Helloween (Germany) - Walls of Jericho (Album, 1985)

IT'S A WHOLE ALBUM OF HELLOWEEN!!! HELL YEAH!!!

Walls of Jericho is the debut album from German power metal legends Helloween, and it's a masterpiece! First of all, let's look at the cover:

The title Walls of Jericho is a reference to the Battle of Jericho, which is written about in the Biblical Book of Joshua. Wikipedia summarizes what happened by describing it as "the first battle fought by the Israelites in the course of the conquest of Canaan. According to Joshua 6:1–27, the walls of Jericho fell after the Israelites marched around the city walls once a day for six days, seven times on the seventh day, and then blew their trumpets." Well, that was the traditional version of the story - in the Helloween version, Fangface, decked out in a kickass hood, singlehandedly destroys the walls with his bare fists, and the trumpet is played by some pumpkin-faced dude in a white T-shirt!

I love the art and the concept is so outside the box yet so metal! The front cover is so badass, and the back is so surreal and creative. The way the side numbers are replaced with pumpkins is so Helloween too! There's two Helloween logos on the back cover this time (half as many as the EP) but if we're counting all the pumpkins, including the ones in the logos and Mr. Pumpkin Face, there's SIX! Outrageous! Also worth noting are the great live photos - we get a fantastic group shot plus some really cool individual pictures of each member.

This is what side one looks like, and it's Mr. Pumpkin Face - flipped in larger than life black and white! Looking closely, you can see that the image is flipped. Back when I reviewed Helloween's self-titled EP, I talked about how fun it would be to watch the image spin as the record's played on a turntable. I'm glad to say I have this album on vinyl, so I can confirm how awesome it is! So, now that we've seen the art, let's get to the music!

The first track is an instrumental intro titled "Walls of Jericho", and it perfectly sets the atmosphere for the forthcoming power metal assault. It's a variation on the Silver Shamrock melody we heard in "Starlight" - this time the Happy Halloween jingle is played on trumpets (possibly synth trumpets?) (perfect for the Jericho theme!) Due to the melody of that jingle being taken from "London Bridge Is Falling Down", I'm pretty sure this is the only track on a power metal album to have "nursery rhymes" listed as a genre on Rate Your Music! There's a great synth pad that comes in near the end, and the melody changes to something that deviates from "London Bridge" and it's so powerful! 

While the last note on the synth is sustained, we hear the epic sound of walls crumbling, and listening to this with your eyes closed will bring the cover image to glorious life! After a few seconds, the sound of the walls crumbling leads into "Ride the Sky", a monumental masterpiece of power/speed metal thunder!

The song begins with some classic sixteenth note power metal chugs, accompanied by a blistering lead with a bass line and crash cymbal work that's perfectly in sync. After this, we get a killer, fast drum fill and Kai Hansen does an INCREDIBLE long scream while the beat comes in, which is total sixteenth note double bass combined with double time on the hands perfection, made even better by the huge amount of cymbal work that matches the guitars as well as tons more kickass fills. 

Like many of the songs in Omen's Warning of Danger, this song gives you a short time to appreciate the killer verse riff before the vocals come in. Kai's vocals are so passionate and perfectly delivered! Check out the amazing bass work that comes in when Hansen sings "Set me free" - it's so ear-catching and perfectly leads into the pre-chorus, which has a goosebump inducing vocal melody. 

Yet another impeccable drum fill (Ingo Schwichtenberg is a powerhouse!) brings us into the chorus, where the constant double bass keeps going, but Ingo's hands are playing an excellent half time rhythm which adds variety to the song, and the tom hits that match Kai singing "Ride the Sky" are a perfect touch. Not only that, but it's so exciting when the hands go back into overdrive once the chorus ends! Another thing I should mention is that all of the beats in this song have been played on the hi-hat so far, yet even so, the drums feel so dynamic.

