Helloween: Straight Out of Hell (2013)

Helloween has been doing the same thing for thirty years now.  They are one of the pioneering bands in the power metal genre.  This is their 16th full-length album, an impressive pace for a band.  Helloween has not always put out quality releases though.  They have been a bit inconsistent over the years, but since 2007's surprisingly great Gambling With the Devil, they have been on a run of great albums that has been unmatched by the band since their first three albums.

This album proves that Helloween still has it.  The album is fast, which has always been Helloween's strongest point, they did start out as a speed metal band after all.  It features the consistently good, siren-like vocals of Andi Deris, who has been the singer since 1994 when Michael Kiske left the band.  Deris has been one of the best singers Helloween has ever had.  And of course there are a ton of catchy songs on this thing.

There really is not a lot to say about this release.  Longtime fans of Helloween will definitely appreciate it.  People who do not like the band or speed/power metal likely will not find anything to change their mind.  Helloween has continued on a recent hot streak as this album stands up well with other albums the band has released lately.

My 100 Favorite Metal Bands Pt. 50: Helloween

Back when power metal was, well, powerful, Helloween formed. They are largely
considered a pioneering band in the style and with good reason. The German band was a direct influence on Blind Guardian, among others. And thus the European power metal style was formed. Helloween continued to put out great albums, although they have certainly released a few lackluster ones as well. Their output today though is just as good as it has ever been.

FAVORITE ALBUM: WALLS OF JERICHO

Initial Impressions: Helloween: 7 Sinners

Helloween is one of the pioneering bands in the power metal genre from Europe in the mid 1980's. Helloween started out very strong with their first three albums and then suffered through a long period of inconsistency. Their last couple of albums have shown a return to form though.

This is Helloween's fifteenth full-length album and the German power metal legends have proven they still can put out some great music. Current singer Andi Deris sounds a lot like original singer Kai Hansen, who went on to form Gamma Ray. His voice is a slightly snarled tenor with an incredible range.

Musically, Helloween carries on with the dual guitar attack they have utilized since their inception in the early 1980's. The music is typically fast, yet melodic, and features numerous guitar solos. The guitar riffs have a bit of a stronger, more aggressive bite to them on this album though. That is a welcome change and adds intensity to the music.

The album's second track is the anthemic "Are You Metal?", which will likely be a strong closer in concerts and should have the crowd pumping their fists. The rest of the songs feature many of the lyrical themes Helloween has frequently used, such as fantasy, humor, and politics.

On Helloween's last album, the band enjoyed a career resurgence. This looks like it will continue for some time, as this is possibly even stronger than Gambling with the Devil.

Year in Metal: 1985

I said last week it was getting very difficult to limit this to three. 1985 was particularly difficult, so I increased it to five. I will not go more than that for subsequent years though.

CELTIC FROST: TO MEGA THERION
1985 was a huge year in the development of various styles of metal. At the center of the developing thrash, death, and black metal scene was one band: Celtic Frost. Formed from the ashes of Hellhammer, Celtic Frost utilzed a lot of the same riffing style, heavy and downtuned and fast as hell, and vocals, Warrior's famous grunting. This album is probably closest to thrash metal but the influence that the death and black metal genres took from it are plain as day.

EXODUS: BONDED BY BLOOD
This is pretty much the quintessential thrash metal album. It's fast and aggressive as hell with razor-sharp riffs, great songs, and manic vocals. Exodus is clearly having a blast on this album. It's the band's only full-length under vocalist Paul Baloff who had a very distinct vocal style. Unfortunately, Exodus would never exceed the mastery of their debut. They have put out good albums since this one, but never one quite as good. Bonded by Blood is a thrash metal landmark for very good reason.

HELLOWEEN: WALLS OF JERICHO
As mentioned earlier, 1985 was an important formative year in metal. Power metal also really got going with this release by Helloween. The German band took the sound laid out by groups like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest and played it even more melodically. They still had a lot of the speed of their predecessors, but the bombastic vocal style and melodic sensibilities laid the framework for the European power metal scene.

OVERKILL: FEEL THE FIRE
It's a tough call who came first. There's a lot of historical revisionism that seems to suggest that perhaps Overkill was the first thrash metal band, rather than Metallica. Whether that is true or not really does not matter all that much. This is Overkill's debut album and it is truly one of the great thrash metal debuts, in a genre full of them. The band's punk influences shine through on this, but it is undeniably metal. Overkill is easily the most consistent thrash metal band, never having put out a bad album.

POSSESSED: SEVEN CHURCHES
Another landmark album in the formation of a major metal genre, this time death metal. Possessed is technically a thrash metal band but their heavier, down-tuned riffs, and extremely dark subject matter were influential to groups like Death and Morbid Angel, who took the candle from Possessed to keep the dark light burning. This album has some truly great songs on it and is mostly forgotten by the metal mainstream. But Cannibal Corpse covered one of their songs, so there's that. Criminally underrated by those outside the underground.

Honorable mentions: Anthrax: Spreading the Disease, Artillery: Fear of Tomorrow, Dark Angel: We Have Arrived, Destruction: Infernal Overkill, Kreator: Endless Pain, Megadeth: Killing is My Business...And Business is Good!, Slayer: Hell Awaits, Trouble: The Skull, W.A.S.P.: The Last Command, Watchtower: Energetic Disassembly

Bands that formed in 1985: Candlemass, Carcass, Dream Theater, Exhorder, King Diamond, White Zombie