Customer Reviews

Master of the Rings (Exp)

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

 

 

After unleashing a pair of albums (Keeper of the Seven Keys Parts I & II) that would set the power metal world on fire, Helloween served up two albums that can be described as bizarre (Pink Bubbles Go Ape) and confused (Chameleon) at best. In addition to these lackluster albums, much of the band's initial lineup had departed, which made 1994's Master of the Rings a "do or die" album.

This is the album Helloween should have released just after Keeper Part II. Master of the Rings is a tight, melodic power metal album that avoids the goofball humor of Pink Bubbles Go Ape ("Heavy Metal Hamsters," anyone?) as well as the watered down rock of Chameleon. Master of the Rings is a complete breath of fresh air, thanks in large part to new vocalist Andi Deris, whose tenure with melodic rockers Pink Cream 69 made him the ideal choice to replace Michael Kiske. Deris's powerful vocal delivery, plus his songwriting abilities made him a true asset to Helloween.

With standout songs like the anthemic "Sole Survivor" and "Mr. Ego" and the greatest hits caliber "Perfect Gentleman", Master of the Rings is a fantastic power metal album all the way through (OK, perhaps the obligatory instrumental introductory track doesn't add much), and one that should bring old school Helloween fans back to the fold.

Edition Notes: Sanctuary finally got around to remastering the Helloween catalog in 2006, and they certainly did it right. In addition to digitally remastered sound, the reissued version of Master of the Rings serves up an entire second disc that collects all of the Rings-era b-sides, including covers of Thin Lizzy, KISS, and Grand Funk Railroad, plus a crazy guitar extravaganza called "Grapowski's Malmsuite 1001." You also get expanded liner notes by Metal Hammer's Dave Ling, photos, etc. plus a nifty slipcase for the disc. This is what a remastered version of a great album is supposed to look and sound like. If you already own Master of the Rings, it's time to replace your old version!

R.I.P. Ingo Schwichtenberg, this album is a great tribute to continue the helloween legacy, and take it in a new direction to revitalize the German Giant.

After two semi-poorly recieved albums (Pink Bubbles Go Ape and Chameleon), this is the first album to start retreading back into the right direction for Helloween. Andi Deris was brought into the mix to add new soaring vocals and Uli Kusch to fill the large void at drums left after the tragic suicide of the founding drummer Ingo Schwichtenberg. Both new members add fresh ideas and force to a band that had no direction at the time.
This 2006 edition is the same as the bonus edition put out by Castle Records in 1994 with the same 7 bonus tracks on a second cd, so if you have that version, this is not necessary to gain any new tracks. It is worth having if you want the take advantage of the new packaging (cool slipcover that matches the other re-masters and cool interview/biography linernotes). The 7 tunes are all cover songs, and were not available for many years(especially in 2001 when the re-mastered and released the single disc).

This album boast some of the most awsome "Anthemic" helloween songs that fans have come to know and love over the years. Perfect Gentleman, Where the Rain Goes, and Mr. Ego are all powerful, fist pumping, crowd chanting favorites (see High Live and the re-mastered better than raw) Plus the song "In the middle of a heartbeat" is a cool ballad of the fading hair metal days, with a Helloween twist.
So what this boils down to is buy this re-mastered version if you do not have the castle version, want a complete 2006 series, or do not already own a copy altogether. It is a must for any metal fan.

When I first got into Helloween, I would and listen to the albums Walls of Jericho and Keeper of the Seven Keys part I and II. I didn't really care for Chameleon, but I thought Pink Bubbles go Ape was pretty good, at least it was metal, unlike Chameleon. After listening to those I realized I had enough Helloween, but then one day I heard the track called "Where the Rain Grows" off the Master of the Rings albums. I suddenly became interested in the album. Then I listened to samples of the album that Amazon offers. I was amazed just by 30 second samples. So I bought this deluxe edition of the album. This has become my second favorite Helloween album, with Walls of Jericho at #1. The bonus disc is great. It has rare singles and other cool stuff. This is metal at its finest.

