HELLOWEEN — Walls of Jericho (review)

HELLOWEEN — Walls of Jericho album cover Album · 1985 · Speed Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
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Walls of Jericho, released in the 1985, is the debut full-length album from German power metal legends Helloween. At this stage in their career the band was much more the speed metal act however, although Walls of Jericho contains some traits of the power metal that the band would go on to pioneer. It’s also the only full-length within the discography to feature the vocals of Kai Hansen, who would go on to record a further two albums with the band, but only as a guitarist. He would later return to being a full-time frontman with Gamma Ray.

The Helloween here is a much rawer sounding band than what they would ultimately go on to be known for. Hansen’s vocals are high pitched, the music fast and the leads blazing. The bass has quite a prominent role in the mix, which is clear but not all that polished, fitting to the speed metal direction of the music. An early highlight is Ride the Sky, which showcases all these elements at their very best. I think it remains one of Helloween’s best tracks really despite the power metal masterpieces that would follow this album.

The problem is that although it has its gems, Walls of Jericho is also an inconsistent album. Although it gets off to a great start with Ride the Sky and the following Reptile, there are also tracks that just don’t stand up to their greatness, such as Gorgar, and some which are definitely enjoyable but have some faults that hold them back from classic status, such as Guardians. Some of the album is just plain cheese as well, and this is before Helloween were even fully in power metal territory.

So far I’ve talked of the album with its original tracklist. You’ll actually find that most if not all CD versions come with the preceding self-titled EP at the start of the disc as well as an additional track, Judas, at the end. These are good additions to the album, making it a much more full experience to the early speed metal Helloween, especially since it contains the early gem Victim of Fate. Things would change pretty quickly after this, for the better in my opinion although I am aware that there is a portion of fans who wouldn’t agree, and Walls of Jericho is a solid early offering from the classic band.

8.3/10

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven (http://metaltube.freeforums.org))
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