Unarmed - Best of 25th Anniversary
| Unarmed - Best of 25th Anniversary | ||||
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| Compilation album by Helloween | ||||
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Publication |
January 29, 2010 |
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| Label (s) | Sony Music | |||
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Title (number) |
11 |
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running time |
59:04 |
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Unarmed - Best of 25th Anniversary is the third compilation by the German power metal band Helloween . It was released by Sony Music in 2010 .
Creation and publication
On the 25th anniversary of the band's founding in 1984, Helloween wanted to thank the fans for their longstanding support and so they recorded several pieces from all creative periods in a new arrangement. In addition to the band, numerous guest musicians (guitar: Andreas Becker; piano : Matthias Ulmer; saxophone : Albie Donnelly and Paul Owens; flute : Eberhard Hahn; percussion : Nippy Noya ; Hellsongs , Prague Symphony Orchestra, London Choir and two children's choirs) participated in the recordings . Charlie Bauerfeind was the producer and mixed the compilation. A limited edition bonus DVD was also released containing two making-ofs , a music video and interviews.
Track list
- Dr. Stein - 3:59 (Original on Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 2 , 1988)
- Future World - 4:13 (Original on Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 1 , 1987)
- If I Could Fly - 3:28 (Original on The Dark Ride , 2000)
- Where the Rain Grows - 5:09 (Original on Master of the Rings , 1994)
- The Keeper's Trilogy (Medley) - 17:06 (originals on Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 1 , 2 and The Legacy , 1987/1988/2005)
- Eagly Fly Free - 3:49 (Original on Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 2 , 1988)
- Perfect Gentleman - 4:18 (Original on Master of the Rings , 1994)
- Forever and One - 4:25 (Original on The Time of the Oath , 1996)
- I Want Out - 4:21 (Original on Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 2 , 1988)
- Fallen to Pieces - 3:28 (Original on Gambling with the Devil , 2007)
- A Tale that Wasn't Right - 4:46 (Original on Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 1 , 1987)
style
With the rearrangement, Helloween brought a variety of stylistic influences into the pieces. So in Dr. Stein can hear echoes of swing , in Future World of country or bar music, in Eagly Fly Free and Perfect Gentleman of folk . Where the Rain Grows was arranged into a ballad and If I Could Fly into a pop song. I Want Out is accompanied by children's choirs, The Keeper's Trilogy and A Tale that Wasn't Right by an orchestra.
reception
In the press, the idea of rearranging older pieces in this way was mostly found to be original. However, it has been suggested that it could also meet with disapproval from some metal fans; Frank Albrecht from Rock Hard advised anyone who “rejects experiments on principle should avoid this part”. So he wondered which groups of buyers the publication should appeal to, but found The Keeper's Trilogy in particular "artistically of absolutely high quality". Alex Straka from powermetal.de judged that Helloween show “with this very courageous experiment what kind of mercilessly good songwriters they are.” On metal.de it was summed up: “Even if not all versions can ignite and fall by the wayside [...], 'Unarmed ...' turned out to be a partly successful compilation that scores with an innovative idea! "
Web links
- Album page on the band's website
- Unarmed - Best of 25th Anniversary on Allmusic (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Frank Albrecht: Helloween. Unarmed , Rock Hard # 273, accessed July 30, 2013.
- ↑ a b Alex Straka: Helloween - Unarmed , powermetal.de , accessed on July 30, 2013.
- ↑ a b Helloween - Unarmed: Best Of (25th Anniversary) , metal.de , accessed on July 20, 2013.