Helloween - 7 Sinners review
| Band: | Helloween |
| Album: | 7 Sinners |
| Style: | Power metal |
| Release date: | October 31, 2010 |
| A review by: | Baz Anderson |
01. Where The Sinners Go
02. Are You Metal?
03. Who Is Mr. Madman?
04. Raise The Noise
05. World Of Fantasy
06. Long Live The King
07. The Smile Of The Sun
08. You Stupid Mankind
09. If A Mountain Could Talk
10. The Sage, The Fool, The Sinner
11. My Sacrifice
12. Not Yet Today
13. Far In The Future
14. I'm Free [deluxe digipack edition bonus]
15. Faster We Fall [Japanese bonus]
16. Aiming High [iTunes bonus]
Helloween have been forging a new path for themselves for many years, seemingly cursed in the way that anything with the Helloween name on it will be compared to those influential Keeper... albums, and almost every time the new offering inevitably falls short.
7 Sinners is the third album with the current line-up, and the first since The Dark Ride that has been able to square up to the Keeper... albums and come off looking pretty good. The reputation of those early albums will never be matched again, but Helloween are determined to continually prove their worth as the genre's kings and still as a legitimate and current power metal band.
The album itself is faster, harder, catchier, and simply better than the previous few by a long way. 7 Sinners is a much more organic and natural-feeling album, perhaps due to the line-up bonding closer still and for the first time ever recording an album without a drum click track. Each band member except for drummer Dani Löble wrote songs for the album, and it perhaps the mixture of styles each of the four brought to the table that makes 7 Sinners a diverse and interesting album.
Andi's presence is felt with the tongue-in-cheek "Are You Metal?" but also with the "If I Could Fly"-esque ballad of "The Smile Of The Sun". Weikie's quirkiness is brought out with the flute solo in "Raise The Noise", and Sascha once again shows his merit in the writing department with the killer track "Who Is Mr. Madman?" and its catchy chorus. Markus' input comes out on top this time however, with the similarly catchy "World Of Fantasy" and epic "If A Mountain Could Talk", both keeping a good pace and making evident some of the best material the band have put out for years.
Indeed, quality-wise 7 Sinners has hit the jackpot. It has been many years since Helloween have released an album so solid and consistently enjoyable. It is therefore strange that the production of the album is a little muffled and actually quieter than most other modern albums. As long as you have the sound system though, this shouldn't be so much of a problem when it comes to enjoying this magnificent modern power metal album from the kings doing it their own way.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 9 |
| Originality: | 8 |
| Production: | 6 |
Comments
| Fat & Sassy! Elite Posts: 3857  |
Been waiting for the Baz-approval on this one (seeing on how you seem to be their biggest fan  ). Totally getting it now. 
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| Ivan Retired Admin Elite Posts: 8850  |
The review is right on the mark - this is one of the strongest albums of the year (and I'm not even a Helloween fan). Certainly sounds very good after the weak new Kamelot and Iron Maiden.
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| Valaskjalf Account deleted |
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| Ellrohir Heaven Knight Posts: 8675  |
I say this particular album is seriously overrated...
---- My rest seems now calm and deep Finally I got my dead man sleep 
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| RafaRata Posts: 117  |
6 in production WTF===?? The sound is huge and powerful... to my ears at least.
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| bluegreengod Account deleted |
bluegreengod
Account deleted
Although not the best album of the year, I'd say this is definitely the biggest surprise of 2010 IMO. I really didn't think Helloween had it in them to make this good an album. The production is the only thing that bothers me about it...it sounds horrible in my car! Otherwise pretty goddamn good 
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| Bad English Tage Westerlund Posts: 62304  |
Written by Ivan on 29.12.2010 at 23:01 rhis is strongest band album ever, even 1th 3 was not so strong albums
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"  I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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| Mountain King K i K o Posts: 1361  |
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| Necrodamus Posts: 435  |
Good review. This is one of my favs of the year and I've been playing it nonstop for weeks along with Gamma Ray, I'm in a power metal kind of mood...
