(Rated this album with 8 out of 10) Reviewed by
Gary Keeling
from St. Louis, MO USA
If you're looking for a return to the old Helloween thrash sound, you won't find it here. But you will find some very sound metal that is not afraid to experiment with traditionally non-metal influences. Depart Kai Hansen and enter Roland Grapow. With Roland's bluesy influences, they've expanded their sound quite a lot, especially on the bluesy accoustic title track, and bluesy rocker "I'm Doing Fine, Crazy Man" (which is lyrically reminiscent of old Anthrax). "Your Turn" is an incredible blend of blues, country and metal sounds, and Michi's angelic voice resulting in a power ballad like no other. Of course, this CD isn't without a good dose of blistering metal. The anthemic "Kids of the Century" will rolick through your brain long after the song ends, "Someone's Crying" harkens back to the Walls of Jericho sound, and the heavy keyboard orchestrations really play well with the driving metal guitars on "Mankind". In a genre of music that is so overdone with dark, evil, and satanic imagery, Helloween stands apart, fighting the "good fight" with spiritually uplifting messages (which has earned them accusations of being a Christian band) and a healthy dose of good humor -- "Heavy Metal Hamsters" takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to the metal genre, and "Number One" (which is musically a turning point for the band, with its electronic pop sound, a sound that would be recreated later on Chameleon) is one of the most spiritual pieces of music ever penned, not unlike "Believe" (from Chameleon) and "Don't Run For Cover" (from The Best, The Rest, The Rare). This, ultimately, would be the next to last album for both Michi (who departed after Chameleon to pursue a solo career) and Ingo (R.I.P.). Buy it. You won't be disappointed.
