ALBUM:THE DARK RIDE
ARTIST:HELLOWEEN
YEAR OF RELEASE:2000
RATING:*** 1/2

One of my surprises of 2000, Helloween came roaring back after the sub-par Better Than Raw, and the lame covers disc, Metal Jukebox. Enlisting the services of Roy Z.(the man responsible for the awesomeness of the last 2 Bruce Dickinson releases), the band is back with a heavier, darker, somewhat more modern sound. This sound is a big improvement over the last disc, and also sets them even more apart from the typical power metal bands that Helloween themselves helped spawn. Whereas some bands are content to sound the same throughout their careers, and others change it so much that they're unrecognizable(*coughMetallicacough*), Helloween changed in just the right amount. Heavier and darker, yet still recognizable as the Helloween we all know and love. It features a few of the so called "typical" Helloween fast numbers, in "All Over the Nations", "We Damn the Night", and "Mr. Torture", but also adds some slower songs, and even a couple of really unique songs, such as "The Departed". Highlights of this all around good disc are the aforementioned "We Damn the Night" and "The Departed", along with the title track. The b-side, "Deliver Us From Temptation" is also a killer track, one of the band's best b-sides, and a better choice for the album than the a-side it appears with.

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