Not perfect, but likeable

The pre-predecessor "Keeper ... - The Legacy" had Helloween - commercially quite successful - see begging for nostalgic sympathies with their old 80's fans. Really good but they seem here to have not felt, because even with the significantly harder "Gambling with the Devil" and especially the anniversary album "Unarmed" the cuddle was stopped again in favor of further development and autonomy.

An acoustic album had to be there, in the end it was then but a few electric guitars, but still no Metal. "Unarmed" then not aimed at "professional metalheads" who fear that comes the idol and you withdraw the habit when they sound Mucke without distorted guitars or sixteen, the band with "Keeper ... - The Legacy "Is there and suddenly Helloween experts were. Not to metal fans, but to Helloween fans. Namely, those who had the band understood as a whole, had evolved with them and just open ears possessed as the band itself. Among Helloween just earlier fun numbers as the "Surprise-track" on the Picture Disc of debut EP or music in pop style as "Livin 'Is not No Crine", "Number One" or "If I Could Fly".

"Unarmed" will definitely bring the fun the band had while experimenting, clearly over. Where other bands with acoustic albums simply rearrange all the rockers in ballads, Helloween have long stretches quite fearless and usually managed outside the creative-Sau. Whether the provided with ska elements "Dr. Stein" or the Schraddel Campfire Number Reverse knitted "Eagle Fly Free", the arrangements are for the most part both original and winking humor (from the twin leads with "I Want Out", for example, is a Children's Choir) and the songs fit, and with the orchestral medley of three epics "Halloween", "Keeper of the Keys 7" and "King For A 1000 Years''s is really demanding. Unfortunately, the latter takes over at Andi Deris again trying to reproduce the dramatic pseudo-operatic vocals of the originals, which acts rather then something painful, just like in "A Tale ...", in which I spontaneously JBOs "Roots Bloody Roots "could not help thinking. And "Forever And One" and "Where the Rain Grows" are definitely advised a little corny because one hangs behind the claim of the remaining album. Too bad that it has, however, managed the great version of "Why" only on the Japan-variant, which is clearly superior to these three songs.

As Upper sympathetic, loose and relaxed testimony of what you can afford after 25 years outside the genre boundaries has been able, unbeatable. And as a good hour of fun anyway.