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Rating:
After the controversial “The Dark Ride”, Helloween, the “pioneers” of German Power Metal, return with a new album, in which they go back to their roots with their usual "cheerful" sound, momentarily abandoned with the previous album. Moreover, the lineup has changed: alongside Michael Weikath (guitar), Andi Deris (vocals), and Markus Grosskopf (bass), new members Sascha Gerstner (guitar) and Stefan Schwarzmann (drums) have joined. During the recording of this “Rabbit Don’t Come Easy”, released in 2003, the new drummer fell ill and was replaced by Mikkey Dee, the renowned Motörhead drummer, for the remaining tracks of the album.
The prevailing atmosphere of this work is joyful and carefree, in pure pumpkin style. The first track, “Just A Little Sign” is proof of it: the rhythm is upbeat and festive, with a catchy chorus. The second track, “Open Your Life” has a less brisk, slightly heavier beat, but features a very similar chorus to the first track. “The Tune” and “Never Be A Star” are the first tracks played by Mikkey Dee, and the change in drummer is noticeable: Mikkey’s touch is more “heavy” and overall the drums are more prominent; the former is one of the best tracks on the album, with a smooth riff and lightning-fast solo at the end, the latter is a mediocre piece, which feels “empty” and harmless. It continues with the beautiful “Liar”, which features a more “aggressive” Andi, accompanied by an equally hard riff. “Sun 4 The World" and “Don’t Stop Being Crazy” are the “happiest” tracks of the album: the first is sunny and melodic, the second is a sweet, paced ballad. “Do You Feel Good” resembles a bit too much the first two songs of the album, with a fast beat and a catchy chorus. On the same level as “Liar” is “Hell Was Made In Heaven”, but this time Andi is less harsh, and the riff echoes Trash Metal sounds. Perhaps the most mediocre track on the album is “Back Against The Wall”: a driving march that has a riff vaguely reminiscent of Nu Metal sounds; the result is a piece that doesn’t excite from the first listen.
“Listen To The Fly” is an excellent piece, with a frenzied rhythm, and Andi with a vaguely falsetto tone. The most original track of the album is surely “Nothing To Say”, which is a mix of Power and some Reggae sounds, and the result is a track that alternates between overwhelming moments and calm ones. The concluding “Far Away” (available only in Europe) is a harder revision of the first two tracks, with a pressing and joyful rhythm, definitively closing the album.
In conclusion, this is an excellent album, featuring generally good tracks, but there is a lack of a masterpiece, like the first two “Keeper Of The Seven Keys” were, and the listener can feel satisfied with this yet another good performance by the most famous pumpkins in Metal.
Tracklist Lyrics and Samples
02 Open Your Life (04:30)
Do you know what there is
Just behind your wall?
Do you hate what you can't see
On the spinning ball?
Ignorant and wasted
That's what you are
But you could be so much more
Listen to your TV
Believe the words
And you're dumber than more
Try to see the real picture
Train your mind
To read between the lines
Take your level higher
That is your way
Just get up
Start out today
Time seems an endless road
When we are young
It don't need a genius to know that it's wrong
Hey now, hey now
Open your life
Hey now, hey now
Open your life
Rise now, rise now
Feel the new drive
Hey now, hey now
Open your life
Full synthetic anger
That's what you breathe
It's a strategy for all
Telling people stories
And bed time tales
But the real important false
So you grow the wrong seed
Inside your head
To the will of the modern priest
Supervised aggression
Instructed to sleep
That's the devil that you breed
All that we learn
Is just one point of view
Out there in the world
It may not become true
Hey now, hey now
Open your life
Hey now, hey now
Open your life
Rise now, rise now
Feel the new drive
Hey now, hey now
Open your life
Time seems an endless road
When we are young
It don't need a genius to know that it's wrong
Hey now, hey now
Open your life
Hey now, hey now
Open your life
Rise now, rise now
Feel the new drive
Hey now, hey now
Open your life
03 The Tune (05:36)
Sometimes there's no tomorrow
Sometimes you hate the day
You feel there may be something that intends to screw with fate
Take a look at what's around you
Each time you watch the news
Your mind gets set by someone's will
A template you can't choose
Love and desire, dry ice or fire
Don't you just want to flee their magic spell
No mercy for the nations two people are at war
Beliefs divide the dream they share of peace and harmony
Their eyes look up to heaven, address our god in prayers
Their souls exposed, they may decease by emperor's decree
Look, how they're crying
There's no denying
Now change the channel
On your remote control
And the tune goes on eternally
For those who share the fear
On a frequency for you and me
You stare but you can't see
You hear and you agree
We're all here for a reason
So we can't just hang around
There's so much left tot see and learn
Make way for common ground
And those who head the wrong way
Will rate as minor class
As castaways they'll render fools
When the horsemen come to rule
Strike the last hour
In their glass towers
Infinite lust has
Made the curtain fall
And the tune goes on eternally
For those who long to hear
And those freaks sense they're superior
We're hypnotised, you see
They wave and we agree
05 Liar (04:56)
