Helloween
Unarmed - Best of 25th Anniversary

THE REVIEW

2010

Once upon a time, there was the best power metal band in the world.

Then two major players, but even more than that, like Kai Hansen and Michael Kiske left, and they were poorly replaced, but the band continued to produce average albums ("Master Of The Ring", "Time Of The Oath", "Better Than Raw", "The Dark Ride") then they got lost, the quality dropped in subsequent works, now we are at the end of the line and it's rotten too.

On Wikipedia, as a comment on Unarmed, it's written: "it's the latest compilation from the power metal band Helloween, revisiting great classics of the group's discography from their beginnings to "Gambling with the devil" - 2007 to commemorate the band's 25 glorious years. All the featured tracks were recorded with a different approach from the band's usual genre precisely to produce an album that could serve as a true "best of"."

Ignoring that there is already a compilation from Helloween called "Treasure Chest" and that aside from the absence of "If I Could Fly" it has everything, the second sentence is what really drives me crazy:

IT MAKES NO SENSE. I can't even comment on it, I understand that maybe they could have re-recorded their songs for an eventual "refreshment" of them, but to actually change the genre, why? To create a true "best of". Oh yeah, sure, that makes perfect sense.

Returning to the album, perhaps high on some heavy drug, the remaining German pumpkins sat around a table and decided, "You know what? Let's make a nice little compilation" "Really?" "Definitely, but we'll re-record all our classics in pop version." "Cool! But please pass me some of that stuff which must be really good!"

It’s really like that there’s a saxophone, no heavy guitar, lots and lots of sadness, "Dr. Stein" without guitars can be described as a nightmare come true.

This thing called an album is a nightmare come true, it’s an abomination, it’s inexplicable trash, it’s pure crap, it’s the worst album I never bought, but who will buy it, I wonder? I mean, who were Helloween or their producers targeting? Repenting ex-metalheads?

There is no explanation, there is no justification.

Tracklist

1. Dr. Stein - from: Keeper of the seven keys Part II
2. Future World - from: Keeper of the seven keys Part I
3. If I Could Fly - from: The Dark Ride
4. Where The Rain Grows - from: Master of the rings
5. The Keeper's Trilogy - 17-minute Medley containing "Halloween" , "Keeper of the seven keys" and "The king for a 1000 years".
6. Eagle Fly Free - from: Keeper of the seven keys Part II
7. Perfect Gentleman - from: Master of the rings
8. Forever & One - from: The time of the oath
9. I Want Out - from: Keeper of the seven keys Part II
10. Fallen To Pieces - from: Gambling with the devil
11. A Tale That Wasn't Right - from: Keeper of the seven keys Part I