My first introduction to Helloween was while vacationing in Germany, where I hooked up with a long-haired Kraut heavy metaller. I wasn't impressed initially, since at the time I was on a Jethro Tull kick and had never listened to thrash metal extensively. Then when I came home, my brother told me, "Dude, you gotta check out this cool band Helloween!" Funny how that works? Time did tell and I quickly became quite the fan. Then after the Keeper albums, guitarist Kai Hansen left for Gamma Ray, and the band seemed to disappear...it wasn't until years later that I discovered, they never left! They just stopped selling their CDs in America (until recently). The "new" Helloween does the song "Electric Eye" on the Judas Priest tribute album, which sounds AWESOME, and still retains much of the early Helloween sound, despite a new lead vocalist!

"Helloween/Walls of Jericho"

1. "Starlight" (5:17)
2. "Murderer" (4:26)
3. "Warrior" (4:00)
4. "Victim of Fate" (6:37)
5. "Cry for Freedom" (6:02)
6. "Walls of Jericho"--instrumental (0:53)
7. "Ride the Sky" (5:51)
8. "Reptile" (3:44)
9. "Guardians" (4:19)
10. "Phantoms of Death" (6:34)
11. "Metal Invaders" (4:10)
12. "Gorgar" (3:55)
13. "Heavy Metal (is the Law)" (3:51)
14. "How Many Tears" (7:15)
15. "Judas" (4:39)

Their debut album was recorded with a much heavier sound and before vocalist Michael Kiske was in the band, and I liked it much better than Keeper I when I first heard it. "Ride the Sky" in particular shreds! My brother turned up a German CD copy which included their first EP (IMPOSSIBLE to find!) as well as the "Judas" single, and for a long time I tried to convince him to sell it to me...but eventually I found my own copy, though without the lyric sheet (ah, well...)

"Keeper of the Seven Keys part I"

1. "Initiation"--instrumental (1:21)
2. "I'm Alive" (3:23)
3. "A Little Time" (3:59)
4. "Twilight of the Gods" (4:29)
5. "A Tale that Wasn't Right" (5:15)
6. "Future World" (4:02)
7. "Halloween" (13:18)
8. "Follow the Sign" (1:46)

Like I said, I wasn't impressed with this album at first, though grew to like it over time. I don't regard it as one of their classics though, too damn generic. "Halloween" of course is an epic track, and the band even made a video of it for MTv's Headbanger's Ball, though it was edited down to five minutes and sounded like shit!!

"Keeper of the Seven Keys part II"

1. "Invitation"--instrumental (1:06)
2. "Eagle Fly Free" (5:08)
3. "You Always Walk Alone" (5:08)
4. "Rise and Fall" (4:20)
5. "Dr. Stein" (5:03)
6. "We Got the Right" (5:07)
7. "Save Us" (5:12)
8. "March of Time" (5:13)
9. "I Want Out" (4:39)
10. "Keeper of the Seven Keys" (13:38)

I remember finding this record on crappy vinyl when it first came out, and my brother & I nearly tore the thing in half struggling over it! It's a masterpiece, plain and simple. "Eagle Flies Free" plays much tighter & heavier than anything on Keeper I, with a brilliant orchestral sound. "Dr. Stein" is a quirky, fun tune; "Save Us" is PURE rage, and even the unlikely popish "I Want Out" grooves nicely. "Keeper" finishes up the 2-CD series with a masterful touch, definitely the best song they've ever recorded.

"The Best - The Rest - The Rare" (compilation)

1. "I Want Out" (4:38)
2. "Dr. Stein" (5:03)
3. "Future World" (4:02)
4. "Judas" (4:39)
5. "Walls of Jericho"--instrumental (0:53)
6. "Ride the Sky" (5:51)
7. "Halloween" (13:18)
8. "Livin' Ain't No Crime" (4:43)
9. "Save Us" (5:12)
10. "Victim of Fate" (6:58)
11. "Savage" (3:26)
12. "Don't Run for Cover" (4:48)
13. "Keeper of the Seven Keys" (13:38)

Not sure what possessed me to buy this greatest hits collection, since there are only 3 non-album tracks here, and none of them are that good! I used to have "Don't Run for Cover" as the B-side of the "I Want Out" single, which came on pretty clear blue (but still crappy) vinyl, but of course that got sold long ago. (There does exist a Japanese import that combines both Keeper albums into one CD set, with all three exclusive tracks here as bonus cuts. It's still on the "Hot List", buuut...well, let's just say that my shrinking cash flow has shoved it pretty far down the priority list. So I'll just keep praying to win the Lottery someday...)

"I Want Out - Live" (CDR)

1. "Intro: Happy Halloween/A Little Time" (4:17)
2. "Dr. Stein" (7:00)
3. "Future World" (9:33)
4. "We Got the Right" (6:08)
5. "I Want Out/Encores" (5:58)
6. "How Many Tears" (9:40)

This CDR copy (once again, obtained from my brother's collection) is really just a place-holder until I can locate the import version, Live in the U.K., which features one extra song. It seems like reviewers poo-poo all over this live offering, but I kinda quite like it...especially since it's the only Helloween live album that features Michael Kiske.