As a dancer she's undercover Won the Big Don to be her lover Had to make him tell her his secrets About his buiseness and about his street-rats She had to become his trustful right hand The burean needed the files with his brand She really was a damn good actress Everybody called her 'Big Don's Mistress' Oh, it's just a show Put on for love How could he know Liar, liar Sweet desire Liar, liar Who are you Liar, liar Play with fire Liar, liar Learn the truth She sent the messages to her office The Don reckoned he will face a judas So he told her of a damned deceiver Secured, in her he was a strong believer He confessed to her being sick of all this How he suffered in the deepest abyss But saw in her the wish for a new life To escape from there and wake her his wife No, not just a show Put on for love How could he know Liar, liar Sweet desire Liar, liar Who are you Liar, liar Play with fire Liar, liar Learn the truth It had turned somehow She had not seen how Felt the bullet still flying Straight into her heart Tore her old world apart Now to live on she first had to die There's a reason to live Now to live on she first had to die There's a reason to give There's a reason to give in a lie Liar, liar Sweet desire Liar, liar Who are you Liar, liar Play with fire Liar, liar You learned your truth now
07 Don't Stop Being Crazy (04:21)
You're the one I would pick out in a million
You're the one I would wish for as the friend of my life
If the whole world decided for a colour
Would pixels be any different in you
Brave and smart against the rules
You smile upon the fools
I follow where you go
I want you to know
Don't stop being crazy
Wherever you go
Don't stop being crazy
It's a lie
It's a lie
It's a lie we could not learn to fly
Oh no
Don't stop being crazy
When you walk you walk higher than the others
When you talk you talk merciless the bothering truth
Everybody seems remote-controlled nowadays
Only you have a frequency far beyond their ways
Still and strong you walk alone
Don't wonder where they're gone
I'll follow where you go
I want you to know
Don't stop being crazy
Wherever you go
Don't stop being crazy
It's a lie
It's a lie
It's a lie we could not learn to fly
Oh no
Don't stop being crazy
08 Do You Feel Good (04:23)
When we were lovers you called me name
But time goes on and you were gone
I got told you you're a big shot for the ties
And take it from behind
Now you took a new flat in a different town
And rumors are you're wealthy now
For that high class dress shows you earn well
Where strangers come and go
Do you feel good, do you feel fine
Did you achieve what you had in mind
Do you live cool, not too confined
What can you tell this old heart of mine
Some busty companion claims to know you well
She does night shift at some place somewhere
Said there's no one who has fun your way
In Moscow, Rome, LA
I wish I knew
Where you are now
Why don't you try another call
Well I got no objections
I'm old enough, you know
But it's weird this night I seem to know you
Better than before
12 Nothing to Say (08:29)
When I got told the other day, you said won't it be nice
To spend some time and share a look there was no thinking twice
The die was cast no time to lose as much as one can say
Didn't hesitate to call you back and things were under way
And if it wasn't for the circumstance and well against all odds
Well that's enough for feeling great the best we could have got
And just in case there's something wrong so much with you to share
Much better anyways than watch or stroll round everywhere
Nothing to say we got it there
A long long way right in our hands
Nothing to say - now we can use all we give all of our loving and affection
We'll have my way like we always do - nothing to say
You called me up the other day just when I thought you would
And asked if we could break apart as things ain't been too good
I swallowed hard and got that feeling I know it's called unease
The confidence I've kept to well just came down piece by piece
That's all it takes it's sad but done no way to disagree
Time takes toll and that's the way it's always gonna be
Cos it wasn't yet the circumstance but more than just a test
There's little left for feeling great and all I need's some rest
[There's] not a single glimpse of hope well someone took my place
It's yet another turn for me [I'll be] messin' round everywhere
Nothing to say we got it there
A long long way right in our hands
Nothing to say - so you refuse all I give all of my loving and affection
I'll make my way like I always do - nothing to say
So you refuse all I give all of my loving and affection, oh, oh
So you refuse all I give all of my loving and affection, oh, oh
13 Sheer Heart Attack (03:31)
Well you're just 17 and all you want to do is disappear
You know what I mean there's a lot of space between your
ears
The way that you touch don't feel no nothin'
Hey hey hey hey it was the D.N.A.
Hey hey hey hey that made me this way
Do you know do you know do you know just how I feel?
Do you know do you know do you know just how I feel?
Sheer heart attack
Sheer heart attack
Real cardiac
I feel so in-ar in-ar in-ar in-ar in-ar in-ar in-ar in-ar-tic-u-late
Gotta feelin' gotta feelin' gotta feelin' like a paralyse
It ain't no it ain't no it ain't no it ain't no surprise
Turn on the TV let it drip right down in your eyes
Hey hey hey hey it was the D.N.A.
Hey hey hey hey that made me this way
Do you know do you know do you know just how I feel?
Do you know do you know do you know just how I feel?
Sheer heart attack
Sheer heart attack
Real cardiac
I feel so in-ar in-ar in-ar in-ar in-ar in-ar in-ar in-ar-tic-u-late
Just how I feel
Do you know do you know do you know do you know just
how I feel?
Do you know do you know do you know just how I feel?
Do you know do you know do you know do you know just
how I feel?
Sheer heart attack
Sheer heart attack
Real cardiac
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By skylarblue
It is precisely the melodies that are the winning card of this album.
In my opinion, this 'Rabbit Don’t Come Easy' is the best Helloween album since the glorious days of the two 'Keeper of the Seven Keys'.
