Well, I gave my 5-star review for Helloween for the masterpiece "Keepers II" so I thought it would now be appropriate to write my review for my lowest ranked Helloween disc.
Back in 90's I had a special record stand that I went to in the local mall that could get import discs. I hadn't heard anything from Helloween since 1988 and was wondering if they had split up...I had somehow missed "Pink Bubbles" and this album and so I paid an extortionate sum to import both of them. (I didn't know that Helloween had lost their American distributor and that these albums weren't originally released stateside.) "Bubbles" was not so terrible...this album had me scratching my head, thinking I had accidentally gotten the wrong the band.
I'm not going into this album song-by-song because I don't feel the need...let's just say that this album is in no way power metal and in no way what was expected from such a great band. There were horns...HORNS!!!!! Not devil horns...but the kind of horns that someone puts their mouth on and blow, creating a sound that does not necessarily go with proper metal!!!!!
I tried hard to dig this album because I paid a ton for it...and because it was my favorite metal band...but in the end I only found a few redeeming qualities! Those qualities are in the final 15 minutes of the album...the final 2 songs!!! Great tunes that really showcase Michael Kiske's style and range...a voice that in my opinion is untouched in the metal world!!!!
So, if you see this album in the cut-out bin, pick it up and give it a listen...if you expect another "Keepers" forget it!!!