Helloween
Keeper Of The Seven Keys part I

THE REVIEW

After the startling debut with the bomb of an album that is "Walls Of Jericho", Helloween immediately tries to break through the year after with the first saga of the keeper of the seven keys, that is (as you might have guessed) "Keeper Of The Seven Keys part I".

Few would be the people who, upon listening to the two albums, would confidently say they are by the same band. In fact, even though only four seasons have passed, a lot of water has flowed under the bridges, starting with the voice. Indeed, the vocal parts are no longer handled by the guitarist and soul of the band, Kai Hansen, but (hear, hear) by the legendary Michael Kiske, whom I wouldn’t hesitate to consider as one of the best singers in the metal scene, and the difference is already noticeable, both in the voice and the songs. In fact, my friend (or less!) Kiske makes an incredible contribution to the songwriting, indeed we go from straightforward blasting songs with a voice rough as sandpaper to decidedly more melodic, joyful, and thoughtful songs, surrounded by a voice that is nothing short of exhilarating, although I must admit that the power remains at home!

After this brief introduction, let’s move on to the analysis of the album tracks, which after the classic intro gives way to the beautiful "I'm Alive", which we could also take as a classic song of the German band. Here we find power and melody perfectly united with a stunning solo that instills such energy that it could allow a child to lift Mount Everest! After the carefree melodies of "A Little Time", it's time to listen to the great "Twilight Of The Gods" which begins with the usual happy riffs that made Helloween famous, only to be abandoned to Maiden-like gallops and fearsome solos, giving life to one of the coolest songs of the combo.
Now comes the time for our old friends to experiment, and they try with the ballad "A Tale That Wasn't Right", and I must admit that it doesn’t succeed very well, as it presents itself in my opinion as the weak point of the album. But there’s not even time to think about it because "Future World" comes along forcefully, undoubtedly the best track on the album where we find a super Kiske who demonstrates impressive maturity despite his very young age, and a Grosskopf who with his four strings offers us exhilarating riffs...
But it doesn't end here, because to beautifully conclude the album, there is another pillar of the Hamburg band: we are talking about Halloween, which stands in all its 13 minutes always showing itself interesting and never boring with that compelling chorus and numerous solos, leaving us with the Outro "Follow The Sign", which definitively closes the first part of the saga created by the pumpkins...

Surely, at least in my opinion, this "Keeper Of The Seven Keys part I" cannot hold a candle to Walls and Keeper part II, both for the quality of the songs and for their reduced number, but I cannot deny that it presents an enormous historical importance for the development of metal, definitively marking the sound of Helloween, with which they were then known worldwide.