Customer Reviews

Time of the Oath

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Helloween had made a good effort at redeeming their legacy (built with The Keeper of the Seven Keys albums and then squandered with the disastrous Pink Bubbles Go Ape and Chameleon) with their 1994 album Master of the Rings, but they still had a lot to prove with their 1996 follow-up The Time of the Oath. Fortunately the band was more than up to the task.

As much as I enjoyed Master of the Rings, The Time of the Oath is even better. It helps that this is without a doubt a fist in the air, headbanging,100% METAL album. Maybe the continued presence of new vocalist Andi Deris (ex-Pink Cream 69) gave the band a new outlook, or just a chance to start over, but Helloween took the opportunity to bring back the galloping leads, anthemic choruses, and powerful melodies that so defined their early sound (and pretty much created the power metal genre). It worked when they were a hungry young band in the 80's, and it worked again with the older, wiser band in the 90's. The higher production values the era had to offer made a difference as well.

The Time of the Oath is a remarkably strong melodic power metal album, and a worthy addition to the Helloween legacy. Songs like "Steel Tormentor," "We Burn," "Mission Motherland" and the title track all stand out as some of the album's best offerings, though there really isn't a weak moment on the entire album (though the song "Anything My Mama Don't Like" seems better suited to Deris's former band than Helloween). The band is extremely strong musically, and became stronger in terms of vocals and songwriting with the addition of Andi Deris. Between this album and Better than Raw, Andi Deris really established himself as the definitive Helloween vocalist.

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 The Time of the Oath serves up an entire second disc full of bonus tracks, all of them studio songs including a fantastic cover of the Judas Priest classic "Electric Eye." This is a great assortment of b-sides that absolutely fit the character of the regular album. You also get expanded liner notes, 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 The Time of the Oath, it's time to replace your old version!

This album was brought out my second year in college, and it is what inspired me to truely start collecting Helloween albums. This was the first hints of what darkness helloween could brew up if they put their mind to it. Somewhat darker, and more grinding loud than previous albums, Oath stormed into stores with blistering tracks like Wake Up The Mountain and, Before the War, and We Burn (the blistering lead off track which sets a killer pace for the rest of the album). This album screams see us live, we'll blow the roof off the house (see High Live).

Now as for the 2006 Edition, This is excellent to have, cause the bonus track are very well put together and a necessary to any collection. Still I Don't Know has an awsome intro, and Take it To the Limit has a cool sound all of it's own (great melody). And of course, electric eye, yes, priest re-done well, a fitting tribute. All of the other tracks are just incredible as well, adding basically a new album to one that was already excellent. I already own two version of this Particular album (CD and Cassette), and I still felt the need to buy this re-master, because the bonus disc is worth it. Also the new album/liner notes continue the biography/interviews of the other re-masters. Money well spent.

Running solidly in the vein of the Keeper tradition, Time of the Oath is a very dark, heavy, and fast album set around the premise of the end of mankind (cheery, huh?). From the blazing opener We Burn to the closing title track Time of the Oath, this CD delivers throughout. Some listeners might be startled by the tracks Forever and One, If I Knew, and Anything My Mamma Don't Like, but these fillers are backed by strong tunes like the thunderous Steel Tormentor, the lively Power, the blistering Before the War, the galloping Kings Will be Kings, and the epic Mission Motherland. This is another great album from some truly great musicians. Definitely a Keeper!

Sounds like classic Helloween. Vocals are right on. The bass work is sick and perfectly placed in the mix. Added to the traditional Helloween sound are at times elements of funk and progressive rock.

The album has a nice pace and plenty of diversity. My favorites are the opening thrasher We Burn and the epic, but quirky Mission Motherland.

In general I haven't enjoyed most of Helloween's work since Keeper Pt. 1 & 2. The Time of the Oath is a pleasant surprise.

This CD is a punch in the face.Straight metal,pletoric of positive attitude and a powerful sound.Beautiful "Forever and One",and a very dark title-cut.In this album,the guys decided to set free the creativity that seemed to be lost somewhere in the road,and makes "Master of the Rings" look as a good album,but still a pale shade of how far they could go.Still,Michael Weikath's tunes seem to sound pretty much the same.Thanks that he can count on Grapow,Deris and Kusch,who definitely took command of the whole Helloween affair.This is how a band can react to the demmands of the audiences as times change without selling their beliefs or putting out horrid albums.Ok,ok,not all is roses in this album,and some songs fail miserably in the attempt of the band of not sounding too pompous,stuffy or serious.But in an integral sense,the album shows off growth of the new lineup,and a good chemistry in song writing.The highlights?"Power",the title cut,"Before the War"(a beautifully heavy Tchaikovski-like that proves Deris a great songwriter),and of course,"Forever and One".A must-have for metal fans.

I don't know why everybody badmouth this album! I heard all of Helloween's albums and I must say that this one is the best! Andi Deris is better than Kiske could ever be and his amazing vocal work on "Forever and One" says it all! "Mission Motherland" made me fall on my back with it's massive guitar riffs in the middle of the song. The album covers every style from fast paced heavy metal to slow melodic harmonies. "We Burn", "Steel Tormentor", "Befor The War" and "Kings Will be Kings" are the fastest ones. Again, this one is the best!

"The Time of the Oath" is yet another proof that Helloween still has a bright metal future after the departure of Kiske and Hansen. This cd follows the path marked by their previous recording "Master of the Rings", and they somehow managed to better its quality. This cd contains everything for everyone; from fast-paced, ultra melodic songs as "Before the war" and "Steel Tormentor", to powerful ballads such as "If I knew" and "Forever and One"; metal anthems like "Power" and mid tempo rockers like "A million to one" and, of course, the epics: "The time of the Oath" and "Mission Motherland". If you've been a Helloween fan since the Keepers or before, you'll consider this record to be as great as they can offer.

This is a great album by Helloween. This album has the same musicians as on the previous album Master of the Rings. This band line up is my favorite of Helloween. Although I prefer Master of the Rings more. This is a album really worth checking out. This is real metal.

Long Live Rock and Roll!

I bought keeper of the seven keys II a couple of a years ago after seeing what affiliation Helloween had with bands like Iron Maiden, i am was immediatly stuck with them. But when i saw that the singers switch so many times i was unsure about the other albums becuase i like the guys voice so much. I previewed the songs from the album i realized how naive i was, not only is the singers voice not that much different from Keeper of the Seven keys II(they both have very high toned singing voices), but the music is faster and more intense than ever. The lyrics are again questionable, but that is not the point as this album rocks. The first 6 songs are perfect with a mix of double kicks, epic guitar solos and catchy chorus'. After that however they start to trail downhill as they get slower and wierder. Those songs do not not bring the album a lot however,and some of them are still somewhat strong like their earlier counterparts(The Time Of The Oath).
We Burn, Steel Tormentor, Wake Up The Mountain and Power are almost better than keeper of the seven key II, almost.
Definitly worth buying.

Running solidly in the Keeper tradition, Time of the Oath is a great metal offering from the godfathers of power metal! From the blazing opener We Burn, to the haunting outro and title track Time of the Oath, this album does not disappoint. Some listeners might be turned off by the ballady Forever and One or If I Knew, or the weird Anything My Mamma Don't Like, but these fillers are backed by tracks like the pounding Steel Tormentor, the lively Before the War, the epic Mission Motherland, and the galloping Kings Will Be Kings. Time of the Oath is very dark, heavy, and fast but also shows restraint and poise in is orchestration. This is definitely a Keeper and worth every penny.