Customer Reviews

Keeper Of The Seven Keys, Part 1

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Helloween is known for they're speed metal and this album just rules. This in my opinion is the bands best album to ever be released. The cd is great from start to finish and is a definet classic. One thing I really like about Helloween is they have some elements of Iron Maiden in them but in a quicker style. The song "Halloween" is my favorite on the album and it tops the 3 minute mark. The starts off slow and then kicks in to some amazing guitar work and great vocals by Michael Kiske. Another song I really like on the album is "Future World" and it is just one of those songs that makes you happy when listening to it. Definetly some of Helloweens best work and great efforts by all of the band members. This album is a true classic. I haven't heard part 2 yet but I plan on getting that real soon. I am hoping it can do just as good or even better than this album. Helloween will always be one of my heavy metal favorites and this album will always be lingering around the top of my list. I definetly recommend it to any 80's Metal fan especially if you like bands like Queensryche, Raven, and Accept I think you will like this stuff.

Keeper...I is the definitive Helloween record. Every Helloween fan owns it. While previous records had the obligatory Heavy Metal anthems (Heavy Metal Is the Law -- I LOVE that song :)), this one was the first truly unique album the band put out. This is the record that introduces Michael Kiske to the world and what an improvement he was over Kai Hansen's vocals! Things got so much better for Heloween when Kai gave up singing and concentrated on songwriting. Gem, after gem, after gem. One of the songs I play when I'm a bit under the weather is I'm Alive! Wooo! Bye-bye, bad mood!

Come on! Buy! Buy! Buy! Buy!

Yes, this album changed the metal scene forever and defined the path that Helloween would take forever. The first to have
the master of voice in melodic metal: Michael Kiske. This cd is a must have if you are a true fan.
Most of the songs were composed by Kai Hansen. He really gives a guitar lesson ( doing many distortions, which is part of his style,with that red and trebled Flying V)in this recording,especially in:

1-Twilight of the gods -> The intro is where Kai plays and razes . With Halloween this is my favourite.
The lyrics talk about gods in war (fantasy).What can I say? Perfection. Gorgeous ,bridge , chorus, everything.

2- Halloween - > 13 minutes long, it was the heaviest ( excluding some pieces from Dark ride like escalation 666) song Helloween ever recorded after Walls of Jericho. The lyrics really tell what the band is about.
The bit between the start and the 1st sung verse is very suitable for head banging. You may not resist.
Kiske sings for a while and then one cool guitar solo after another (especially Hansen's, of course), but my absolute favourite is that harmony in 9:38 that fits with horror. More than outstanding , I give it 15/10!

I'm alive and Little Time are thrilling songs too.
I saw a cover brazilian band playing I'm alive on MTV.

The ones I like less ( in my scale), but still good:

A Tale that wasn't right is a ballad written by Michael Weikath. He peforms the solo ( good emotion given , I concluded after watching a concert from Pink Bubbles Go ape tour ).
It?s in Helloween?s set list frequently and was played in Rio de Janeiro, march 2006.
Future world is played every show and has a cheerful climate.Even Kai with his Gamma Ray play it in concert.

Follow the sign consists of solos did by Hansen followed by sentences spoken by him that gives the missions for the keeper of the 7 keys.

Oh my, what can you say about this metal classic? i'v listened too it a least a bilion times (i think i lost count around 4 years ago) already and it made me a Great Pumpkin fan. Still, even the fact that this is really a short ride of an album, the music is so fantastic that it's 38(i think?) minute length is not a big problem at all.I remember thinking "who the hell is Helloween?" back when my freind in junior high told me about them, oh well. Anyway, KOTSK #1 was my introduction to them and it is wonderful music, "A Little Time" is always ringing in my head! "Twilight of the Gods" "A tale that Wasn't Right" amd the optmistic "Future World" is all power metal go(o)dness, oh yeah, and did i mention "I'm Alive"? which will inspire you to greater heights? The best song here (and maybe the best song Helloween did in their whole carrer) is Halloween, a 13 minute song about the magic that happens on october 31. Sure, i know a lot here is kinda cheesy, but it kicks major @$$ as well so... Kiske is great, beatiful high pitched melodic vocal delivery delivered with a powerful charisma.You can't say that about other power vocalists like Jeff Tate or Bruce Dickenson,they lack charm.

If you like melodic heavy metal, then this is a must buy. Be careful when buying their other albums though, Helloween is one the most interesting groups I have ever seen as they have completely changed their style so many times. For instance, their previous album "Walls of Jericho" is a complete junk with trash noise. Keeper 1 and 2 are the best traces that Helloween has put on heavy metal. Buy this one and the second one.

