorado".

It stands very clear that it is the long and progressive songs that is running the show and there are a lot of them in the second half of the album. The last 5 songs have a total play time of 45:31, with the longest song, "Where The Wild Winds Blow", clocking in at 11:02 (third longest song, after "The Sign of The Cross" and "The Rime of The Ancient Mariner", in the Maiden catalog). I can honestly say that this album would have sunk if it was not for these 5 songs. Each song tells a own interesting story that is intriguing and raises the mood of the listener. From the "Seventh Son of A Seventh Son" inspired "Isle of Avalon" to the high soaring "The Talisman", the latter half of "The Final Frontier" is a showcase of Maiden's ultimate progressive strength. You might not see it instantly after the first couple of listening sessions, but if you take your time to appreciate the content, then the content will award you big time.

It is a little sad to see that this album is so clearly divided into two parts, 'cause I want to see what the band can do when they put out a album filled with epic stories and melodies. That is the clear weak point with this album together with the title track.

If it was not for the sluggish start, then I would rate "The Final Frontier" as the best album since "Seventh Son of A Seventh Son". It is really interesting to see Maiden spreading its wings and take its music where it has never been before, instead of just staying on the ground and play it safe. But this also have its price. "The Final Frontier" demands its listener and you cannot just speed it through in one go. If this would to be the last album by the band (which is highly unlikely), then I would be very proud of the band for closing their career with such a epic piece. Because in the end, this album is truly "out of this world" (he he).

Songs worthy of recognition: The Talisman, Coming Home, Where The Wild Winds Blow

Rating: 8/10 Alchemists