Review Summary: Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery
When looking at Helloween’s sixteenth proper album, I keep getting caught up on the title. Self-titling the album overshadows their 1983 EP much in the same way that Queensryche did in 2013 and Saint Vitus had in 2019 to their respective debuts, but it also well summarizes its intent to be a culmination of the band’s trajectory. If anything, I think it’s funny how they already used Keeper Of The Seven Keys: The Legacy as a title in 2005 when it arguably would’ve fit better here.
That is not to say that Helloween is a total retread of the Keepers formula but certain tracks aim to invoke that era’s sense of wonder and nostalgia, especially at the beginning. The one-two punch of ‘Out for the Glory’ and ‘Fear of the Fallen’ really seem to aim for that ‘Eagles Fly Free’ spirit, going all out with incredibly bright guitar tones and uplifting choruses primarily driven by both Michael Kiske and Andi Deris respectively pushing themselves to their highest registers. From there, ‘Best Time’ could’ve been a Unisonic song with its relentlessly positive AOR (Is that a Kung Fu Panda quote in the chorus?) and the closing ‘Skyfall’ is a twelve-minute epic in classic tradition.
Of course, Kiske’s return isn’t enough to overshadow the reliability that Deris has brought to Helloween for nearly three decades now and there are plenty of tracks that show off his writing and performing talents just as strongly. ‘Cyanide’ and ‘Down in the Dumps’ seem to be cut from the Gambling With The Devil/Seven Sinners cloth with their darker moods and more intense drums and vocals. ‘Angels’ also allows for the band’s more contemplative side to come through while ‘Indestructible’ and ‘Robot King’ make for more upbeat winners.
A certain degree of overstuffing is inevitable considering this project’s sheer scope, but the musicianship stays as tasteful as possible. While Kiske and Deris are perfectly capable of handing an album on their own, seeing them taking the lead and playing off each other allows for much more expressive dynamics with guitarist Kai Hansen filling in the blanks. The triple guitar attack also avoids getting too bloated with the priorities being kept on the swelling harmonies and speedy gallops. Unfortunately, bassist Markus Grosskopf doesn’t get as many spaces to shine as usual and Daniel Loble’s drumming doesn’t have space to do much beyond the conventional power metal tricks.
The grand seven-piece lineup behind Helloween’s self-titled album is the sort of reunion that everybody wants to see but nobody is convinced could actually work. But at the end of the day, it’s the best release that anybody could’ve hoped for. The songwriting that is memorable in its own right and the musicianship has the sort of balanced enthusiasm that allows just about everybody to shine. It’s easily the best Helloween album in a decade and represents the perfect way forward for a veteran band. Like Iron Maiden’s Brave New World before it, I hope this becomes the face of Helloween for a new generation and that the rest of the old guard is taking notes.
Highlights:
‘Out for the Glory’
‘Fear of the Fallen’
‘Best Time’
‘Indestructible’
‘Cyanide’
