Are You Metal?
Helloween seems to be one of those bands who just never disappoints. Even 25 years and 13 albums since their debut, Helloween is still cranking out great semi-progressive power metal albums. 7 Sinners is the 14th album from Helloween, and was released on Halloween of 2010. Although I doubt Helloween will ever release an album that can compete with some of their 80's and early 90's classics, it's great to hear that these guys are still dedicated to making great power metal. If you like Helloween, or power metal in general, 7 Sinners is one of the best albums this year to come out in that genre. Although there is a bit of "cheesiness" on the album (as expected from most power metal releases), there are far more positives than negatives to be found on this Helloween release.
The music played here is power metal that we're used to from Helloween, but there is a fresh, modern sound also to be found here. Although there isn't anything terribly unique on 7 Sinners, it's great that Helloween is still reinventing themselves after such a long career. There are quite a lot of progressive tendencies on 7 Sinners, and even a few songs, such as "If A Mountain Could Talk" or "Far in the Future", could even be considered prog metal tracks. These two songs are also highlights on the album. The flute solo in "Raise the Voice" is especially worth noting. It progresses into a great flute/guitar dual that sounds almost as if Ian Anderson had a jam with Iron Maiden. It's a really powerful track. "The Smile of the Sun" is a keyboard-led power ballad, and is actually another great track. I really love the chorus in this track. Unfortunately, there are a few weaker tracks like "Are You Metal?" and "The Sage, The Fool, The Sinner". These aren't complete throwaways, but they are disappointing nonetheless.
As we should all know from Helloween by now, they are a very talented bunch. The two guitarists, Sascha Gerstner and Michael Weikath, especially stand out. The drumming from Dani Löble is also noteworthy. He really rips on some parts of this album, and it's great to hear his talent shine through.
The production is a bit of a problem in my opinion. The "cheesiness" I mentioned in the first paragraph was directly pointing to the production. This is that type of over-produced, synthetic-sounding power metal production that can get really annoying. If you like that sort of thing, that may be a good thing, but I really wish that the sound here would have been slightly rawer.
Conclusion:
7 Sinners is a really good album from Helloween. It really amazes me that, 27 years since their conception, they are still making great power metal albums. If you like other Helloween albums, and are okay with a cheesy production, this is a release worth getting. I'm going to give 7 Sinners 3.5 stars. Had the production been better and a few songs were tweaked slightly, this would be a 4 star release. Still, this is highly recommended to fans of power metal!
Track Listing
1. Where The Sinners Go
2. Are You Metal?
3. Who is Mr. Madman?
4. Raise The Noise
5. World Of Fantasy
6. Long Live The King
7. The Smile Of The Sun
8. You Stupid Mankind
9. If A Mountain Could Talk
10. The Sage, The Fool, The Sinner
11. My Sacrifice
12. Not Yet Today
13. Far In The Future
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