(Rated this album with 10 out of 10) Reviewed by
Charles Bock
from Mississippi State, Mississippi United States
I've been very happy with the Nuclear Blast family for a time now, and I've recently become interested in this band, and I have heard some of their older stuff, which sounds pretty good. Then I read about and listened to samples of this album and decided to buy it. This is my first Helloween album, and I love it! It is a lot darker from their older stuff, but I like that. Against what I think most Helloween fans think I really like Andi Deris' vocal style better than Michael Kiske's because it has so much more power to it. Sure he can't sing as high, but he fits really well on this album. The dark themes of the album are a lot different from the past Helloween material, but the band really sounds good here. The Dark Ride is a great album with a lot of great songs. The Departed has a really cool chorus that I've had stuck in my head for a while. Mirror Mirror is another song that I've been singing for days with its heavy riffs and vocals. Very cool song. If I Could Fly is probably my favorite song here. It's a beautiful song with a chilling piano intro backed up by a heavy yet smooth driving guitar part. Immortal has soaring vocals during the chorus and the title song is for lack of better words excellent. Throughout the album there are awesome guitar riffs and solos, heavy drums, and seriously the best vocals the band could have for this kind of approach. If you don't believe me just imaging Michael Kiske singing on the album. Doesn't quite fit. All in all, I like this album a lot. I think any Helloween fan should have it and any fan of metal as well.