Verse 2 follows the same structure as the first, but there's an AWESOME touch - the huge tom hit after Kai sings "I have to think for myself" is SO epic, and makes the song even more exciting. Once the second pre-chorus and second chorus is finished, we're launched into a historic guitar solo. The melodies here are for the ages, and the synth choir in the background makes things even more grandiose. This is also the earliest European power metal song that uses keyboards - one thing that distinguishes EUPM from USPM is that Europower uses keys more often (there are some classic USPM numbers that predate "Ride the Sky" and have keys, though - Warlord's "Deliver Us from Evil" comes to mind) so it's cool to hear the roots of that in EUPM!

Midway through the solo, Ingo switches to the ride for a bit, which adds to the diversity of the drumming. There's also a great short break with more sixteenth note chugging and some cool use of the  hi-hat and snare to emphasize certain use. After this, the drums go back to the hi-hat and we hear some more epic soloing, and once a few bars have passed, Ingo returns to the ride as the guitar notes slowly get more high pitched, with the choir synth briefly returning. The way the layers pile up adds so much tension to the arrangement! After we're treated to another cool sixteenth note riff, we get some more soloing before the song seamlessly transitions back into the pre-chorus. 

This time, Ingo stays on the ride and a beautiful guitar lead matches Kai's voice perfectly. Hearing the vocals and guitar in harmony is such a rush! After a couple more choruses, with some repetitions featuring the choral synth, we go into the song's majestic ending, with Kai stretching "Give me wings to flyyyyyy" to epic proportions while we hear the sustained choral synth and a great tom fill from Ingo in the background. At the very end, Hansen sings a high "Ride on!" which is put through an echo effect - a breathtaking ending to a fantastic song!

Next up is "Reptile", which starts with an awesome riff and some killer tom work from Ingo! There's a really cool deep voice that comes in but I'm not able to make out what it says - if anyone knows I'd love to hear what it is. After some more nice fills, we go into the first verse, where Ingo does the classic speed/power metal beat on the ride, but this time it's slower than "Ride the Sky". 

Halfway through the verse, Ingo switches to the hi-hat, and it's a nice unexpected shift when the drums change that early. This song has some hilarious and uber-inspired lyrics, and I'll point out some especially funny lines as we go along. The first verse has the masterful couplet "Growing in this rotten crap at places no one wipes / Eating rats and stinking shit and all it needs to thrive." Poetry, thy name is Helloween!

After this, the song goes into the pre-chorus, which keeps the beat from the second half of the verse and has a fantastic vocal melody plus some standout bass work from Markus Grosskopf. This song has an interesting structure, because instead of going into the chorus like you'd expect, the song stops for a moment and Kai's vocals bring us into the second verse, which has lyrics so profound I must quote them all: 

"You're sometimes wondering what the hell bit your baby's arm / And the nuns at the holy mission can't keep the tramps from harm / Even thieves around dark corners too scared to leave the door / Frustrated businessmen needing a wank can't find themselves a whore."

Then, the second pre-chorus gives us this gem:

"You need a shit so you head off to the loo / You're coming to the bog, now what you gonna do!"

Holy shit!!! Maybe that deep voice in the beginning was saying words so gorgeous that the world just wasn't ready for them, and at the end of eternity, when we descend into metal Valhalla, we'll finally know the sensational secrets of the rainbow reptile of Rondor. Okay, let's take a moment to recover from the beauty of those impeccable lyrics so we can move on.

The chorus has a cool half-time hi-hat beat with some varied double kick work from Ingo, and Kai delivers a really catchy vocal melody that goes perfectly with the riffage. The next section is the guitar solo, which keeps the half-time feel at first, but soon the song goes back into full speed, with Ingo moving into the ride, and some spectacular shredding ensues! The solo continues as Ingo moves back to the hi-hat, and listen for a prominent bass fill from Markus Grosskopf - it's a superb detail! Once the shredding finishes, we go into another refrain, and then there's some more full speed ride work as Kai makes a catchy melody out of singing "you" over and over again as melodically as possible! The song ends with a gurgling sound effect, which reminds me of how blessed I am to live on the same planet as the people who made this!

