Helloween : "Giants & Monsters"

"Keeper of the Seven Keys pt 2" was the last Helloween album I really cared about by these guys. To their credit, they certainly inspired the entire genre of power metal, though in the '80s I felt like they were Iron Maiden wannabes more often than not. They did, however, write great songs that made up for this. Now there are multiple singers and things feel more convoluted, like they are a metal version of Styx, though the opening track is less metal and more Styx. It's a big epic and anthemic. While it is not as happy as the bands that came after, it is not as gritty as what I prefer from metal.

The challenge They are going to have is the same as any power metal band has with me. They need to not sound dated and cheesy, as well as keep things dark rather than sounding like an anime theme song. "Savior of the World' does a better job of this until it gets to the chorus, which has typically been a problem for these guys here, but things get silly fact on the chorus here. The song has enough drive to make it listenable for me. The guitar solos do not impress me that much either. It is hard to believe that this is the band's 17th album. It is also the first with the Pumpkin's United Line-up, which means nothing to me, but people who care will want it to be noted. 

"A Little is a Little Too Much" sounds just like the Scorpions, which works better for me. Keyboards are becoming more prominent on this album, though they could have been headed in this direction five years ago, and I would not know the difference; the layers of vocals sound more like Def Leppard. "We Can Be Gods" has more drive than most of the songs, but it also falls into some of the genre's more predictable tropes. Power ballads are the last thing we need, but that is what we are getting on " Into the Sun". The chorus gives into the cheesey drama that I do not like about this sort of thing, though the verses worked ok for me. All the vocal trade off does make things sound likea musical. 

"This is Tokyo" is moodier, but the double vocals feel like Velvetta to me, and it only makes the anthemic chorus trope worse. It would be a decent song without that. I am more tolerant of this sort of thing than most metal dudes who are more into heavier sub-genres, since Iron Maiden is one of my favorite bands, and perhaps if this came out in 1989, I would have been more impressed. 'Universe," even with all its excesses, is the best song so far, as it feels more like it's 1988. "Hand of God" grooves, but also feels like it is trying too hard, while being another cheesy anthem. 'Under the Moonlight' is back to being another 80s anthem, but without the speed metal energy that used to empower them; instead, it feels like rock n roll, not metal, with its celebratory tone.  

The eight-minute "Magestic" closes the album, with more of a subtle prog jam opening the song. There a plenty of racing guitar harmonies for those who are into that, as well as the soaring operatic warbling. This makes it almost sound like Christian rock; the chorus feels like something Queensryche would have done post- "Empire." They pull off what they set out to do, even though it's painted with many of the elements about the genre I do not like, but I can be objective enough to hear how effective they are at doing what they are doing, and the answer is very, so I will give this album an 8.5.I won't listen to this album again , but long tiem fans who stuck around for grandiose power metal get what they keep showing upo for.  

pst426