Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part II
Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part II is the third studio album by German power metal band Helloween, released in 1988.[1][2] The album sold well, and success bloomed all over Europe, Asia, and even the United States. The album went gold in Germany and reached No. 108 in the US.
Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part II | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 29 August 1988 | |||
Recorded | May–June 1988 | |||
Studio | Horus Sound Studio, Hanover, Germany | |||
Genre | Power metal | |||
Length | 49:23 | |||
Label | Noise | |||
Producer | Tommy Newton, Tommy Hansen | |||
Helloween chronology | ||||
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Singles from Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part II | ||||
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Two singles were released from the album, "Dr. Stein" and "I Want Out". "Dr. Stein" has a very long and moody solo, played with a blues tinge, very unlike other solos on the album, as well as an organ solo. "I Want Out" remains the band's best-known song, and has been covered by several metal bands, such as Gamma Ray (which Kai Hansen formed after leaving Helloween itself), Unisonic, HammerFall, LORD and Sonata Arctica.
Critical reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [3] |
Blabbermouth.net | 10/10[4] |
Classic Rock | [5] |
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 9/10[6] |
Kerrang! | [7] |
Metal Hammer (GER) | 7/7[8] |
Rock Hard | 9/10[9] |
Sputnikmusic | 4/5[10] |
Loudwire named the album at first in their list "Top 25 Power Metal Albums of All Time."[11] The album also ranked in the list "The 10 essential power metal albums" by Metal Hammer.[12]
Track listing
All songs written by Michael Weikath, except where noted.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Invitation" | 1:06 | |
2. | "Eagle Fly Free" | 5:08 | |
3. | "You Always Walk Alone" | Michael Kiske | 5:08 |
4. | "Rise and Fall" | 4:22 | |
5. | "Dr. Stein" | 5:03 | |
6. | "We Got the Right" | Kiske | 5:07 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
7. | "March of Time" | Kai Hansen | 5:13 |
8. | "I Want Out" | Hansen | 4:39 |
9. | "Keeper of the Seven Keys" | 13:37 | |
Total length: | 49:23 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
10. | "Save Us" (CD bonus track, track 7 on North American releases) | Kai Hansen | 5:15 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Savage" | Kiske | 3:25 |
2. | "Livin' Ain't No Crime" | 4:42 | |
3. | "Don't Run for Cover" | Kiske | 4:45 |
4. | "Dr Stein" (remix) | 5:05 | |
5. | "Keeper of the Seven Keys" (remix) | 13:52 | |
Total length: | 31:49 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
11. | "Don't Run for Cover" | Kiske | 4:45 |
12. | "Dr. Stein" (remix) | 5:05 | |
13. | "Keeper of the Seven Keys" (remix) | 13:52 |
- Tracks 1 and 2 also appear on the "Dr. Stein" single
- Track 3 also appears on the "I Want Out" single
- Tracks 4 and 5 also appear on the Treasure Chest compilation
Personnel
Helloween
- Michael Kiske - vocals
- Kai Hansen - guitar, backing vocals
- Michael Weikath - guitar, keyboards, backing vocals, cover concept
- Markus Grosskopf - bass, fretless bass on "Eagle Fly Free"
- Ingo Schwichtenberg - drums
Production
- Tommy Newton - engineer, mixing for "I Got Confused Productions"
- Tommy Hansen - engineer, mixing of "Invitation"
Charts
References
- "Helloween – Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part II (tracklist and versions)". Discogs. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
- "Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II". Encyclopaedia Metallum. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
- Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Keeper of the Seven Keys, Pt. 2 - Helloween | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
- Bergman, Keith. "Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II - Helloween". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
- Berelian, Essi (February 2011). "Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 1 & 2". Classic Rock. No. 154. p. 88.
- Popoff, Martin (November 1, 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 157. ISBN 978-1-894959-31-5.
- Miller, Paul (August 27, 1988). "Helloween - 'Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II'". Kerrang!. No. 202.
- Kühnemund, Götz (September 1, 1988). "Helloween – Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part II". Metal Hammer (in German). Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
- Stratmann, Holger. "Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys, Part II". Rock Hard (in German). Archived from the original on September 29, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
- Stagno, Mike (September 7, 2006). "Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II (album review 4)". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
- DiVita, Joe (July 5, 2017). "Top 25 Power Metal Albums of All Time". Loudwire. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
- Lawson, Dom (October 19, 2016). "The 10 essential power metal albums". Metal Hammer. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
- "Helloween - Keeper of The Seven Keys Pt. 2 (Austrian Charts)" (in German). austriancharts.at. Archived from the original on November 14, 2012. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
- "Helloween - Keeper of The Seven Keys Pt. 2 (Dutch Charts)". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
- "Helloween - Keeper of The Seven Keys Pt. 2 (German Charts)" (in German). charts.de. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
- "Helloween - Keeper of The Seven Keys Pt. 2 (Norwegian Charts)". norwegiancharts.com. Archived from the original on July 1, 2015. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
- "Helloween - Keeper of The Seven Keys Pt. 2 (Swiss Charts)" (in German). hitparade.ch. Archived from the original on December 22, 2013. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
- "Helloween - Keeper of The Seven Keys Pt. 2 (Swedish Charts)". swedishcharts.com. Archived from the original on August 21, 2017. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
- "Helloween - Keeper of The Seven Keys Pt. 2 (UK Charts)". officialcharts.com. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
- "Helloween - Keeper of The Seven Keys Pt. 1 (US Charts)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
- "1988 Year End Eurocharts: Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music and Media. 1 January 1989. p. 31. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
- "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts 1988". Offizielle Charts (in German). Retrieved 5 January 2021.