This is a huge bet for the Euro power metal fathers who are reunited with two original members and become a septet.
I must admit that I enjoyed Deris’ songs more than the others and that I found some of those with all three singers a bit too much. Of course, that doesn’t mean that the songs are not good, but certainly not the kind of material that will knock you off your feet. There is no comparison with past glories and in general the fact that the band doesn’t try to copy itself is appreciated. Kiske’s return to a healthy and creative environment brings joy.
Helloween are one more example for bands that are in indefinite hiatus with founding members to reunite in favor of their fans.
Yiannis Dolas
The 7 keepers had prepared us well for that. After testing the Pumpkins United idea very well for three years with an extensive tour, they entered the studio for Helloween’s self-titled album. It remains to be seen if this meets the expectations of the fans since the bar was set very high. It’s a representative album of the Germans with some exceptional but also some mediocre moments. “Mass Pollution”, “Angels” and “Robot King” just take up space on the album, but “Fear Of The Fallen”, “Best Time”, “Indestructible” and more are classic Helloween tracks, but the difference is made by the amazing epic twelve minute “Skyfall” that closes the album with a blast…as should be the case with every great Helloween record.
Dimitris Kazantzis
Did I expect more things from the new Helloween album? Yes and no. Yes, due to the fact that you always expect the best from a legendary band and no because this is 2021 and you can’t really imagine them playing like it was 1987 all over again. At the same time the writing team is intact so you get the picture. “Helloween” is an OK album that it will definitely not achieve classic status but it’s not flirting with the past or trying to embrace the Helloween legacy if you know what I mean. There are some great songs on the album like “Out For The Glory”, “Fear Of The Fallen”, “Best Time”, “Skyfall”, some simply OK ones like “Robot King”, “Cyanide” and a couple of fillers like “Angels” and “Mass Pollution”.
The overall performance, production and artistic direction are absolutely magnificent and what more can we add than that we are looking forward to catching Pumpkins United live on stage.
Sakis Nikas
