Customer Reviews

Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part 2

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This album is even better than KOTSK Pt. I and it features more of Michael Weikath's songwriting than on previous releases. The album couldn't have started better than with "Invitation\Eagle Fly Free". "Eagle Fly Free" is my second favourite Helloween song after "Gorgar". "Eagle Fly Free" is an absolute classic song, it really doesn't get much better. Other highlights on this album include "I Want Out", the zany "Dr. Stein", Michael Kiske's "We got the Right" and of course the epic 13 minute "Keeper of the Seven Keys". These are the highlights, but the rest of the album is not filler. There are no bad tracks on this one. The musicianship is incredible. Check out "Eagle Fly Free" which features a drum solo and a bass solo in addition to guitar solos. Michale Kiske's vocals are flawless and it never ceases to amaze me how he soars from note to note so effortlessly and accurately. In summary, this album is an absolute classic and anyone who is into power metal should get their hands on this one.

Helloween's Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 2 is one of my favorite albums ever. This album just really flows my boat, combining a fierce duel-guitar attack, some great bass and drum work, and Michael Kiske's vocals, which are some of the best that I've ever heard.

Today, Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II is considered a model for power metal albums, and for a good reason. Simply put, the music in here is exellent. There are so many classic tunes in Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II.

Some of my favorites are Eagly Fly Free with it's nice uplifting feeling, Save Us, which is a fast tune with a nice chorus and great guitar solos, and March of Time, which has great lyrics and a very, very catchy chorus.

Then there is I Want Out, which has entered my pantheon of favorite songs ever. I Want Out is just such an awesome song. It starts out with very catchy riffs, has some very good and interesting lyrics, and has an anthemic chorus with great vocals. It's hard not to get the chills when you hear Michael Kiske screaming "live my life and to be FREEEEE!!" while the catchy riff is being played towards the end of the song. I hadn't been blown away as much by a song since the first time I heard Iron Maiden's The Trooper.

The other tracks are also great, which include You Always Walk Alone, Rise and Fall, Dr. Stein, We Got the Right, and especially the epic Keeper of the Seven Keys.

Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II is a great album. I'm a fan of understandable metal (metal without all the growling and screaming). Keepers Part II is a great album that will obviously appeal to power metal fans, but also fans of metal period. Keepers Part II is to power metal such as what Master of Puppets is to trash metal, it's just that good and important to the metal genre.

I have had this tape for years and my tape finally played its last song. I had to replace it with a CD. Music isn't done like this anymore. It is great driving music, great resting music, great music for anything. It is all so well done and even stimulates the most intellectual of minds

Michael Kiske is the lead throat on this album, really in some ways the start of a new era for Helloween after The Walls of Jericho and Keys Pt I. The music writing team is firing on all cylinders with Kiske, Kai Hansen and band leader Michael Weikath all coming up with a number of gems for the listener.

Wrapped in cool cover art and very much steeped in a genre they helped define, this album sees the band stretching out musically, while staying true to their formula of 'high speed megagoth', to quote another reviewer.

Songs span the aspirational in Eagle Fly Free, the bemusing metal of Rise and Fall and the quirkiness of Dr Stein. Bolstered by the histrionic Save Us and the Kai Hansen soul baring tune of I Want Out, this is an album with much to offer the fan of this style of metal. And that style is balls to the wall, fast paced metal, sort of a prototype for all later power metal and also with one foot in the speed metal genre. The songs are at times fairly simple, despite everything happening at a million miles per hour but in this case that speed works well. The songs for the most part stretch out to five minutes or so, except for the last track which is a 13+ minute opus. Very well placed at the end of the disc, as putting it earlier may well of sapped the energy from the album as a whole.

Helloween were on a creative and commercial high point here as this album garnered the band many many fans around the traps. Highly recommended.

I just have no words to describe this album. It's power metal at it's best. All songs are very strong, with an awesome guitar work, powerful drums and one of the best singers of all times : Michael Kiske.
The title track is an epic theme of 14 minutes. I garantee you that you will find no power metal song like this one never. A real classic that every headbanger should love and worship.
I strongly recomend this album. If you have a chance buy it. Then buy also "High Live" and compare the version of "Eagle Fly Free" (with Andi Deris on vocals) with the one in this album. It makes you think on why is Helloween doing with such a bad singer in today's lineup...

