Happy, happy Helloween" and so on! This album is Helloween's most positive-sounding one, ever. At first, it was tough to go through it without pushing forward button on CD player about three times at least. Setting my headspace for wacky adventures in Helloland, I was prepared to take the candiest bits. But how did my adventures go?

Some of the candy is so sweet it almost makes me feel sugar-high. Driving heavy metal of 'The Game Is on' is the candiest of the candy (I mean of all metal music I've ever heard). Hell, nobody but Germans can come up with a song about playing console games and its risks! Following 'Secret Alibi' is another sticky song, more hard rocking. Just look at these lyrics: "Ding by ding can you dig my dong? It may come short, but it might come long"..! Okay,' Perfect Gentleman' is bloody melodic and also a candy-ish song (whistling and talk), but it bloody rules. This album divides my brain in two.

Helloween's metal is timeless. It has elements from hard rock, heavy metal and power metal. It is varying, which probably causes my brain division. Well, nothing new for the band; remember 'Chameleon' (which came out just about a year earlier)... I like metal more than hard rock elements, but still most of the stuff is bloody driving it is almost impossible to resist the force that the band creates. Helloween is a good-time metal band. They have more colours than many a band. New vocalist Andi Deris (ex-Pink Cream 69) had huge boots to fill up for sure. His voice is raspy, but he can go high, very high. And what's the most important; he sounds Andi Deris, not a weak clone of Michael "pipes" Kiske. It took a long time for me to get to like Mr. Deris' vocals, but now I can't understand why. He's just awesome and rather wide-ranged singer. About the lyrics; they aren't deep or anything to be taken too seriously. Uli Kusch (ex-Gamma Ray, Masterplan) was the new drummer, simply a torturer of skins! He plays drums, not just hit 'em. Guitarists Michael Weikath and Roland Grapow (now in Masterplan) sound excellent duo, and there's loads of soloing, guitar shrieks, tight riffing; everything sound simply breathtaking. Bassist Markus Grosskopf is everywhere, all the time! He has an adventurous style of bass playing, and also fast. The band sounds so tight you think they were together at least 20 years.

'Irritation' (funny joke about 'Invitation'!) is a very German-ish intro; well, some orchestra stuff, Bayern way. 'Sole Survivor' (2nd single cut) is a prime example of driving heavy metal song, one that makes anyone's head bang without doubt. 'Where the Rain Grows' and 'Why?' continue the trend, even though slightly calmer way. 'Mr. Ego' is too long, slower yet heavy, for some reason reminding me of Genesis..! Yeah, shoot me, but it just kinda breaks the excellent flow of headbang metal, even though I must mention those great guitar shrieks. 'Perfect Gentleman' was the the first single and yes, it does have all the features required for radio play. But when the song fades out, it comes back soon, which si a bloody annoying trick with no real meaning. Another not-so-hot song 'Take Me Home' is one of Helloween most hard rock -style songs, definitely having Van Halen vibe (one might think it's actually David Lee Roth guesting on its start), a horn section (synthesized) and all. Balladish 'In the Middle of a Heartbeat' starts just like Harry & Sandra Chapin's 'Cat's in the Cradle',; what an absolutely beautiful song! 'Still We Go' hits in more familiar Hello-gear; driving heavy metal time again. Once again, the best songs here are easily on the band's best songs list, making a song or two sound like stuffing.

'Master of the Rings' has one the best productions I have heard in metal music, or in any other to tell the truth. Tommy Hansen's work saves the album's weaker moments, and adds to the best moments, raising them to infinity. Everything can be easily heard, but still it is as tight as it could be. And heavy. Organic. There's some serious vibrations here. And fucking live vibe! The production doesn't turn pale even then when compared with nowaday's standards. The cover artwork is nothing to write home about (no doubt that's why the logo and the album title were printed in silvered letters on the first editions). Surely there are pumpkin-people and other comic drawings inside.

While this is still kind of varying, it is still more uniform than two previous ones (1991s 'Pink Bubbles Go Ape' and 'Chameleon'). About the catchiness: I took a pause in writing this review and pushed stop button on my CD player during 'The Game...'. Went to take a shower and what happened? The song played in my brain for a fifteen bloody minutes!!! But I believe it would happen with any song here, so sticky and melodic they are. Good-time metal, and a good album after all.

Update (12-15-2019): The album contains several classic Hello-songs. I've been listening to more and more power metal during all these years, and have grown my sugar-resistance level quite a lot higher. In 2003 I rated this album about 7+ or 7½, but the band's and the album's enchantment has turned out to be very much irresistible; still, I feel there are a few fillers, when compared to the legendary songs. But I feel that the score must be raised - Lane

Rating: 8+ (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
11/13/2003 17:20