Reviews list for Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys Part I (1987)

I suppose this one may be a bit of a surprise to anyone familiar with my aversion to european power metal, but I have always had a soft spot for this album. I still have my original vinyl copy I bought shortly after release and although I can't truthfully claim it has been out of its sleeve for a few years, I wouldn't ever part with it. The reason I bought it is that it isn't all soaring vocals, multi-layered keyboards and out of control guitar posturing that has become the standard for EUPM. No, this actually has some killer riffs and these are the backbone of the album upon which everything else is hung. Even the vocals aren't especially OTT, not being much more effusive than Bruce Dickenson and there is a welcome absence of synths. Side one is pretty good, but the one-two salvo of "Future World" and the epic "Halloween" which comprise most of side B are where things take off for me. "Future World" is catchy and anthemic, a real fist-pumper and then the discordant intro to "Halloween" introduces my favourite power metal song, bar none, with its thrashy riff and epic narrative style standing out from the crowd. I guess, at the end of the day, I am just as fond of a big old slab of cheese as much as the next guy!

Kind of mixing their first album and Fates Warning’s output, Helloween play fast, technical and progressive music here, but also make room for softer, catchier numbers. The aggression of their debut has been traded in for uplifting triumph. The album is a very eclectic package despite only having 6 full songs, and one would not want for variety here. The problem there is that the material is not very consistent, with their highs being fantastic and the lows just okay. The new vocalist is a welcome addition, but even he has some pitchy moments and questionable vocal melodies between the usually solid performance.

The track “Halloween” is actually a talking point in itself, being one of the most progressive epics in all of Metal at the time. At over 13 minutes, the song shifts through so many movements, it’s about as eclectic as the rest of the album. The difference here is that the track is very consistent throughout, full of the band’s best riffs and greatest vocal performance on the album. Really, there couldn’t be a better way to sing about Halloween.