Helloween asks 'Are You Metal?"

When Helloween released Unarmed - Best of 25th Anniversary (full of acoustic/symphonic re-recordings of the band's classic songs), I started to lose hope for the upcoming album 7 Sinners.

The whole album was very unnecessary and should have just been packaged as a greatest hits to celebrate the occasion in my mind. Then I heard "Are You Metal?.

This is a monster of a song, full of heavy guitar riffs reminiscent of something found on Dream Theater's "The Glass Prison" mixed with the melodicism you would expect from Andi Deris-era (and most era) Helloween.

It was like the band knew it had to pull out all the stops and deliver a piece of music that could not only satisfy power metal fans, but fans of modern metal as well.

Let's hope the album (set to be released on Halloween, but more likely the Tuesday after the holiday), is equally awesome.

Helloween: "Dr. Stein" Then and Now

All in good fun or sad attempt to rehash the past? You decide.

Then:



Now:

Apparently the new video for "Dr. Stein" was not meant for the eyes of the Internet yet. Will replace with proper video when possible / if I remember.

Halloween Edition of The Metal Show TONIGHT!

Listen in tonight from 8-9 p.m. as I bring you a very special Halloween show! I will be playing lots of metal classics, as well as some non-metal favorites to get people pumped for the upcoming holiday.

Click here to tune in via the Web!

Don't forget that every Monday night from 6-10 p.m. is Metal Monday on KRUI 89.7FM. Also while you are waiting for my Halloween show, check out this classic shortened clip of Helloween's "Halloween" epic.

Helloween Rerecord Classics for 25th Anniversary

Helloween still rocks in my book, even if Michael Kiske and Kai Hansen are no longer part of the band.

The Dark Ride is a phenomenal metal album and contains some of the catchiest metal music of all time. Now the band is going to rerecord some of the most memorable tunes for a new greatest hits package, celebrating 25 years of power metal.

Here is the track list along with some music vids below for the album Unarmed- Best of 25th Anniversary.

01. Dr. Stein
02. Future World
03. If I Could Fly
04. Where The Rain Grows
05. The Keeper's Trilogy
06. Eagle Fly Free
07. Perfect Gentleman
08. Forever & One
09. I Want Out
10. Falling To Pieces
11. A Tale That Wasn't Right

There is no official US release date, but I'm guessing it will be announced soon.

Another One Bites the Dust

German heavy metal music label SPV declared insolvency (similar to bankruptcy) a few days ago, but say they will continue doing business for as long as possible.

Acts signed to SPV include: ALICE COOPER, TYPE O NEGATIVE, SEPULTURA, SAXON, HELLOWEEN, GAMMA RAY, WHITESNAKE, KREATOR, ICED EARTH, DIO and MOTÖRHEAD.

Annihilator recently parted ways with the label before it announced it was having problems.

I am sure stories such as this will be more and more common as the months and years roll on. Physical albums just aren't selling like they used to and record companies refused to adapt to the age of the internet until it was too late.

Record companies need to get off their high horse and start charging 10 bucks or less for CDs, otherwise no one will buy, when the digital copies are so easy to come by.

Lets hope that bands start taking the independent route (Shadows Fall announced they would be doing that after leaving Atlantic and Halford is launching Metal God Records) and then aid the smaller bands by finding truly talented musicians and marketing them online.