One of my all time favorites, Helloween are back with their 10th studio album ''The Dark Ride''.
Not much has changed since the last album ''Better Than Raw'', except the fact that there are new producers on the album, Charlie Bauerfeind and Roy Z. Recorded in Tenerife, at My Sueno Music Studios, the album features a lot of the typical Helloween-trademarks and, rest assured, won't disappoint any fan.
The album is a bit heavier than the last one though, and contains less happy songs like Falling Higher, Hey Lord, I Can or Lavdate Dominum from Better Than Raw (1998). There are of course some of those too, like Mr. Torture, which will be a big hit on tour, just like Power was some years ago, and All Over The Nations, which is the only track on the album I don't really like. It sounds a bit like Helloween are trying to copy one of those new bands that are trying to copy Helloween.
Great songs to mention are the heavy Escalation 666, the Single track If I Could Fly, the speedy Salvation, the heavy The Departed and I Live For Your Pain. Therefore a wide range of stylistic elements is covered, of course, as everyone of the band has their own style of writing songs.
To emphasize on single tracks is pointless, because it wouldn't do any justice to the whole of the album. If you want to listen my opinion, all you out there who like listening German Power Metal, buy their new album and they won't let you down.