Surprisingly good album with deductions in the B-Note

I'm certainly not someone who lives only in the past. I think it is in the case of Helloween also not very useful, always on the first two "Keeper" to swagger -albums. But even if one takes the time after the Kiske-bye as a benchmark, Helloween have degraded rapidly in the new millennium. This has, in my view not much with vocalist exchange (the meanwhile struck 19 years back is) to do, but simply weaker or completely different songwriting. Accordingly low my expectations were at "Straight Out Of Hell". I hoped for something better, was offered as a last, I got a better than average Helloween plate. Actually, the best since "The Time Of The Oath" (1996). Since that time, there was not much to cheer about anyway - though specifically "The Dark Ride" (2000) and at least partially "Rabbit Do not Come Easy" (2003), "Keeper Of The Seven Keys - The Legacy" (2005) and "7 Sinners" (2010) had their moments, but never could connect so right old services.

It is different with "Straight Out Of Hell". Already the opener "Nabatea" is a consistently successful song that you would no longer have credited the pumpkin heads in the form. Hardener wanted Helloween again - and they have also managed to like this good entry demonstrates. Good riffing, beautiful transitions, a striking chorus, everything is there - a very varied piece and in my opinion, the best song on the album and one of the best Helloween songs for ages. Also very strong is the already known in advance "Burning Sun", a soothing alto fashionable track with unexpectedly aggressive vocals. Whether Andi Deris the hinkriegt also live? One must at least be skeptical ... on disc it sounds anyway super.

The rest of "Straight Out Of Hell" is convincing and is times in Helloween typical Happy Metal ("World Of War", "Far From The Stars", "Years"), sometimes rocky ("Live Now!", " Waiting For The Thunder "," Straight Out Of Hell ") or gloomy (" Church Breaks Down ") presented. The expendable "Wanna Be God" and the terrific "Asshole" Also more experimental sounds have crept. The only real failure is the 08/15-ballad "Hold Me In Your Arms", something really needs no longer a man. Not exactly a sign of quality - Oh, like "Make Fire Catch The Fly" actually sounds, not one notices himself after many Hördurchgängen. Musically you can still complain about the a little too generously sized keyboard use policy. I have nothing in principle against the keyboard instrument, here it acts but somewhat exaggerated, in every song you do not necessarily incorporate any gimmicks.

But apart from these small slips "Straight Out Of Hell" one of the best Helloween-Werke after the turn of the millennium. At the very large first three albums of the band and to the Deris intermediate high (the first two panels after joining) the 2013er plate though does not come close, but good four star it is definitely worth it.

PS: What has the band and the record company actually ridden to sell the simple CD version without lyrics? Must be that the texts printed one today actually already expected, right? Such an approach I find intolerable than any weak song. Naughty.