One of the true Power Metal titans returns with a title that brings back sweet memories for many Metal fans, there is no denying either the musical quality or the genre-wise importance of the first two Keeper discs.
To be frank I don't really se the logic in entitling this the third keeper album (or making it a two disc release), lyrically there are some hints back in time but the music but perhaps they just wanted to hype it a bit. Otherwise the lyrical essence deals with aspects ranging from deep despair to high hopes with an overall a decent end result.
The nearly 14-minute
The King For A 1000 Years is a lot to take in at first but generally it's a tight and strong composition showing exciting structural skills.
The keyboard fills in different roles and helps building a strong fundament in the slower parts, but rest assured, there is plenty of power and speed here too.
The lead melody leading into
Born On Judgment Day is just typical
Helloween, catchy and important to the overall picture.
A one-way road Power Metal song kept straight to the point, injected a dynamic twin solo spot and some intriguing bass lines.
A song like
Pleasure Drone features a blistering guitar solo spot but never really becomes spectacular, the chorus section is a bit on the dull side.
At one point I find
Mrs. God a bit silly and simple, on the other hand I from time to time go around singing the chorus out loud, all in all it's a good song.
I haven't found a good reason for including the first irritating minute of
Occasion Avenue, but when the song kicks into action its well worth the wait. The heavy guitar riff and Andi Deris' soaring vocals are both thrilling and Dani Loeble's forceful drumming another treat.
When looking on the calmer side of the album,
Light The Universe proves a weighty and high-class ballad. A caressing piano melody sets a moody stage for the blossoming male/female vocal harmony. The way the keyboard builds tension before the soft guitar solo sets in works splendidly and overall this is a great cut.
Come Alive is a great rocker with an irresistible chorus line added a cool guitar intermission for an extra inch of diversity.
As was the case with a few songs on the first Keeper III disc,
The Shade In The Shadow also represents a decent and rather powerful composition that is too standard in character.it doesn't grab you attention as you continue to hope it eventually will.
To leave us with the last impression the vigorous
My Life For One More Day has been selected to round things off. Again a fine song that doesn't exactly impress, not because it's lacking melody, tightness, power or a strong structure.it's just heard before by this band in a slightly different form and a lot of the times in a more spellbinding version.
The real awesome gems are sporadically scattered across the 13 songs, but when it comes to the execution we are dealing with competent performances all the way through, plenty of uplifting details (some well hidden) and technicality to enjoy.watch out for a massive and impressive bass attack.
The clear production allows every instrument to fill its space out and the "in your face" sound from their latest album is somewhat kept intact.
This album is more in the traditional and less experimenting
Helloween vein than The Dark Ride and Rabbit Don't Come Easy albums. This is not necessarily a bad thing and it's not like this one is devoid of progression, the two previous albums just had a special vibe that gave them a more inspirational shine.
Conclusion: Perhaps Keeper III isn't the sensation we hoped for, but it contains very few wrong steps and several thrilling and memorable moments.
Written by
Tommy Friday, April 21, 2006
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