Helloween-7 sinners

The End
2010


If a performer starts a particular sound and is still one of the top acts doing that style over a quarter century later then they deserve quite a bit of praise. Such is the situation with Helloween and power metal. This band has gone through some ups (the late 80's and most of the last 15 years) and some downs (the early 90's). Along with former member Kai Hansen's Gamma Ray they are one the acts that really started the European style power metal. Some fans may have raised an eyebrow or two when this act released a collection of rather odd re-recordings earlier this year to celebrate their 25th anniversary. All is back to normal now as the new studio album "7 sinners" follows up on the style of their last album "Gambling with the devil". Despite the use of keyboards and the prominent melodies this is still one of the heavier albums of their long career. Tracks like "Are you metal?" and "Long live the king" are not pushing any boundaries lyrically, but they are excellent examples of of power metal at it's finest.I always wonder how a band stays motivated twenty plus years into the game. I don't know how Helloween do it, but they have once again manage to come back full of energy and spirit. The ideas here are not new for them, but they do this style better than anyone else. This is an album that caught me on the first play and I have been loving it for the last few weeks.