Review Summary: Keeper of the Seven Keys is a good album, but not the classic that it's hailed to be.
One day at my grandparents' house, I was flipping through the audio channels. On the arena rock station, a song called Halloween by the band Helloween was starting to play. "Hmmm," I thought to myself, "I've heard of these guys. Wonder if they're any good...". This particular song, Halloween, was a freaking epic. It had superb guitar work, powerful vocals, and fierce drumming. This song was a thrill to listen to. This made me realise that I absolutely needed to get some Helloween material. So, I downloaded their so-called magnum opus, Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 1 with high expectations. Maybe my expectations were too high, but this was disappointing.
What I expected was one of the greatest metal albums of all time, packed with beautiful guitarwork, high-pitched vocals, and just a darn good time, power metal style. And listening to the first true song, I'm Alive, I was getting just that. Kai Hansen was pulling off some great things with his guitar, and nineteen year-old Michael Kiske was displaying some fine vocals. The chants in the chorus made this a very fun song to listen to. Plus, the song was faster than a speeding bullet. I was lovin' it. However, Keeper of the Seven Keys took a turn for the worse with the song A Little Time. This was bland and boring. My fears were coming true. But alas, Twilight Of The Gods came and saved the day. This stood right at the center of the album, and it delivered quite a punch. It was insanely fast, and once again, it displayed the talents of Michael Kiske's vocals and Kai Hansen's brilliant guitar. Speedy riffs, beautiful solos, and it all had melody. After all, power metal isn't power metal without some form of melody. And boy oh boy, Ingo is an underrated drummer. He's not particularly great, but his fast style influenced thousands of power metal drummers to come.
So far, Keeper had been a hit and miss album. The opener, Initiation, was just an instrumental intro, which is common with power metal albums these days. It's entirely skippable, as it doesn't showcase much talent. I'm Alive and Twilight of the Gods were quite impressive, but A Little Time, the song in between, was lame. Unfortunately, A Tale That Wasn't Right is a snooze-fest, for sure. It's without a doubt Keeper Part 1's weak link. It's a ballad, and while there is nothing wrong with a metal album having a slow song, it really screws up the album. Sure, the song showcases decent musicianship and some decent vocal talent, but it's just boring. If the song had been cut down by just a minute or two, it might not be such a drag, but because of its length, it is quite hard to sit through. Slow, drudgy, and flat-out bland. Skip this song.
Let's get to the best of the best shall we? The true meat of Keeper of the Seven Keys 1 is the epic song,
Halloween. This is one of the fastest and most powerful power metal songs ever made. Clocking in at thirteen minutes, not only is it the longest track, but it is simply mind-blowing. Beginning with a noise reminiscent of something out of one of the Halloween films, it turns into a slow and doomish riff with some synths in the background being put to good use. Things stop, and bam, one of the fastest and most memorable riffs in heavy metal history begins. It's incredibly speedy, and Kai's playing it as fast as he can. The lyrics kick in, and Michael's vocals are just as fast and just as loud. "Masquerade, masquerade, grab a mask and don't be late!" he shouts. This entire song is the perfect example of what a power metal epic should be. It is not fast throughout though, in fact, it makes many tempo changes, making it a diverse track. In the middle of the song, there is no music in the background hardly, but just Kiske talking into the microphone, and then, a devilish voice can be heard, making this song even more
awesome. Halloween picks up the pace towards the end of the song, and finally ends. Did I mention that the song was filled with absolutely wonderful guitarwork. Kai Hansen is truly one of the greatest guitarists in the world of power metal. Solos, riffs, whatever, Kai can do it all. This is the true closing of the album, as the next track is just an outro with Michael saying something into the mic. Overall, Halloween is one of the best metal songs of its genre. It would have been the best way to close the album, but no, they just had to put a one minute outro in there.
All in all, Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 1 is an impressive album, and it is one of my first tastes of power metal. Unfortunately, there's a few subpar tracks and one song that is particularly awful. It has an insanely short length, and if not for the epic Halloween, the album would clock in at less than twenty-five minutes. The album is, however, filled with superb instrumentation and Michael Kiske's powerful vocals are topnotch throughout. It may be one of the most influential albums in metal history, and while it basically created an entire genre, it is certainly not the classic it is hailed to be. There's just too much that's wrong with it. It's too short, it's too inconsistent, and A Tale That Wasn't Right is a horrible song, and it's painful to sit through. There are three main standout tracks, and all three of these songs are basically power metal classics. I am not saying that Keeper is a bad album. It is just disappointing. However, if you want to hear a pioneering power metal album, then by all means, buy this album. But be warned: It's packed with flaws.
Standouts:
Halloween - The best song on the album, this is an epic power metal classic, filled with everything that's good about Helloween.
Twilight of the Gods - A fun song filled with brilliant guitarwork.
I'm Alive - A fast and energetic opener that's just a thrill to listen to.
3.7/5
