HELLOWEEN — The Dark Ride (review)

HELLOWEEN — The Dark Ride album cover Album · 2000 · Power Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
RuneWalsh2112
I pretty much lost my interest for Helloween after the departure of Kai Hansen and even through I did give "The Time Of The Oath" and "Better Than Raw" a few chances, both of those records left me feeling very unsatisfied with the band's lack of memorable compositions and prominent vocalist who could match the magnificent Michael Kiske. Luckily some of this had changed with the release of "The Dark Ride". For the first time in many years the band finally returned to the pure Power Metal style that they were known for in the past.

After the short intro we get the album's second single "Mr. Torture" ("If I Could Fly" being the first one) and it's quite a memorable track in its own right! Michael Weikath definitely shows that his love for fast songs is not dead with "All Over The Nations", and "Salvation", two of the only tracks that were written by him on this album(!). Marcus Grosskopf is also surprisingly absent in the songwriting department with his only credit making an appearance among the bonus tracks. Instead it's Andi Deris who makes the most contributions to the material with half of the tracks listed under his name! This could possibly explain the enthusiasm that his vocal performance contributes to the material and thus making it the first great achievement after three less impressive albums with Helloween!

Having said all that, I find Uli Kusch's contribution of "Mr. Torture" and, the album's biggest highlight, "The Departed" to be the most impressive of the bunch. "The Dark Ride" was the album where all the (relatively) new members of the band showed they were just as capable in the songwriting as they are in the instrumental departments and thus achieving a new renaissance for the band! The journey to achieving former greatness was still far away but now, more than ever since "Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part II", it finally seemed possible for the band to return and even surpass their glorious past. Having said that, "The Dark Ride" is still merely a step in the right direction and it would probably need a few more albums before all the gears would be properly set in motion.

I feel that most of Andi Deris's compositions are still not on par with the rest of the collective and there aren't really any real standout moments in the mix either (even though "The Departed" does come close). Instead we get a well balanced comeback album that serves as a great demo for the potential glory that may lay ahead if Helloween continues to sharpen their songwriting.

**** star songs: Beyond The Portal (0:45) Mr. Torture (3:27) All Over The Nations (4:54) Escalation 666 (4:24) Salvation (5:42) The Departed (Sun Is Going Down) (4:36) We Damn The Night (4:06) Immortal (4:04) The Dark Ride (8:48)

*** star songs: Mirror, Mirror (3:43) If I Could Fly (4:09) I Live For Your Pain (3:59)
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