Track 4 is "Guardians", which starts with a blood pumping speedy riff accompanied by thunderous toms. After a fast snare fill, the beat comes in, with Ingo doing the classic speed metal beat with his hands but sticking to one foot this time. This is another one of those songs where we get a quick moment to appreciate the verse riff before the vocals come in, which are glorious as always. When the song gets to the pre-chorus, Ingo brings in the sixteenth note double bass and I go "Fuck yeah!!!" It's another part with a really good vocal melody, too. Like in "Reptile", the song goes into the second verse right after the first pre-chorus, which is a great way of building suspense for what the chorus will be. 

Once the second pre-chorus concludes, we go into the refrain, and the vocal melody is so exquisite and catchy! Ingo keeps the double kick going but switches to the ride for this part. Then, we get a fantastic instrumental break that starts with the verse beat and has some killer riffs and outstanding bass work. Soon, we shift into a different beat with some great but not constant double bass work, over which we hear some more excellent riffage. Then, it starts going back and forth between the aforementioned part and a great Iron Maiden-y (always with the Maiden comparisons!) galloping section, where Ingo's double bass perfectly matches the guitars. To make things even more interesting, we soon get a wonderfully melodic solo over the rapidly changing instrumentation, and the band keeps the non-gallopy part going a bit longer near the end which is a great subtle change in the arrangement. When the solo concludes, we get a bit more of the gallopy (gallopy's totally a word!) part, and then there's a smooth transition back into the chorus. 

The way this repetition is structured is genius: in the first chorus, there's six lines, but in the second, there's four, so you're not expecting a change to happen so soon, but then, BAM! The third chorus has Kai's voice soaring even higher, and the choir synth we heard in "Ride the Sky" comes back to make things even more epic. Listening to this feels SO GOOD! This time, the band does the whole chorus, and the outro is Kai going "Puppets on a stringggggg" over some fantastic riffage and Ingo keeping the speed metal beat going, but moving to the hi-hat. Then, surprisingly, we hear a Marc Bolan-esque moan, and the song closes with a great riff and some emphatic tom hits. This part reminds me a bit of Metallica's "Ride the Lightning", which is really cool! And oh my god, I made a non-Maiden comparison!

The last song on side one is "Phantoms of Death", and it starts with a riff that sounds a bit like what the mighty Riot would do on "Run for Your Life" three years later (the ThunderSteel one, not the Fire Down Under one. Riot's the only band I can think of who has two different songs with the same title!) It's a mid-paced, ass-kicking traditional heavy metal sounding riff, over which Ingo soon comes in and does some tight cymbal chokes before doing a nice fill and coming in with a straightforward heavy metal beat on the hi-hat that makes me bang my head in approval. When the first verse comes in, the rhythm stays the same, and there's some fast, icy synth work in the background that enhances the atmosphere. In the pre-chorus, the song goes into a kickass "Victim of Fate" like rhythm, with Ingo doing a swinging Maiden-type (here we go again!) beat on the ride. 

The chorus (no extra waiting this time!) comes after, and the beat returns to what it was in the intro and verse. I love the backing vocals in the refrain - the layered vocals on "PHANTOMS!" are so killer, and I should mention that the lyrics in this song are metal as fuck! They mention Satan, hell, genocide, flesh ripped apart, hearts torn (literally!), warheads, parasites, armies, infernal destruction in fire, empires built on fear... they've got EVERYTHING!

After the chorus, we get a repeat of the badass intro riff, which is followed by another verse - pre-chorus - chorus cycle. Suddenly, a faster riff comes in, and it takes no prisoners! Ingo does some more cymbal chokes over this part, plus the occasional tubular tom fill, and then the drums go into full speed metal mode as we get an incredible guitar solo featuring Michael Weikath and Kai Hansen shredding their hearts out! This part is followed by a sudden stop that's so effective! A more mid-paced beat comes in, with Ingo staying on the hi-hat, and after we get a moment to appreciate the awesome riff that goes with it, the epic soloing resumes! There's a great quick cymbal choke + riff part that transitions back into the fast "Victim of Fate" like beat on the ride, and then the soloing continues once more! Every note is face melting, as is Ingo's uber-amazing double kick work. EPIC!

