Helloween--Master of the Rings (1994)
Rating--7.0
An ever-changing band, it seems. Not nearly as all-out fast as in the eighties (certainly in part because there's only two of
the main members left), but still strong. The distortion crunches, and the band shifts more towards bar-chord power metal than strict
speed-and-melody.
"Sole Survivor," "Mr. Ego," and "Secret Alibi" are all solid, and the soaring chorus of "Why?" reminds of days of
old. Former Pink Cream 69 vocalist Andi Deris is not nearly as smooth and range-blessed as Kiske and Haisen were, but does an adequate job.
"In the Middle of a Heartbeat" is a great power-type ballad, with a strong and thick chorus.
As always, there's a bit of the
stupid as well: "The Game is On" is only mentioned because it is so idiotic with its beeping sounds like some video Atari.
I wish these guys would just play for an entire disc...
As a bit of a bonus, an extra disc is included in the package as
well, with several covers. Despite an interesting selection, nothing too terribly spectacular in performance.
TRACK LIST: Irritation/Sole Survivor/Where the Rain Grows/Why?/Mr. Ego/Perfect Gentleman/The Game is On/Secret
Alibi/Take Me Home/In the Middle of a Heartbeat/Still We Go
BONUS DISC: Grapowski's Malmsuite 1001 (In D-Doll)/Cold Sweat/Can't Fight Your Desire/Closer to Home/Silicon Dreams/
Star Invasion/I Stole Your Heart
Back to Discography