Who can rightfully debate this is one of the finest power metal albums ever made? A fantastic and underrated offering from Germany's Helloween. I agree with (most) of the others that this album bests part I. Whether or not you buy into Helloween's over-the-top histrionics depends on how much your tolerance for more progressive Iron Maiden (think _7th Son of a 7th Son_). Helloween is very similar to Maiden in many ways, including the magnificent high pipes of Michael Kiske and the dual guitar attack of Kai Hansen and Michael Weikath. They are more thrash-y than Maiden (thank god they don't try to constantly ape the infamous Maiden gallop beat most of the time). And as the other reviewer stated, there is cheese. Cheese GALORE. Thats part of the point though, I think, especially when you look at songs like the satirical "Dr. Stein" (which has a LOT more going on lyrically than meets the eye) and "Rise and Fall" with its madcap accordion swatches, are both absolutely hilarious. EMBRACE THE CHEESE. You have to keep that in mind with the more ridiculous and deliberately anthemic songs, like "We Got The Right" or "Eagle Fly Free", which will either make you want to stand on top of a mountain with an American flag and shout to heaven, or cringe horribly at the sheer magnitude of their pomposity. On a whole its a lot more fun and entertaining than most of the bands they are compared to. For more serious fantasy-oriented headbanging, check out the fantastic "I Want Out" (IMHO their finest moment). The epic "Keeper of the Seven Keys" drags a little, I think, but its interesting compositionally and ends with a nice touch of acoustics to fade out the album.

Firstly I start ourt by saying I had the chance of seeing Helloween live at Argentina in the Rabit don't come easy tour 2003. the lineup was with Andi Deris in vocals as a matter of fact....still that guy can rock...Trust me that this CD is what started power metal. Not that it is a sacrificial CD and it served its purpose for other bands to pickup up from...This CD is Helloween's finest even if you are not into power metal music this cd is just awesome...the quality of these songs are just never before seen...great and I mean great vocals from Michael Kiske considered by many one of the greatest vocalist of all time....you can see here why that is hehehe dude this guy can hit every note there is. Anyway the guitar work here is spectacular as a guitarist I can say that Kai Hansen is one of the greats...Im into Yngwie, Vai, GIlbert, MIchael Angelo and all the shredders so trust me on that one. This cd should should be heard with the lyrics in front...having that said there are some funny songs some epic songs but in general some good old classic power metal. For every guy going into power metal this is it. This is one of my first ever power metal cd's and it still rocks...recomended for any person with a taste for good music...forget the generes forget everything just push play and enjoy

When I began to like metal I decided that I had to try the band Helloween.For a strange reason I picked this Album even though I had never heard the band before and I didn't know how important they were.I only heard a recomendation that said that the band was awesome. So I picked the CD and I thought ''This one''. Guess what happened. It had the same effect that it has with every single Metal fan. It blew me away.I mean... hey all the tracks are a freaking work of art.The lyrics,the guitars,the vocals,the percussion...everything is awesome.It still can impress anyone and it was released 15 years ago!!! . Every single track is extraordinary.The invitation is cool. ''Eagle Fly Free'' is a super classic. ''You always walk alone'' is really good. ''Rise And Fall'' is super funny with great lyrics and solo. ''Dr Stein'' is one of my favorite 10 songs in all my Metal collection(Trust me.My collection is big)and is ...there's no words. ''We got the right'' another great song. ''Save Us'' is another classic.one of the best(If not the best)vocals in Metal history.''March of time'' is another great song.Great guitars too(Like in every single song). ''I want out'' is one of the gran gran gran...fathers of the classics and Kai Hansen last song in Helloween. ''Keeper of the seven Keys'' is a freacking ass kicker song that gives you 14 minutes of pleasure. THIS ALBUM KICKS ASSES AND ANYONE THAT LIKES METAL LOVES IT

Well, if you read all reviews about this album, you may find the word CLASSIC in almost every one. Ummh,why is that, coincidence? Lack of creativity while writing a review? I don't think so. IT IS A CLASSIC metal album for sure. And the word classic means a lot. Keeper II was one of my first powermetal album, and even now, after listening a huge number of excellent bands and albums, I have to say that it is imposible not to get highly excited when you listen to it. You cannot listen to Invitation + Eagly Fly Free or March Of Time or I Want Out or Keeper Of The Seven Keys without a cold chill in your back. You cannot listen to Rise and Fall or Dr. Stein without a BIG HAPPY smile in your face! And of course, you'll be singing or screaming the lots of glorious choruses immediately! (Eagly Fly Free --> maybe the most glorious chorus in ANY song!). But besides the feelings, it's important to mention that Helloween, with the keepers, defined how powermetal should be. It's a Classic for sure, believe all reviewers!!!
_(sorry if I made some english mistakes)_

Perfect. Listen to it. Enjoy it. Pick up your favorite track: Eagles Fly Free? Rise and Fall? It's hard to choose. This is the last Hellowwen CD featuring guitarrist Kai Hansen. After that, nothing was the same...