Review Summary: Helloween improve on their basis and release an excellent full-length debut.
Helloween released their full-length debut
Walls of Jericho in 1985, the same year as their self-titled EP.
Walls is not so much a revolution in sound for the band, but rather an proper expansion and improvement on what they already knew. The album would be the last to feature the original line-up: Kai Hansen would step away from the mic in the future, as he could not bear handling both lead vocals and guitar at the same time anymore.
What has remained the same since
Helloween is the basis of the band’s sound. The songs are once again all driven by riffs borrowed and sped up from British contemporaries, mostly classic heavy metal acts such as
Iron Maiden and
Judas Priest, and the raw, passionate tone that the vocals are delivered with serves as basis for the music’s appeal. The production hasn’t changed much either, but unsurprisingly works wonders for the sound of the album. Lyrically, the classic fantasy/violence power metal themes are once again well presented, and contribute to the silly feel that these Germans have managed to stick with for the rest of their career. It is that particular feel that is so vital for the very identity of the band. You either love it or hate it.
What has changed, has changed for the better. The most notable of these changes is the guitar work, which, as mentioned above, may not have altered in style, but definitely has in structure and refinement. The riffs seem more consistent and less chaotic than on the band’s debut, and the solos are in most cases better presented, as well as more impressive. This is all a result of Hansen’s improved writing, who would remain Helloween’s very best contributor, Weikath never even coming close to equaling him. On their first three albums, Hansen simply IS Helloween. The riffs are infectious, the vocals are great although silly, and he makes those cheesy lyrics work extremely well.
There are perhaps no real standouts on
Walls of Jericho, except for the opening bombastic title track, combined with
Ride the Sky, which contains some of Hansen’s very best vocals in his time with Helloween. Tracks such as Guardians and Reptile are pretty standard fare, but are nonetheless two of the album’s most enjoyable outputs.
Metal Invaders and
Phantoms of Death can be accounted to the cheesiest of the lot, which shouldn’t be unsurprising when reading their respective titles. Variety is probably the album’s weakest link, but luckily the boys make up for it in consistency and constant aggression.
Walls may slightly tire you out towards the end after repeated listens, but is also devoid of filler.
Perhaps it seems fitting to once again draw a comparison to Iron Maiden, one of the band’s greatest inspirers. Their first two albums,
Iron Maiden and
Killers had the raw, aggressive Paul Di’Anno on vocal duties, before he was replaced by Bruce Dickinson on the classic
Number of the Beast. The same happened to Helloween with Michael Kiske, only then an addition instead of a replacement. The similarity between the two events, which happened about 5 years apart, is striking, especially if you consider that both bands would create what is regarded by many as their best album with their new vocalist. If you’re a Maiden fan, it’s likely you’ll enjoy early Helloween tremendously.
Walls of Jericho thus meant an end of an era to Helloween. The pounding aggression and speed of their two first would soon be partly replaced, in favour of a far more melodic approach with the Keeper albums. Still, the album is not one to be overlooked, and stands out as an excellent release, surpassing a great many of the band’s post-Keeper works.
Yoda recommends:
Walls of Jericho/Ride the Sky
Phantoms of Death
Guardians
Reptile
- Kai Michael Hansen ~ Vocals, Guitar
- Michael Ingo Joachim Weikath ~ Guitar
- Markus Grosskopf ~ Bass Guitar
- Ingo Schwichtenberg ~ Drums
