Helloween - The Time Of The Oath review
| Band: | Helloween |
| Album: | The Time Of The Oath |
| Style: | Power metal |
| Release date: | 1996 |
| Guest review by: | Mountain King |
01. We Burn
02. Steel Tormentor
03. Wake up The Mountain
04. Power
05. Forever And One (Neverland)
06. Before The War
07. A Million To One
08. Anything My Mama Don't Like
09. Kings Will Be Kings
10. Mission Motherland
11. If I Knew
12. The Time Of The Oath
13. Still I Don't Know [2006 Expanded Edition bonus]
14. Take It To The Limit [2006 Expanded Edition bonus]
15. Electric Eye [Judas Priest cover] [2006 Expanded Edition bonus]
16. Magnetic Fields [Jean Michel Jarre cover] [2006 Expanded Edition bonus]
17. Rain [Status Quo cover] [2006 Expanded Edition bonus]
18. Walk Your Way [2006 Expanded Edition bonus]
19. Light In The Sky [2006 Expanded Edition bonus]
20. Time Goes By [2006 Expanded Edition bonus]
Seeing that the one review of this album on Metal Storm does it no justice at all, I decided to share my thoughts about it. Some people claim that Helloween reached their peak with Andi Deris on Dark Ride. I would have to disagree because looking at the track list it's obvious that some of the strongest Helloween numbers appear. From the anthem "Power" to the power metal massacre of "Kings Will Be Kings" to the touching "Forever and One" there are really no disappointing songs.
The only letdown I can think of is the production. There's something that's annoying about it. The guitars sound very noisy if that's a good way to say it, even Master of the Rings and Better than Raw sounded better but that shouldn't keep anyone from enjoying this album. Uli Kusch's drumming is technical and fast and his well crafted drumming adds to the intensity of the album, just check out "Before The War" or the space epic "Mission Motherland." Andi Deris sounds great especially on "Kings Will Be Kings" which I consider one of Helloween's best songs to date. Surprisingly funny, the "Wake up the Mountain" intro sounds identical to Scorpions's "Bad Boys Running Wild." The expanded edition comes with a second disc that contains a handful of bonus tracks which include some interesting covers (The famous "Electric Eye") and B-Sides as well. "Light in the Sky" summarizes Andi's mastery at writing simple yet beautiful ballads.
All in all this is recommended to every metal fan starting with melodic metal lovers. If you though Master Of The Rings was very good, this would be easily called an excellent release.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 10 |
| Songwriting: | 10 |
| Originality: | 8 |
| Production: | 7 |
Written by Mountain King | 01.04.2011
Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
Rating:
6.0
6.0
|
Rating: 6.0 |
Helloween worked very hard to "correct" their "mistakes", those mistakes being the less popular albums Pink Bubbles Go Ape and Chameleon, which are very experimental and progressive as opposed to the usual speed metal that comes from these German pioneers. Anyway, classic heavy metal tracks are found here in the Judas Priest vein like "We Burn" and "Kings Will Be Kings". Besides "Wake Up the Mountain" and the common fan favorite "Power" there is really nothing else on this album interesting to comment on. Does that make it a bad album? No! What made this album deserve a mediocre rating are its very bland and repetitive tendencies. They dig up the sound of the well known and loved Keepers albums, and play it to death. We get "epics" that go nowhere and a few sappy ballads with no emotion that seem forced and half assed. There is also a tongue in cheek number that is more embarrassing than humorous. Read more ›› |
Comments
| Zenzero Zenzero Posts: 472  |
I love this album! It's not original, but it's Helloween! So it's ok! I searched for a long time the NO REMASTERED version.....
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| Metal Invader Posts: 357  |
Imo this is a solid album in that time a good come back for Helloween..i see people like it verry much and think its best Deris album but i dont..and if i know English gramatic better i will explain it..:P and i think 8.8 is to much..8 for me!
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| WorpeX Made of Metal Posts: 1355  |
One of my favorite Helloween albums. Steel Tormentor, We Burn, Wake up the Mountain and Mission Motherland are still some of my all-time favorite songs by them, and for some, of all time.
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| Angelic Storm Melodious Posts: 6675  |
This is my fave Helloween album with Andi on vocals. Probably because it's the closest they've ever came to re-capturing the magic of their late 80's Keepers era sound. Which is ironic as "The Keeper" from those album's artworks, is also on this album's front cover! lol This album brought me back to Helloween after I was so disappointed with "Chameleon", and it is the album by them I love most, outside of their classic era when Kai was still in the band. 
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| Baz Anderson Staff Posts: 13262  |
One of their best albums, but in recent years I have just never felt the urge to listen to it.
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| Guib Thrash Talker Posts: 3269  |
I don't get the other review lol. This album is great, and by great I really mean fucking amazing  I love it alot more thant what they do nowadays. Not that its bad, but its not like this anymore.
---- - Headbanging with mostly clogged arteries to that stuff - Guib's List Of Essential Albums - Also Thrash Paradise Thrash Here
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| gnirpz Posts: 53 |
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| Bad English Tage Westerlund Posts: 62297  |
I like you have talked about one review, try Wintersun 1th album seems there are like 10 guest reviews + staffers as well
---- 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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