After everyone stops briefly, we get a reprise of the intro, followed by the third verse - pre-chorus cycle. Instead of going into the chorus right after the third pre-chorus, the song throws a curveball by putting an extra section that keeps the rhythm going, with Kai singing "We are all parasites of this world, we shall die!" Brutal! After another repetition of the chorus, with Kai singing his heart out on the last "phantoms of DEATHHHHHHHHHHHH!" we get a really cool brief ending riff.

Time for side two!

"Metal Invaders" starts with some ominous guitar feedback before bursting into a kickass sixteenth note speed metal riff accompanied by some killer cymbal choke work and fills from Ingo. After this, Ingo does a cool beat on the hi-hat that's got the speed metal double time handwork combined with a single bass rhythm. Michael Weikath's bass work is really prominent in this part, and he lets it rip! Soon, we get into the first verse, where Ingo keeps his hands playing the same beat but brings in the double bass thunder. YES! Check out how coordinated the crash work and fills are with the guitars here, it's magical! Speaking of magical, the melody Kai sings in the pre-chorus is total brilliance. It's so energetic, high and catchy! 

Ingo switches to the ride during this part and then back to the hi-hat while it's still going, which is a creative and unexpected move that gives the double bass mayhem some variety, The chorus has Ingo going back to the ride, and there's some more killer guitar + drums synchronization! Once the first refrain ends, we get a reprise of the intro riff, which leads us into the second verse - pre-chorus - chorus cycle. What's interesting about the second refrain is that the words change, which is another cool unexpected move because choruses generally have the same lyrics when repeated.

Once the second chorus is over, Ingo goes back to the beat he played in the intro while we get some more awe-inspiring guitar riffs! There's a cool part where Ingo stops playing the other drums and does some open hi-hat quarter notes, followed by a killer snare fill that brings us into a new section of the solo where Ingo brings back the kickass constant 16th note double bass and moves to the ride! Eventually, we hear Kai singing a commanding "ALRIGHT!" which brings us into another cool hi-hat only part, mixed with some tubular crash work and a thunderously fast tom fill! This brings us back into another reprise of the intro riff, followed by a repeat of the verse - pre-chorus - chorus structure. At the end of the song, we get another repeat of the chorus, this time played on the hi-hat, and I love the layers of vocals on the line "Sworn to bring metalllllll!" The ending where Kai repeats "tonight" a few times in a whispering tone then sings it again in a glass-shattering metal falsetto is so epic! The delay on his voice sounds really cool and brings us out in great fashion. The part where we hear a woman's voice asking "Tonight?" is hilarious, and another example of Helloween's fun sense of humor.

The next song is "Gorgar", a badass name I've ever seen one! It turns out it's named after a pinball machine that came out in 1979. I found an ad for it, and holy shit is it metal!

The song starts with some dazzling guitar work, accompanied by Ingo doing some four on the floor kick work and some staggering tom fills. Then, we hear a massive snare hit, which brings us into some guitar feedback as the music gradually slows down and the bass takes over for a brief moment. Another huge snare hit comes in, which brings us into a crushing riff that reminds me of Metallica's "Ride the Lightning" (woah, two references to that song in one review!) Helloween make this riff their own by adding a sweet pinch harmonic, as well as putting a killer lead over it. When the drums come back in, the kick goes back to four on the floor, and Ingo does some awesome sixteenth notes on the hi-hat as well as some more brilliant crash work and fills. It sounds like disco drumming in a metal song - what a combination! When the verse comes in, Ingo switches to beat to quarter note hi-hat and the kick is no longer four on the floor, though still single kick, which gives the beat a more rocking feel. When we get to the pre-chorus, which keeps the tempo and hi-hat going while adding more kick notes, there's some awesome fills from Ingo, as well as more of the hi-hat count-in stuff in "Metal Invaders." Going into the chorus, Ingo does a kickass fill where he briefly goes into sixteenth note double bass mode, which builds so much excitement. 

