Helloween

Treasure Chest

Mostly well chosen songs

Review Score:

(10/10)
Helloween's 2002 anthology, 'Treasure Chest,' features 29 of Helloween's best tunes (28 actually-there is one track that is absolute crap.) It covers the entire era of Helloween from their self-titled debut EP (1985) to 'The Dark Ride' (2000.) It features:

From 'Helloween' EP:
"Murderer," "Starlight" (with vocals redone by Michael Kiske.)
"Murderer" is extremely fast with a punk influence in both the riffing and the vocals. "Starlight" was good originally, but with Kiske on vocals, it just plain RIPS!

From 'Walls of Jericho':
"Metal Invaders," "How Many Tears," "Walls of Jericho/Ride the Sky"
"Metal Invaders" is absolute brutality, it has a very Metallica feel to it (mainly in their 'Ride The Lightning' era.) "How Many Tears" is a fast paced epic. And while "Walls of Jericho" is not a great intro, "Ride The Sky" is so heavy, so fast, it HURTS!

From 'Keeper of the Seven Keys, Pt. 1':
"Future World," "Halloween," "A Little Time," "A Tale That Wasn't Right."
"Future World" was the emphasis track from this album, and it totally shreds. The riffing, the little bass solo in the middle, it rocks. "Halloween" is one of the best power metal epics ever written. "A Little Time" is a great quick tune. And "A Tale That Wasn't Right" is a customary example of how power metal bands should do ballads.

From 'Keeper of the Seven Keys, Pt. 2':
"Eagle Fly Free," "I Want Out," "Keeper of the Seven Keys," "Dr. Stein."
"Eagle Fly Free" is truly one of the most majestic power metal songs, and the trio of choruses build up from a simple thrash to a gothic choir to a battle trumpet. "I Want Out" is THE greatest Helloween song ever, I even learned to play it on bass. "Keeper of the Seven Keys" is not the best Helloween song, but it is the best Helloween epic. And "Dr. Stein" totally rips, it has a haunting riff and series of guitar and organ solos, verrrry cool.

From 'Pink Bubbles Go Ape':
"The Chance."
This song comes from one of my personal least favorite Helloween albums, it's not dreadful, just a bit disappointing. This song, however, is a masterpiece, the riffing and bassline are top-notch, and Kiske's vocals are aboslutely bone-chilling.

From 'Chameleon':
"Windmill."
One word describes this song: CRAP! But to put it into many words...this song is dull, slow, and utterly lame, it has no distorted guitar patterns, just a poppy bass line and a boring keyboard lead.

From 'Master of the Rings':
"Where the Rain Grows," "Sole Survivor," "Perfect Gentleman," "In the Middle of a Heartbeat," "Mr. Ego."
I definetely enjoy "Where The Rain Grows" and "Sole Survivor," they are fast and heavy with top notch bass lines to match. "Perfect Gentleman" has a tempo somewhat reminiscent of "A Little Time," even the riffing has somewhat of a resemblance...but it's still a great song. "In the Middle of a Heartbeat" is not excellent, I don't find it as enjoyable a ballad as "A Tale That Wasn't Right," the acoustic guitar just doesn't quite fit. "Mr. Ego" tends to drag on a bit, but is overall a solid 7-minute rocker.

From 'Time of the Oath':
"Power," "Kings Will Be Kings" "Time of the Oath," "Forever and One."
This album is plagued by so-so production, but "Power" is a quick, solid, near-4 minute speedfest, very good. "Kings Will Be Kings" are good too, and they are also slightly lengthier, which is a plus. But, like "In The Middle of a Heartbeat," "Forever and One" is a somewhat weak ballad.

From 'Better Than Raw':
"I Can," "Midnight Sun."
"I Can" is the emphasis track from this album, and it totally shreds. In spite of a simple guitar riff, it's still great. "Midnight Sun" has much more of a classic metal feel to it, it's long and epic.

From 'The Dark Ride':
"Mr. Torture," "Immortal," "Mirror Mirror."
What was Helloween's newest album at the time of this compilation's release features 3 of the heaviest songs Helloween ever recorded. But of the three, "Mr. Torture" is the major highlight. It's fast, punishingly heavy, and has lyrics that paint a violently realistic picture in your head.

I just feel it was missing a few songs: "Heavy Metal (Is The Law)," "Judas," "I'm Alive," "Save Us," "Why," "Hey Lord," "A Game we Shouldn't Play," and "If I Could Fly."

"Metal is forever, in every way and matter"-Primal Fear

More Reviews: