Album Review: Helloween – Straight Out of Hell

Helloween
Straight Out of Hell
The End Records

Hair Metal seems to be raising a lot of fans from the dead these days, making the return of ’80s fantasy Hair band Helloween perfectly timed. 2013 is seeing big tours and Vegas residencies by bands like Def Leopard, Motley Crue, Cinderella, Whitesnake, Poison and the list goes on and on. I would think Helloween’s brand of fantasy Metal appeals to a select few but, I’m sure that the high level of songwriting and musical delivery Straight Out of Hell has to offer will have fans coming back in droves. I can’t say anything bad about this release – it’s tight, well produced and the writing is simply first rate.

Standout tracks include: “Nabataea,” the leadoff track that kicks you in the teeth with Euro Metal tech chops and killer vocals. Comparisons can be made to Iron Maiden here with the operatic singing from vocalist Andi Deris and amazing guitar arrangements. At 7:02 in length this is an absolutely epic opener for a killer album. “Far From the Stars” also stands out and typifies Euro shred Metal; it’s insanely fast when the chorus jumps into double time. The solos are intense with the Steve Vai-style harmonized licks and super studio chopped runs. It really doesn’t get much better than that. “Asshole” has to be my top pick for the subject matter and title alone. This track is an obvious smack in the face to someone who the writer has serious beef with. The track is mid-tempo, heavy and grinding with a nice build to the killer chorus.

For fans of Euro fantasy shred Metal, this is a must for your collection.

Andre Skinner (Twitter @andreskinner)

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