After another brief hi-hat count in, we go into the chorus, where Ingo keeps the same feel going. I love the backing vocals chanting "GORGAR!" and "HEY!" So unique and catchy! After the second verse and chorus, we go into the bridge, which is full of awesome cymbal choking perfectly synced with the guitar, and there's a lot of dramatic pauses here. Halfway through, Ingo does a cool fill and goes back into the hi-hat beat before the solo starts. Once it does, Ingo switches to 8th note double bass (the pattern's slow enough to be played on one foot, but it sounds really powerful so I'm guessing he used two kicks) and the guitars quote Edvard Grieg's piece "In the Hall of the Mountain King", which is a brilliant touch! Other metal bands have done great arrangements of it since this album came out, but Helloween were the first to incorporate the melody into a metal song, as far as I know. Pioneers!

After the "Mountain King" section and some more hi-hat counting, the drums switch to a single bass rhythm played on the ride as the solo continues, and it's epic as always! Ingo brings us back into the chorus with a repeat of that killer sixteenth note double bass fill, and the song concludes with another repetition of the refrain where Ingo goes into full kickass mode, going into sixteenth note double bass through the whole chorus! The way he moves the beat to the crash while hitting the snare in double time over Kai's closing scream is a perfect ending for this song, and we also get to hear a brief sample from the pinball machine - the first talking pinball game ever made!

The penultimate song is called "Heavy Metal (Is the Law.)" I've got to approve of that title! It begins with a sample of a crowd cheering (it's not a real live recording, but there's extra reverb and crowd noise put over the song to make it sound live) while Ingo does a brief, kickass drum solo where he shows the toms who's boss. Then, he goes into my beloved speed metal beat on the hi-hat, and even before the other instruments come in I know this song will kick ass! It's the fastest song Helloween has done, at least at this point in their discography, and for me the higher the tempo, the better (yes, I'm a DragonForce fan!)

 The drums stop for a bit while Kai does an awesome scream right when Ingo hits the crash, and we get a killer sixteenth note speed metal riff accentuated with synchronized furious tom pounding. Ingo changes things up a bit by making his rhythm go from the snare to the toms, and this drum fill leads us into the first verse, where Ingo goes back into the speed metal beat, which is made even better with the awesome riffage combined with the formidable vocals! The pre-chorus keeps the insane energy going, and the song structure brings back the cool Helloween trick where they go back into the verse after the first pre-chorus, keeping you in suspense and making it feel so good when they reach the refrain!

When the refrain comes, there's a dramatic pause where the band stops, then Kai comes in a capella, singing "Heavy..." and the band return for "Metal is the law!" So good! After the chorus, we get a reprise of the intro, followed by the most superhuman shredding yet! I should mention that the fills and cymbal accents Ingo does throughout the song are his best yet - they're so fast and furious! They're truly the work of a drumming master. Once a brief stop-start sixteenth note riff finishes, we get a bass solo accompanied by Ingo keeping the legendary beat going, and Markus Grosskopf's playing shines more than ever. After a killer tom fill, Ingo moves the beat to the toms, and from here the beat starts and stops frequently, as Kai engages the "crowd" in a powerful sing-along section where he goes "Heavy metal!" and the "crowd" responds with "HEY!" There's a brief bit where Markus' bass returns, which fills this part with even more energy.

Then, to keep things fresh, the fake crowd starts singing "HEAVY METAL!" after Kai does it - it's a great change, and then the crowd starts to respond faster as we hear Kai command "HEAVY!" with the crowd responding epically, followed by "METAL!" which is given the same reception. After an awesome falsetto "Heavyyyyyyyyyy" we're brought back into the chorus, which is repeated twice. Ingo does an awesome fill to bring in the second repetition! The outro is some more sixteenth note guitar which is enhanced by some more killer fills from Ingo, which bring us out as we hear the crowd erupt with applause, then the song fades out.