"Pink Bubbles Go Ape"

1. "Pink Bubbles Go Ape" (0:36)
2. "Kids of the Century" (3:51)
3. "Back on the Streets" (3:23)
4. "Number One" (5:13)
5. "Heavy Metal Hampsters" (3:28)
6. "Goin' Home" (3:51)
7. "Someone's Crying" (4:18)
8. "Mankind" (6:18)
9. "I'm Doin' Fine, Crazy Man" (3:39)
10. "The Chance" (3:47)
11. "Your Turn" (5:38)

This is where Helloween fell off the map...in the U.S, anyway. And no wonder...with Kai Hansen leaving for Gamma Ray, the result is a band that sounds tired & washed-out. Exceptions include "Kids of the Century", "Your Turn", and maybe one more I can't think of right now. Definitely sounds like a band with no direction, and the members weren't getting along very well either. "Heavy Metal Hampsters" is just as dumb as the title suggests...hell, the album title itself has got to be one of the dumbest ever!

"Chameleon"

1. "First Time" (5:29)
2. "When the Sinner" (6:54)
3. "I Don't Wanna Cry No More" (5:11)
4. "Crazy Cat" (3:29)
5. "Giants" (6:34)
6. "Windmill" (5:12)
7. "Revolution Now" (8:04)
8. "In the Night" (5:36)
9. "Music" (6:59)
10. "Step Out of Hell" (4:21)
11. "I Believe" (9:11)
12. "Longing" (4:10)

Well, this is a weird one. A complete diversion from their normal sound, with lots of dance rhythms, acoustic melodies, heavy blues, and a way-overused horn section. Some bands have a lot of success with experimentation -- unfortunately, Helloween isn't one of them. A few good songs, such as "I Believe", but most of these either suck completely or just go on way too long. This was the final album with Michael Kiske.

"Master of the Rings"

I've actually bought this one two or three times, but each previous copy skipped all over the place, so I had to take it back. Oddly, the only used copies I've found have been the limited 2CD version, so it must be pretty common. That's good, because there are three killer cover songs on the bonus disc -- starting with "Closer to Home" by Grand Funk Railroad, which is so close to the original, it's scary! I'm not sure if the same applies to "Cold Sweat" (originally by Thin Lizzy) or "I Stole Your Love" (by KISS, and mis-titled here as "I Stole Your Heart") as I've never heard the originals.

In any case, this is the first album featuring Andi Deris, and any reservations I had about Michael Kiske's replacement went out the window as soon as the thundering melody of "Sole Survivor" kicked in! It doesn't stop there, either...each song is a return to the classic Helloween sound of old, yet sounding fresh and invigorating at the same time, redefining German power metal for the 90's. Highly recommended! (In addition to Kiske, they also got rid of their original drummer, who suffered from manic depression and was, well, kinda bumming everyone else out. A few years later, the guy jumped in the path of an express train and killed himself. So it goes.)

"Better Than Raw"

1. "Deliberately Limited Preliminary Prelude Period in Z"--instrumental (1:44)
2. "Push" (4:44)
3. "Falling Higher" (4:45)
4. "Hey Lord!" (4:05)
5. "Don't Spit on My Mind" (4:23)
6. "Revelation" (8:21)
7. "Time" (5:41)
8. "I Can" (4:38)
9. "A Handful of Pain" (4:48)
10. "LAVDATE DOMINVM" (5:09)
11. "Midnight Sun" (6:18)
12. "A Game We Shouldn't Play" (3:36)

Found this new release for $4.99, the first time I've ever seen a post-Keys Helloween CD used, so I figured I'd give it a shot...well, they've still got the classic Helloween sound, despite having replaced every single musician except the bassist. (Oh, and that other guy, Wicky-something...HELP ME OUT HERE SENTINEL!!!) But the end result is noisy and unfocused. "I Can" has a nice poppy refrain, though.

"Metal Jukebox" (Japanese import)

1. "He's a Woman -- She's a Man" (3:14)
2. "Locomotive Breath" (3:56)
3. "Lay All Your Love on Me" (4:36)
4. "Space Oddity" (4:52)
5. "From Out of Nowhere" (3:19)
6. "All my Loving" (1:44)
7. "Hocus Pocus" (6:43)
8. "Faith Healer" (7:08)
9. "Juggernaut" (4:50)
10. "White Room" (5:46)
11. "Mexican" (5:49)
12. "Rat Bat Blue" (5:30)

Man, "covers" albums seem to be the in-thing to do nowadays, huh? Anyway, here's Helloween's contribution to the craze. The original artists are: the Scorpions, Jethro Tull, ABBA, David Bowie, Faith No More, the Beatles, Focus, Alex Harvey, Frank Marino, Cream, Babe Ruth (huh??), and Deep Purple. "Rat Bat Blue" is a bonus track on the Japanese import, which I managed to find relatively cheap on GEMM (which the vendor listed as "used", but the copy they sent was brand-spanking new!!) Of the songs I've heard before, "From Out of Nowhere" is by far the best; "All My Loving" is also short and sweet. "Locomotive Breath" kinda sucks, however. I also really dig "Faith Healer", with that loooooong introduction.... For some reason, they didn't put "Electric Eye" on here, but oh what the hell.

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