Helloween & Gamma Ray


The new album will be out in the summer and contains a ballad and at least 3 songs written by Kai! Good. Andi loves them, the whole album is full of great hooks.

''80% of it is positive, sometimes very fast and heavy''.
 
He also did an honest, apt description of the last album. Exhausting experience indeed.

I never played it after 2 or 3 listening sessions around the time it was released.
 
He also did an honest, apt description of the last album. Exhausting experience indeed.
I never played it after 2 or 3 listening sessions around the time it was released.
There aren't many albums of the band that I like to listen as a whole piece often, but the Reunion album does a good job of that, despite having 2-3 songs that I'm not a big fan of. There's definitely something ''exhausting'' in the onslaught of power metal and the many vocal/ideas, but that's their thing. I really hope for the new album Kai wrote some of the longer and not that straightforward songs (Andi said this is the approach of it more or less, like the bonus songs for the latest album?), although the band has a great sense for melodic and catchy rockers. Maybe from Weikath. I just don't want a whole album of such songs, something more creative, they can do that.
 
Coming from the same city as both Helloween and Gamma Ray, they were of course always part of my music life, however, I must admit I always preferred Gamma Ray over Helloween, and Running Wild much over both.
Also, both bands rarely gifted the local scene with their presence. Piet Sielck came to the Headbangers Ballroom every now and then, Kai Hansen very rarely. The others never were connected to the scene in any way.
I saw Gamma Ray live here several times between Land of the Free and Powerplant, and despite never being a big fan, they always kicked my ass live.

Helloween only released one album that I really love, and that is Walls of Jericho. I never cared for everything after that. Never liked Kiske too, both as singer and person. Some of their albums are okay, others pure cringe.

My main memory with Helloween was in the early 2000s. Every thursday there was Death Metal night in Headbangers Ballroom, and my buddy and me went there almost every week. One thursday we arrived and it was "closed for a private party", but the door was open and nobody sat there. So we just went inside anyway.
Turned out we were at the private release party of Helloween's new album (must have been Rabbit Don't Come Easy, I guess).
It was very weird. The club was almost completely empty. Weikath, Grosskopf, Deris and some guy (Grapow?) were sitting at a table drinking beer, saying nothing. 4 or 5 guys from the record label (one in suit and tie) were sitting on another table at the other side of the club, babbling. Both tables completely ignored each other. Guns N Roses "Appetite For Destruction" was playing full power, and at the wall there was a buffet table that was ignored by eveyone. Nobody even looked at me and my buddy. We just sat at the bar, ordered a beer, got it and were not asked to pay. The barkeeper of course knew us. He said all drinks were paid for by the record label in advance. Absolutely nothing happened, so we just walked over to the buffet, ate some free stuff and again nobody cared. Then we went home. True story. It was very very weird.
 
Helloween to release a new ''Best Of'' album for their 40th anniv. Expected nowadays?


Some nice new arts and the selection of the songs is always curious.
CD One
01. Walls of Jericho/Ride the Sky
02. Metal Invaders
03. Victim of Fate
04. How Many Tears
05. Eagle Fly Free
06. Halloween
07. A Tale That Wasn’t Right
08. Future World
09. March of Time
10. Dr. Stein
11. Keeper of The Seven Keys

CD Two
01. I Want Out
02. Kids of The Century
03. Number One
04. Windmill
05. Sole Survivor
06. Perfect Gentleman
07. In the Middle of A Heartbeat
08. Why
09. Forever and One (Neverland)
10. Power
11. Steel Tormentor
12. Hey Lord!
13. I Can
14. If I Could Fly
15. Mr. Torture
16. Hell Was Made In Heaven
17. Light The Universe

CD Three
01. The Invisible Man
02. As Long As I Fall
03. Kill It
04. Where The Sinners Go
05. Are You Metal
06. Nabataea
07. Straight Out of Hell
08. Waiting For The Thunder
09. Heroes
10. My God Given Right
11. Pumpkins United
12. Best Time
13. Fear of The Fallen
14. Skyfall

42 songs. 4 are from the latest album, one they didn't play live.
 

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Helloween to release a new ''Best Of'' album for their 40th anniv. Expected nowadays?


Some nice new arts and the selection of the songs is always curious.
CD One
01. Walls of Jericho/Ride the Sky
02. Metal Invaders
03. Victim of Fate
04. How Many Tears
05. Eagle Fly Free
06. Halloween
07. A Tale That Wasn’t Right
08. Future World
09. March of Time
10. Dr. Stein
11. Keeper of The Seven Keys

CD Two
01. I Want Out
02. Kids of The Century
03. Number One
04. Windmill
05. Sole Survivor
06. Perfect Gentleman
07. In the Middle of A Heartbeat
08. Why
09. Forever and One (Neverland)
10. Power
11. Steel Tormentor
12. Hey Lord!
13. I Can
14. If I Could Fly
15. Mr. Torture
16. Hell Was Made In Heaven
17. Light The Universe

CD Three
01. The Invisible Man
02. As Long As I Fall
03. Kill It
04. Where The Sinners Go
05. Are You Metal
06. Nabataea
07. Straight Out of Hell
08. Waiting For The Thunder
09. Heroes
10. My God Given Right
11. Pumpkins United
12. Best Time
13. Fear of The Fallen
14. Skyfall

42 songs. 4 are from the latest album, one they didn't play live.

Looks like a nice compilation.
 
After the vinyl boxset that had really nothing special, another disappointing "product" from a great band. :(
The song selection is ok but notice how there is no Grapow song and only one from Uli Kusch.
Besides, the artwork is lame (and has been more on than off since 2000): remember this is what Helloween used to treat us with.
 
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After the vinyl boxset that had really nothing special, another disappointing "product" from a great band. :(
The song selection is ok but notice how there is no Grapow song and only one from Uli Kusch.
Besides, the artwork is lame (and has been more on than off since 2000): remember this is what Helloween used to treat us with?
Agreed about the artwork (in general), but what can you do with such releases after all these years? It's not something the fans want now. Plus they had already released their rare/bonus songs. The song selection is always debatable, but Grapow's classic ''The Dark Ride'' was a must. It seems most of the singles were chosen. And some expected choices like ''Where The Rain Grows'' was replaced with a popular cut from the same album.
 
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