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| Valentin B Iconoclast Posts: 10096  |
Seeing as you gave Ironbound a 9, and it turned out to be a monstrous thrashsterpiece, you set my expectations quite high for this album. download commencing!
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| WorpeX Made of Metal Posts: 1355  |
Great review! I really enjoyed this album! I didn't think Helloween could make another good album again, that compilation they made before this completely crushed my hopes in ever seeing a good album from them again. I'm glad for such a pleasant surprise!
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| atkmetal123 Posts: 60 |
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| Metal Invader Posts: 357  |
Written by [user id=35037] on 30.12.2010 at 01:36 they want tu sound lower like on old records..i think Andi said that in one interwiev..something to do with megaherz or gigaherz..im not into this tenical stuff
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| Metal Invader Posts: 357 |
I realy like this album..one of the best since keeper 1 and 2 imo..but still i know they must do better than this..like Baz said they are Helloween and cant be satisfied with only good record..or few good songs..but imo they are going in right direction with this album!
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| farfaramir Posts: 128  |
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| patrickmetal12 Posts: 110  |
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| Jason W. Razorbliss Staff Posts: 3523  |
I'm really surprised by this album. It's the first of anything by Helloween since the 80s that didn't bore me to death instantly, and in fact has some excellent power metal tracks on this throughout. Nice review 
---- "After silence that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music." - Aldous Huxley
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071  |
Written by Irritable Ted on 30.12.2010 at 22:23 For me this is the first listenable and even very good Helloween albums since Keepers part 2
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996 
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| Angelic Storm Melodious Posts: 6675  |
Written by Irritable Ted on 30.12.2010 at 22:23 "The Time Of The Oath" is still my fave post-keepers Helloween album. hehe "7 Sinners" is really good and different, if slightly flawed. But there are way more high points on the album than low ones, and its definitely in my top 10 albums of the year. xD  @The last post.
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071 |
Written by Irritable Ted on 30.12.2010 at 22:42 Keeper art 2 and loads of stuff afterwards I classify as flower but this one not really. but still far from being as dark as us power though/
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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| RavenKing Posts: 1941  |
Written by Jason W. on 30.12.2010 at 20:57 That's my own reaction every time I hear something new from Helloween.
---- They shake your hand and they smile and they buy you a drink They say we'll be your friends we'll stick with you till the end But everybody's only looking out for themselves And you say who can you trust I'll tell you nobody
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| farfaramir Posts: 128 |
Written by RavenKing on 31.12.2010 at 01:45 You should try this one, Ravenking  . I know "Are You Metal?" can give you a bad impression (when I saw the video, I swear I wasn't going to get the album), but it's a pleasent surprise. The production is more like the ones of the first albums, not so clean.
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| RavenKing Posts: 1941 |
Written by farfaramir on 31.12.2010 at 03:42 Perhaps I'll try listening to the album if ever I have lots of time to loose and really nothing to do. I don't like the few songs I heard until now.
---- They shake your hand and they smile and they buy you a drink They say we'll be your friends we'll stick with you till the end But everybody's only looking out for themselves And you say who can you trust I'll tell you nobody
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| floydiac Posts: 29  |
The production is so much better than the overly digitised sound in the last album and the weaker sound of keepers legacy. This album is a definite grower. Didn't think much of it at first but am really getting into it.
---- !WARNING! May talk shit !WARNING!
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| daniel chack Posts: 11 |
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| Crème fraiche Posts: 705  |
Nice Review Baz! I don't care for the first 2 tracks, but i love the rest! I do agree that the production is fucking terrible! Sounds like ass in my car ;(
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| zarakkazak Posts: 13 |
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| Angelic Storm Melodious Posts: 6675 |
Written by zarakkazak on 04.01.2011 at 11:40 That's only obvious, seeing as you don't like the album. If you did, you wouldnt be calling it "seriously overrated" would you?
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| Fat & Sassy! Elite Posts: 3857 |
Overall, this album is incredibly solid. I think that, for what it is, this album is a little too long for its own good though.
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