Having now lived with Helloween’s last piece of work (their 17th or18th depending on how you count, the second featuring the “Pumpkins United” line-up (with Deris, Kiske, Hansen and all contributing). Compared to their eponymous album, this one, feels a little more uniform, without reaching the highest highs or dipping to the lows, that its predecessor did. Also, the interplay between vocalists and moments of duet, here seem to come a bit more naturally, to the benefit of the material.
Opener, “Giants on the Run”, gets straight down to business, trying to bring the classic Helloween sound up-to-date, which it does…. It’s both dynamic, epic in moments, layered and more ambitious than any of those cos-playing europower pretenders out there. While it doesn’t reach the level or length of say “Skyfall”, it’s got a similar scope and overall vibe, while not being afraid to experiment with a couple of left field ideas here and there. Deris leads most of the track – Kai does and interlude and Kiske seems to be peppered throughout the track to spice things up. Helloween once more, show how it’s done. They’re not reinventing the wheel here, but rather giving it a generous spin. They’re reigniting the Promethean flame, which they delivered and from which the entire sub-genre originated.
“Savior of the World” comes hot on its trail, a far more traditional sounding number that tries to keep things flowing with some double bass drumming setting the tempo for much of the track; Kiske’s lighter and brighter tone and anthemic vocals lifting the track and engaging energetic riffing keeping things interesting. The lyrics reflect the equally fool hearted but also brimming with optimism attitude the band had at the start of their career, at this point distilled and filtered through the prism of experience. You need to be your own savior, more or less, to strive to be good for the common good. It works beautifully, despite not being their most inspired song ever. Formulaic, but the result is too good to frown upon.
“A Little is a Little Too Much” is one of the singles, a cheesier number with a bubblegum pop refrain that is however golden, just like it’s laser focused leads and everything about it… the sort of pop-rock sensibilities that Deris brings to the band are here expressed in full and supported by the rest, who also keep the song harder edged. It’s almost a defusing pop-rock anthem to help you get over heartbreak. But you can appreciate it all the same weather you’re experiencing it or not. Sweet! Also, the wacky video with psychedelic visuals and the band’s playful goofy style lightening it up just… enough. Not too much!
“We Can Be Gods” comes in full bombast mode, but thoroughly melodic throughout. It mixes both an eastern, more foreboding melody, as well as parts that sound a lot more western and almost pastoral (especially when Kiske leads backed by some nice piano chords). The guitars meander in mostly power metal territory then for a while with the occasional rock ‘n roll moment making its presence felt but before it all gets boring…. there’s a singalong chant that brings the song around. Again, the overall message is one of optimism and I can’t help but feel a nice parallel drawn from the closing of this song to the closing of say “Eagle Fly Free”. Basically, a very interesting and successful juxtaposition of many eras of the band in a total banger of a song.
“Into the Sun” is a power ballad of sorts… slower, more atmospheric, emotive, which allegedly was the songwriting result of sessions for the previous album, but didn’t make it and makes its debut here. It’s also available as a single with solo sung versions from both Mici and Andi. It’s an interesting song, once it gets going, ie, once the two singers start answering to each other and duet… at which point it really comes to its first crescendo. As the instrumentation here is different with strings and pianos doing the work and really the vocals providing the dynamics up until the solo breaks… it might tire a little with its slower pace and build up, but when it delivers the crescendos it’s pretty epic. It has the magnificence of say some of the more epic moments of Rainbow of old, but manages to only hold it, while it peaks. A little uneven, but a welcome change of pace that can help the album restart itself past this point.
“This is Tokyo” another song that came out as a single/video; it works well in that context… as it’s more anthemic. While it might do a little, but not too much, better in the capital of the land of the rising sun, it’s an enjoyable Deris era mid-tempo, sort of number, which would not feel out of place in say better than raw or on of the albums that followed it. It’s nice, but not among the best singles the band ever released, mainly due to a somewhat doozy of a refrain that doesn’t quite land its hook as strong as other tracks do.
Thankfully the follow-up “Universe (Gravity for Hearts)”, which is one of two of Sasha’s contributions to the album, is a song that almost manages to reach cosmic, if not “Keeper”, sort of proportions. While it’s one of the longer more ambitious in scope songs on the album, it manages to capture the epic atmosphere of similar songs by the band that cross the ten-minute mark (“Helloween”, “Keeper”, “Skyfall” etc). It manages to be a successful, not anachronistic, yet in a way, by the “numbers” Helloween-ish epic that feels just right. Just what the doctor ordered, delivered to perfection. If you like the “Keeper” epic, this is almost every bit as good as that song was. Surprisingly and without sounding cringy. Tall order.
“Hand of God” (I don’t think they’re referring to Maradona here) is the other contribution from Sascha with a riff, that’s a little suspicious of self-plagiarism, but an overall more sombre – yet soothing atmosphere… think “If I Ccould Fly” made dark and gothic with a pleasant, but not over-exciting hook. It might work for some, while not for others.
“Under the Moonlight” kicks back things a notch, almost trying to evoke the “Keeper era” sound on demand… but at heart feels like a weird inversion of the eponymous track gone off its rocker… nauseatingly “happy” musically and vocally with lyrics that are anything but…. it made me feel uneasy in multiple ways, all at once.
And putting on my tinfoil hat just before “Majestic” kicks in, I can indeed attest that it’s a strong and interesting closer, a bible-meets-an alien race sort of juxtapose, originally intended as a Gamma Ray song and re-worked to fit in here, which includes interpolations of among other things Blackmorian solos, UFO’s “Love to Love” and even some self-references for good measure in a rather cohesive pastiche…. and what lies beyond the bridge… other than more Blackmorian and self-references along with an Iron Maiden lick and even a King Diamond like moment. Sure, why not, if one calls it an “homage”, it’s fine, but if you don’t, it’s epic, but kinda lazy at the same time.
“Out of Control” is one of the “bonus” tracks, a bit of a weird Priest meets Helloween number, not too bad on its own, but a little out of climate, compared with the rest, with Kai taking on vocal duties. It’s got its moments of epic-ness…. and is not a bad inclusion overall. The two “solo” versions of “Into the Sun” are interesting, with Andi’s being slightly more attuned to the album track, but suffering a little in the final conclusions. Mici edges over once things go higher with his beautiful timbre, but his baritone parts, I’m not entirely sold on, in fact, I might have liked if they were “reversed” on the album track, verse wise and on the finale. Makes for an interesting listen either way. The “Acoustic Duet”… I mean just takes away the solo really, leaving other things pretty similar for the most part… with a slightly changed mix during the conclusion… again, it’s fine.
All things considered, it’s a nice follow-up to the eponymous album, with another epic painting by Eliran Kantor. Production could have been a little more cohesive, but with the band transcending styles and using more than one products, some of the transitions can be felt from song to song, despite the mastering gluing it all.
If I were to criticise something… while I love the fact that they band went for real drums… and even went to the length of using multiple kits for tracking, I might have preferred them somewhat doctored up… say the amount of substitution that the late Chris Tsangarides would do from a point onwards, which would make em sound pretty epic. Not the completely plastic and sometimes downwards unrealistic plugging fare that almost everyone uses these days… but… a compromise. It’s just nit-picking though.
Overall, the band does a very good job of sailing smoothly into their fourth decade, delivering the goods, without particular asterisks… and appeasing their strong fandom. A mature effort that plays to the strengths of the band, evoking just enough of the past, living in the present and looking towards tomorrow. It sits high enough on the band’s canon.