I first heard of Helloween through some compliation back in 1988. The track 'A little time' was in this compliation and I was instantly drawn to it. I went out a picked this album up and was blown away. At first it seemed that I bought into the thought that these german gents were trying to sound like Iron Maiden with no originality. I'm sure many were turned off by this. But.........there was something about this band. Something that set them apart. These guys were producing something heavy, melodic and positive all wrapped up into a concept album. With the dual guitar attack of Hansen and Weikath, the beautiful bass lines from Grosskopf and the solid double kicking from Schwichtenberg all in place the addition of Kiske on top as the new vocalist set the band on a trip to take on the world. Every song is wonderfully put together and makes you feel happy to be alive. Ofcourse the standout track on the album is the 13 minute epic 'Halloween' which has so many changes it will make your head spin. All of the other tracks are soild as well with many interesting arrangements.
The rest of this review is for the expanded UK edition which I highly recommend. Having the original is great but this remastered edition clearly rocks. Everything has come to life from the old recording sessions and everything sounds so incredible. Along with that there are extra tracks here for the hardcore fans of the band. There are remakes of two songs 'Victim Of Fate' and 'Starlight' from the 'Walls Of Jericho' album redone and sung by Kiske which are amazing. An edited version of 'Halloween' which is about half as long as the original and an alternate version of 'A Little Time'. Whether you are new to the band or an old fan such as myself this expanded edition is the way to go. Hands down worth the extra $$$ for the import. Buy it for the sound,for the extra tracks and for the booklet filled with pics and notes about the recording sessions.
Have you made your choice?

Helloween's Keeper Of The Seven Keys, Pt. 1 (1987) is a true heavy metal classic. It features a great many redeeming qualities. Singer Michael Kiske has a great range and a voice somewhat reminiscent of Queensryche's Geoff Tate. Guitarists Kai Hansen and Michael Weikath are both very good, and they are definetely more than simple one-trick ponies. They are great at producing synchronized melodies, as well as amazing twin harmonies. Bassist Markus Grosskopf is top-notch, he usually plays in time with the guitars! Drummer Ingo Schwichtenberg is great, he may not be able to produce great blast beats like Pete from Morbid Angel or Steve from Deicide, but he's great either way.

The highlights of this album are as follows: actual opener "I'm Alive" (first track "Initiation" is just an instrumental prelude) has a high tempo, not to mention a great hook. "Future World" has a great beat, and the solos are incredible. And then there's "Halloween." It's definetely Helloween's best song, clocking in at a whopping 13 minutes, 18 seconds. The harmony solo about 2/3 of the way through the song is amazing! All the tempo changes really add depth to the song. Markus really let's it all go on that bass. Kiske's vocals are at their best here. Overall, the album is almost perfect. I say that because it is only 37 minutes long, but that's the sole flaw on the entire album. Highly recommended for fans of such bands as Edguy, Blind Guardian, Iced Earth, Stratovarius, and more.

Wow! Now, THIS is an album. And it's only 33 mintues long, too. "Twilight of the Gods" and "Future World" are two completely killer rock songs with great solos and the vocals that every power metal band wishes they had. "A Tale That Wasn't Right" is a great rockin' ballad. "Halloween" is a 13-minute epic of screaming vocals, screaming guitar solos, pounding bass and drums, and it just completely rocks your face off. The intro and outro are good, but I wouldn't exactly review a CD on those merits. The two songs I didn't talk about are good, but just don't stay with me the way the others do. Recommended for fans of: Iron Maiden, Gamma Ray, Judas Priest, or just about any other power metal band.

I became a Helloween fan just this year and a big fan at that. I have all of Helloween's studio albums plus: Best The Rest And The Rare, I Want Out-Live, and High Live. This is the best album w/vocalist Michael Kiske because just about every freakin song stands out.

Stand-Outs: I'm Alive, A Little Time, Twilight Of The Gods, A Tale That Wasn't Right, Future World, Halloween

Helloween, it brings back memories of my teenage room, with Iron Maiden posters over the walls, and a casette deck blasting of in the background. There was a lot of commotion when this was released...it sounded kinda like Iron Maiden....and then again not. This is what I would consider "classic metal" alot of guitar solos, and fast lyrics. This is definately Helloweens best release ever(along with Keeper of the Seven Keys part 2). It sounds much better than the murkysounding Walls of Jericho, and supercedes many many times the lousy Pink Bubbles go Ape.
On Keeper of the Seven Keys part 1, the crisp, fast guitars and the "adventure/sci-fi lyrics", everything on this album is like it is supposed to be, to bring you back to that 80's Metal nostalgia. Followed by an equally masterful Part 2.