Awesome album, the best Deris-era Helloween album in my opinion!

It was also the first Deris-Helloween album I heard and I got immediately floored by 'Push'. Helloween has always done lengthy album intros, but Deliberately Limited Preliminary Prelude Period in Z is their best and works so well together with the opening track.

'Falling Higher' was always a personal favourite. It's a great heavy metal anthem. 'Revelation' is heavy and epic, 'I Can' is probably the most infectious song on the CD, and all the other tracks rock too!

I like Lavdate Dominum, even if it's in Latin. When Helloween finally writes an openly Christian song, it's in a language no-one speaks. Go figure.

Anyway, solid solid stuff, yet again. I like the album art, too. My copy came with a small poster.

Favourite tracks: Push, Falling Higher, Revelation

A Poster? I thoguht Time Of The Oath came with a poster. This one did too? Maaaaaaaaaaan why do I always have to miss out.

I love Better Than Raw. Every song rules. I have the japanese version that has the song Back On The Ground in place of A Game We Shouldn't Play (which is also on the I Can single). That's the only problem if you're going to be a Helloween completist. There's alot of different cds that need bought to get all their recordings (singles,imports,etc.)

Better Than Raw:

Like the other post-Kiske Helloween albums, this one too sat very well in my ears at first. But after quite a few spins, my interest seems to fade. Some of the tracks are killer, others are very forgettable!

Killer tracks: Revelation, LAVDATE DOMINVM

Fun fact: What does the album title, Better Than Raw, mean?
Andi and I were hanging out at our favorite bar, the Backstage in Hamburg, and we realized that everyone in the band hates the taste of pumpkins (we are often given gifts of pumpkin food). At that bar, we usually come up with stupid ideas for album concepts and covers...the story behind BTR is the Smurf series. The witch on the cover stands for Gargamel, and the pumpkin men for the Smurfs. The witch is cooking pumpkin soup, and so Andi said that at least it’s better than [eating pumpkin] raw. So I said why don't we call the album that [Better Than Raw], and he agreed. It is the most stupid album title there is with regards to its meaning. So we all agreed to keep it.

1999 saw the band release a covers album entitled "Metal Jukebox". Instead of releasing a best of or another live album the band decided to do something special. This album contained a variety of rock, pop and metal classics which influenced the band.When producing Metal Jukebox, Helloween changed their traditional power metal style and shifted to a more pop metal style of music that remained only for the production of the album. The cover songs include Hocus Pocus, a cover of the band Focus, which includes heavily distorted guitars and very heavy drumming; aspects that the original piece does not contain and are common in many of Helloween's music. The album also includes Jethro Tull, Cream, Beatles, David Bowie, ABBA, Faith No More, Deep Purple, Babe Ruth, Frank Marino, Alex Harvey, and the Scorpions.

There was a single for the song Lay All Your Love On Me.

Not knowing some of these songs before this album it was kind of a let down to me. For the ones that I did know though I thought they did a great job. I just wish they didnt cover the song White Room. Ive heard that song way too many times that if I never hear that song again I wouldn't care.

This is probably my least played Helloween album and my least favorite, but I do have some favorite songs. From Out Of Nowhere, Lay All Your Love On Me and Space Oddity.

During this time Roland Grapow releases his second solo album called Kaleidoscope with vocalist Michael Vescera, Barry Sparks and Mike Terrana, Ferdy Doernberg, and guest appearance by Jens Johannson on a couple of tracks.

It has to be pretty special for me to pick up a covers album and this wasn't it.

Like most covers albums,Metal Jukebox is a collection filler for me (some songs are ok,I guess).

Metal Jukebox was very disapointing. I don't think there are 2 songs I'd want to hear again on that CD.

Roland Grapow:

The Four Seasons Of Life:
Roland's first solo-effort doesn't really differ much from Roland's then main band, Helloween. It is of course a little bit more solo-guitar oriented, and thus adding an Yngwie Malmsteen feel to it. His band consists of various friends, from other known bands like Blind Guardian, Axel Rudi Pell and Rough Silk. And it's a fine collection of tunes here. Roland is really a fine songwriter. The only drawback has to be the man's voice. He is just not a very good singer. He manages to get through it without completely making a fool of himself. But I'd prefer it if he'd just kept his voice in the background, and hired a "real" singer instead. Still it is cool to hear that such good songs can't be ignored, even with a less then mediocre voice. The obligatory instrumentals are OK too.
Killer tracks: The Winner, Show Me The Way, I Remember, Strange Friend, Bread Of Charity

Kaleidoscope:

I guess I was not the only one who complained about Roland's voice on his first solo-album, because on his second one, he brings in Mike Vescera (Yngwie Malmsteen, MVP, Loudness) to handle the throat-job. Other changes in the crew includes new drummer Mike Terrana (Rage, Metalium etc.). This album is also a good one. But I think it takes a little bit longer to take off. All the songs are fine, but the really good ones doesn't appear until it's halfway through, with the title track being the highlight. 'Kaleidoscope' doesn't remind as much of Helloween as 'The Four Seasons Of Life' did either. It's more melodic, and I would compare the sound to Axel Rudi Pell. A nice guest appearance by keyboard-wizard Jens Johansson (Stratovarius etc.) doesn't hurt either. Another safe buy.
Killer tracks: Under The Same Sun, 'Till The End, Kaleidoscope, Angel Face

I am not a very big Helloween fan, so I am not going to go back and read this whole thread. But has anyone mentioned the Pumpkin Box from '98? Or are ya not up to that point yet? I just got this fairly cheap, and it is a fun package.

