Tracklist :                    
01 - Just a Little Sign
02 - Open Your Life
03 - The Tune
04 - Never be a Star
05 - Liar
06 - Sun 4 the World
07 - Don’t Stop Being Crazy
08 - Do You Feel Good
09 - Hell was Made in Heaven
10 - Back Against the Wall
11 - Listen ot the Flies
12 - Nothing to Say
13 - Far Away (Bonus track)


Bandmembers:          
Andi Deris - vocals
Michael Weikath - guitars Markus Grosskopf - bass Sascha Gerstner - guitars Stefan Schwarzmann - drums

Guest Musicians:      
Mickey Dee - drums

Websites:                     www.helloween.org
Nuclear Blast

[more]

After Roland Grapow and Uli Kusch left Helloween I really thought that it was the end of the band. Roland and Uli formed Masterplan and made a hell of a CD. But the fact is that Helloween isn’t dead, oh no, they are alive and kicking. They are about to release what in my opinion is going to be their best cd since the Keeper albums. This cd is full of heavy, fast, melodic and most of all: powerful songs.

Theres a lot of very fast songs on this album like “Just A Little Sign”, the melodic “The Tune” or the superb “Listen To The Flies”. There is also a ballad called “Don’t Stop Being Crazy” which is the first ballad since “Forever and One” I really enjoy.

Michael Weikath found a great guitarist, namely Sacha Gerstner. He wrote 3 of the 12 songs and which all fit very well in the Helloween sound. Another big surprise are the songs Markus Grosskoph wrote. “Liar” is one of the heaviest Helloween tunes I’ve ever heard. It begins very melodic but after a few seconds Mickey Dee comes in so heavy and the guitars are very aggressive.

Yes, you’ve read it well, I said Mickey Dee, and you probably know him as the drummer of Motorhead but not to worry though he is still with rocking hard with them. He played drums on 10 of the 12 songs on the album because the previous drummer Mark Cross became ill. He did the best job Helloween could wish for. His drums are so hard and heavy that the songs he played on have moved to a higher level than Helloween has ever been. As mentioned earlier Mickey is still with Motorhead, current Helloween drummer is Stefan Schwarzmann, (ex Running Wild, U.D.O and Accept).

Other great songs are, the melodic “Hell Was Made In Heaven”, and the fast “Back Against The Wall” where Andi Derris really sings really great. The only song I can’t get into is the last track of the album “Nothing To Say”. It is a strange seventies influenced song with some reggae beats, which are sort of funny, but it just isn’t my type of humor.

Comparing to previous albums “Rabbit Don’t Come Easy” is most of all heavier, faster and better. It’s better produced and it sounds fresher probably due to the new musicians.

 91/100

 Victor