The last song is "How Many Tears" (Helloween must have known they were making an album so great people would cry when it was over!) The title makes it sound like a ballad, but that turns not to be the case - it starts with another killer speed metal riff, keeping the momentum from the last track going. After some more kickass cymbal work and a devastating fill from Ingo, we get more classic speed metal drumming goodness played on the hi-hat, and when the first verse comes in there's more brilliant cymbal work and fills that go perfectly with the guitars! During the pre-chorus, Ingo switches to the ride, to great effect.

This is another Helloween song that goes back to the verse after the first chorus, so once we get through that and the second pre-chorus, we get to hear the refrain, which keeps the beat from the pre-chorus going. This is the longest and most epic chorus on the album - the vocal melody is colossally grand! The lyrics in this song are a beautiful, poetic cry for human rights, and I highly recommend reading them. They're really powerful and profound, and they're even more poignant when paired with such dazzling music. The way the song pauses and comes back in while Kai ends the chorus with "dead and gone" is so effective!

After the chorus, the song jumps into the guitar solo, where Ingo keeps the ride going but spices things up with more perfectly synced crash work that accents the rhythm guitar. What the guitars are playing in this part sounds like a classical melody, but it's original as far as I know, which shows just how talented this band is! Soon, Ingo switches to the hi-hat as the guitars play a crushingly killer riff before the drums go back to the ride and the solo continues. 

The incredible shredding dramatically ends with a sustained chord on the guitar, which perfectly leads into a gorgeous section where Ingo plays a slow beat on the ride and the guitars play a beautiful melody, which is made even more stunning by the subtle synth pad in the background. Even during this slow part, Ingo manages to show off his fast feet  through some quick, subtle use of double bass during certain fills. We get some more brilliant soloing, and after another pause, we get an emotional solo over some lighter guitar and some gentle ride cymbal work. The dynamics and tempo changes in this song are stunning - you never know what to expect, and they hit you in the gut every time.

Just when you're about to relax, the band hits you with another surprise: a brilliantly played, fast and long sixteenth note snare fill startles you awake while the guitars come back in one at a time. It's a grandiose use of layers, and lets you know you're back in the speed metal zone! After this, the hi-hat speed metal beat comes back and we get a reprise of the intro riff followed by a brief but terrific solo. We then go into a repetition of the pre-chorus, which is enhanced by some more soloing that goes great with Kai's vocals! Midway through the final repetition of the refrain, the gorgeous choral synth we heard earlier in the album returns, which makes the epicness even more epic than epicness times infinity! 

While Kai sings the last lines, "All cruelty and violence / On Earth will be dead and gone", the band once again dramatically stops and Hansen slows down his delivery, which really emphasizes the song's message. Then, we get the biggest of all big metal endings - it's a whole minute of chaotic mayhem! There's a couple of times when it sounds like the drums are signaling the end, but then the band comes back in and they keep going, so when the track really does end it's so stunning! It's wild and so much fun to listen to. It's a perfect ending for a perfect album!

Before I conclude this article, let's check out some more of the goodies you get with the LP!

This is the lyric sheet (it's always awesome having one of those), and I love how it's designed. Looking at it makes me feel like an ancient warrior reading a sacred scroll!

Finally, we get an updated Noise Records ad:

Some of the records advertised are the same as on Helloween's self-titled EP (the Death Metal compilation, Celtic Frost's Morbid Tales, Warrant's First Strike, the Running Wild records, Sinner's Danger Zone and two of the Grave Digger records) but there's some awesome new additions too: Celtic Frost's Emperor's Return, a classic thrash metal EP, as well as Warrant's speed metal masterpiece The Enforcer and Teutonic thrash legends Kreator are there too, with their tour de force debut album Endless Pain! Finally, there's a self-titled EP by some band called Helloween. I'd better check that out!

Next time on The History of Power Metal, we'll be heading into 1986 and going to Italy with the self-titled demo tape from the mighty Domine!