This is my rating of each track:
1. "Irritation" ****
2. "Sole Survivor" *****
3. "Where The Rain Grows" *****
4. "Why?" *****
5. "Mr. Ego (Take Me Down)" ****
6. "Perfect Gentleman" ****
7. "The Game Is On" ***
8. "Secret Alibi" ***
9. "Take Me Home" ***
10. "In The Middle Of A Heartbeat" **
11. "Still We Go" ****

Also recommended: Other Helloween albums, Gamma Ray, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Destruction, Running Wild, Omen, Saxon, Mercyful Fate, Fates Warning, Queensryche, Candlemass, Death, Trouble, UFO, and Watchtower.

hello fellow metallians. my name is brandon and i have been collecting power metal(classic metal,true metal,symphonic,epic,) or just to make a long sentence short, ive collected and worshiped real metal since i was old enough to turn the knobs on the stereo. it has allways captivated me and i could never get enough. i was super lucky to come across this cd in a used cd store in the middle of nowhere about 8 years ago. i can not say just how amazing this cd is. needless to say i have well over 1000 metal albums that i am extremely proud of and this is one of my favorites. andi deris really shines on this cd. the sound here is pure mellodic power metal. the songs where the rain grows and soul survivor are simply amazing and just explode with mellody. the lead riff is amazing and blends perfectly with overlapping lead mellody to make a sound that will captivate you. this album brings together the power of time of the oath and blends it with the mellody and precision musicianship of andi's former band pink cream 69. just listen to tracks like, the perfect gentelman andwhy, or mr ego. these songs sound so much like pc 69 its not even funny. this cd is loaded. there is not one song that sucks on here. from start to finish this album will put you in a metal trance and take you on an amazing journey through what is to me the best album andi deris has ever done with helloween. this cd is so catchy and full of hooks it would be very hard for any band to copy it. i truly respect helloween, and i absolutely love the walls of jhericho which is truly one of the first true power metal albums ever. and kai hansen is probably one of the biggest influences in power metal today, hell he is the god father of power metal. but any way do not over look this cd, it demands attention and reaches out for the hearts of power metal fans all over the world. also if you truly love power metal you should check out, silent force, freternia, pyramaze, star one, stormhammer, pretty maids, gamma ray, primal fear, iron savior, stormwitch, liege lord, rhapsody, sonata arctica, balance of power, axenstar, paragon,attacker,udo,grave digger, wolf, feinstein,warlock,priest(painkiller is simply amazing), eidolon, zonata, raw head rexx, into eternity, running wild, i could go on forever but now i must come to a close and just say that all you brothers and sisters in metal should really give this cd a try i promise you will not be dissapointed, this classic deserves a spot in every true metallians collection, your friend in metal, brandon whitson

This CD is the return of Helloween to Metal, but Andi Deris is far, very far behind Michael Kiske. Michael Kiske Is GREAT.

Okay, so it doesn't sound a damn thing like Judas Priest. That's not what I mean. What I mean is in the late 80's Judas Priest went in a bad direction with "Turbo" much like Helloween did with "Pink Bubbles Go Ape" and the even worse, "Chameleon". With Judas Priest, they released "Ram it Down" which was partly like the [...] from "Turbo" but it also was a step in the right direction, with a much heavier and better album as a whole but because of this, it was a very unbalanced album. This, essentially is the same thing that you see with "Master of the Rings".

In "Master of the Rings" there are a lot of great tracks in here, most of them taking place in the first half of the album. I would say track 1-6 are really great, my personal favorite being "Perfect Gentleman". This is a great song with a kicking riff.

However, after the "Perfect Gentlemen" it seems as though the band's creativity declines significantly. There just isn't a whole lot of interest and spark to them like the previous tracks which is why at the end of the day I give this album 3 stars, although I would lean towards 3 1/2. It's not a bad album at all, it's just very uneven.

Now, as far as this edition goes, I think it's worth it. No, the bonus tracks aren't GREAT but they aren't bad, some of them are pretty decent and in fact, I find a number of these better than the latter part of the album, excluding the final bonus track which is very strange. When I listened to this song, "Closer to Home" I felt as though I was not listening to Helloween but some different band with a completely different sound. The strangest part of thsi track though is that it doesn't even sound like Andi Deris, it sounds like a completely different singer entirely. I know Deris used to be with Pink Cream 69 but maybe this was a song intended for them? I don't know that for sure, I just know this is a very peculiar track.

Bottom line though, I reccomend this album to any Helloween fan or any power metal fan, just don't expect the best of the best here. Also, take into account that this is a return to the good Helloween with a brand new singer and drummer.