Helloween – Gambling With The Devil

They have been around for nearly 25 years but I’m sure you all know the saying: ‘there is no rest for the wicked’. That saying applies very well in the case of Helloween. The pioneering German power metalers are back with an album that is surprisingly not bad at all.

‘Gambling with the devil’ is actually a very decent album that seeks to combine the speedy aggressiveness of the band’s early work, the trademark melodies and harmonies of the Kiske era and the groovy sharpness of the modern days. Deris’ vocals are astonishing, the man is transforming into something else as he gets older and Weikath’s and Gerstner’s guitar work is once again spotless. The album kicks off with a classic Helloween intro (no music, no vocals; just random theatrical noises). ‘Kill It’ comes next as a very promising opening with a manic riff a la Annihilator and with Deris signing Halford’s extinction. The album continues equally strong with ‘The Saints’ and the mysterious ‘As Long As I Fall’. ‘Paint a New World’ is a classic Deris era Helloween as is ‘Final Fortune’. There is a pop moment in the album which many of you might hate, but I actually love it; that is ‘Fallen to Pieces’…have you seen this song title before? Yeah, me neither!

If you like Megadeth you will worship ‘I.M.E’ and for those of you stuck in the past focus on the last three songs. Well, I didn’t really see this coming, but I admit that I liked the album. Give it a chance!