Just thought I would interject my personal insanity into another thread....

METAL JUKEBOX....ehh. Like most cover albums, it's a mixed bag. I dig the covers of the Scorps' "He's a Woman(She's A Man)", FNM's "From Out of Nowhere" and Focus' "Hocus Pocus" among others, but the main problem I think a lotta people had with the song selection on this record is that a good hunk of it was made up of odd choices (ABBA?) or obscure stuff that not many people are familiar with, at least on this side of the ocean. I mean, who the hell is Babe Ruth ("Mexican")? I'd only vaguely heard of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band ("Faith Healer") at the time, and I'm still not sure I know who Frank Marino ("Juggernaut") is.

Frank Marino is an old guitar wiz. He headed-up Mahogany Rush back in the day. Scott is a big FM fan.

My Helloween discography is sorley lacking. I have but a handful of discs, Metal Jukebox being one of them. I like it quite a bit. I like that they went with some classics, but also chose some obscure/non-metal tunes and spiced 'em up some. Nothing wrong with that in my book. Better than hearing the same old songs played the same way over and over again.

In fact, I think I'll break that one out and take it to work this week. Stick that in you pipe & smoke it, ya Jukebox haters.

An additional note about the track "Hocus Pocus" that Helloween covered on here - back in the '80s a guitar/music gear store around here used to use the original version as the background music in their commercials on local cable TV. The camera would zip super-fast up and down the aisles of the store past all the guitars, drum sets, mics, etc. while the song played. It actually made the song kind of a minor hit in this area. I remember hearing it on the radio a few times, and once the DJ even said "We got a request to hear the song from the Guitar Shop (or whatever the store was called) commercial, so here it is!"

Gary Hoey did a terrible cover of Hocus Pocus as well...

I have none here but as far as the covers album it looks like I'm not missing much.

In 2000 the band signed a new deal with Nuclear Blast and released The Dark Ride. This began a long relationship with the band and Charlie Bauerfeind who would produce all of the bands albums from this point on. Helloween developed a more darker sound on this album and also played with down tuned guitars. Despite being heavier and more modern sounding The album became one of Helloween’s worst selling albums. Reviews in the press and even fans reactions were mixed. Some liked the new direction and some wanted back the Helloween of old.

There were 2 singles released for this album. Mr. Torture, and If I Could Fly both featured the same songs. There was also a video for the song If I Could Fly. A Dvd was also re-released at this time entitled The Pumpkin Videos. It featured all the videos from the first Pumpkin Videos and added the newer ones up til this point.

During this time tensions in the band started to rise with Roland Grapow and Uli Kusch who were later fired. They were to reform starting a new band called Masterplan with Jorn Lande on vocals.

While looking for replacements Helloween released a 2 disc best of called Treasure Chest. It also was released as a limited 3 disc set with the third disc featuring rare b-sides. The best of featured a couple of remixed versions of older songs.

I dont know what the problem was with The Dark Ride for some people. Some people dont like change I guess. Me, I think its great. Sure its dark but why does everything have to be consistently the same? I stuck with Helloween through Pink Bubbles and Chameleon. The Dark Ride was still far from that and people were unhappy because it was too heavy for Helloween? I really dont get it. Granted it wasnt better than Better Than Raw but it was still a great album. Mr. Torture has one of the fastest solo parts that I think I ever heard them do. I also find the songs to be really catchy and I never get bored listening to them. Maybe the production could have been a little better but to say this album was in any way bad is just beyond me. I love the whole album.

I think because it came after Better Then Raw it was hard for many to accept. This is a very good album, very heavy with great tone from the guitars. I love Escalation 666, really grabs you with the hook.

I don't understand the hate for DARK RIDE either. They were obviously heading in a heavier direction on BETTER THAN RAW, and DARK RIDE just sounds like the next logical step to me. I think it's a fantastic album, easily on par with BETTER THAN RAW.

One thing I never understood is why it took so long for Nuclear Blast to release that album in the U.S. When it came out in 2000 I waited and waited and waited, but when it became obvious that it wasn't getting an American release anytime soon I asked a friend who was going to Europe on vacation to pick me up a copy while he was there.

...of course, when it did finally come out in the U.S. some months after that, it came in a little box with a bonus CD single that had non-album tracks on it. #$@%!!!!

I really loved The Dark Ride as a new release. But just like with most of the Deris era albums, I seldom listen to them again after the initial spins. They just don't have the staying power as the Kiske era albums. But The DArk Ride is def. one of the better Deris albums.