Band:	Helloween
Album:	The Dark Ride
Style:	Power metal
Release date:	2000
Guest review by:	Talvi

01. Beyond The Portal (Intro)
02. Mr. Torture
03. All Over The Nations
04. Escalation 666
05. Mirror Mirror
06. If I Could Fly
07. Salvation
08. The Departed (Sun Is Going Down)
09. I Live For Your Pain
10. We Damn The Night
11. Immortal
12. The Dark Ride
13. The Madness Of The Crowds [Japanese bonus]
14. Deliver Us From Temptation [Japanese bonus]

They did it! They have made an album that can reach a cult status of The Keepers! Of course that will never happen, because the only ones who like this album were the ones who left Helloween and made Masterplan, so it's a shame, because I would really like to see "The Dark Ride 2 - The Dark Fucking Legacy." Instead of returning to classic names to try to succeed again, they should make a new classic without Kai or Kiske on its name, really.

Another important fact is Deris. Here we can hear his best performance to date. His voice here sounds like nothing he has done, ever. If they even dare to make a follow-up to this album, it needs Deris, because it's voice fits perfectly to the dark sound, something I don't think Kiske could do. A very important fact.

Oh, yes! The music, the music. Here you can find 100% classic Helloween. That doesn't mean clones of our beloved classics. No. All the material here is new, powerful, heavy as hell, and dark. Everyone here knows the dark history of this dark album, so there is no need to explain it. This, my friends, is the best Deris-era album, hands down. Probably even if "Keepers - the Legacy" didn't have that blasphemous title it wouldn't be better than this just because of the originality of making a Helloween album that is dark, and succeeds!

Each of these tracks are as good as the previous one. Even "All Over the Nations" (somewhat of a happy tune in a dark album, but still shines a lot.), "Mirror Mirror" (second evil track in a row, where the previous, "Escalation 666" is MUCH better, with an amazing solo), "I Live For Your Pain" (that it's between two of the best tracks of the album, but the uplifting chorus saves it and still shines) and the underrated "Immortal" which is probably even as good as "If I Could Fly" but that was the single, and we know everyone loves the piano. Fuck them. This still shines.

What makes this album different to the previous ones is, probably, the choruses. Instead of the classic happy, happy chorus, every one here is really evil (don't count "All Over The Nations" here), which makes this album much, much better. "Mr. Torture" is the best opening track since "I'm Alive" (yes, "Mr. Torture" kicks "Eagle Fly Free" as an opening track). "Escalation 666" and "The Departed" are heavier than any previous song. "Salvation" is a very uplifting song.

Finally, the title track and the epic of the album, which is the best track of the album (and best Deris-era Helloween song), manages to rule without copying the structure of the previous epics. The song sounds really evil, and the solo is the best Helloween has made in a lot of time.

So well, if you have been a Helloween fan from the beginning until the end, you just can't miss this album. But if you are one of those dudes who think Halloween is just Jericho and Kiske's Keepers, and didn't even dare to try the previous Deris-era albums because they aren't amazing (they are just average, good or very good, but not amazing), try The Dark Ride. You will be amazed.

Best Tracks: "The Dark Ride" is just better than anything here, and "Mirror Mirror " is, maybe (and just maybe) a bit worse than the other tracks, but here they manage to keep a constant stream of amazing music. Every track shines here.