Discuss.

The correct answer is Walls of Jericho

Well, maybe you should add to the discussion you are wanting to start?

I like the first one a great deal, but part 2 is no letdown. It's just as good.

QFT

But to add to the discussion, I'd have to say Part 1. Although the second one is pretty consistent in terms of quality, Part 1 seems overall more catchy with tracks like Future World and I'm Alive that get stuck in my head all of the time. Aside from that, they are both great.

Well, Pt.2 has catchy ones as well: Eagly Fly Free, Dr. Stein and I Want Out. I'd go with KOTSK2 in terms of consistency. Then again, part 1 has Hallowee, for which I'm a sucker.

I've always had a real hard time picking one over the other, but for some reason when I get to the end of each album, I look at songs like "The March Of Time" and "Eagle Fly Free" versus "I'm Alive" and "Twilight Of The Gods" and I get a slight edge towards Part 2. It's the same story with "Future World" versus "I Want Out", they are both fairly equal in quality, but I just tend to remember the latter more easily, in spite of its similarities to Gary Moore's "Out In The Fields", or maybe actually because of them.

I like them about the same, but yeah, Walls of Jericho is the better 80s Helloween album. I'm always of the opinion that this is a band that found their identity later in their career as opposed to earlier, and that the last albums have all been great and wondrous.

I always compare Keeper Of The Seven Keys and Halloween.

Which is why part I is better

Those are the only two songs on each album that I would argue are equally matched in terms of quality. "Halloween" is a bit closer to the band's older pre-Keeper speed metal style, but they both have their own unique charms and I get equally lost in both of them. Although I do have to say that "Keeper Of The Seven Keys" is a bit more fun to sing because the chorus doesn't require me to belt out a high E falsetto scream every couple of seconds.

Oh yeah, I don't mean to say Part 2 isn't catchy. I just tend to get the ones I mentioned stuck in my head more often than the ones on part 2.

I know there was a year between them, seperate releases but to this day I consider I&II together an entity on its own. There is no choice between them as far as I'm concerned, they belong together no matter what. I made an exception when I reviewed the both of them.

I have a definite preference towards Part 1. Kai Hansen played a lesser role in the songwriting on part 2 and the stuff Weikath writes is a bit too happy with silly lyrics (Dr.stein, rise and fall). I find the title track to be unlistenable.

Keepers Part II is better than Part I (aswell as Walls of Jericho). Songs like 'Future World', 'A Tale That Wasn't Right', 'Halloween' and 'I'm Alive' are awesome, but they don't match up to the awesome 'Eagle Fly Free', 'Rise and Fall', 'Dr. Stein' etc.

I actually like Part 2 a little better. The songs were just plain catchier, and the production was a lot better. Part 1 has some awesome ones as well though, that it's really hard to choose between the two. But you just can't beat "Dr. Stein" or "I Want Out" for pure catchy fun.

Keeper Part 1 for me. My favourite songs on Keeper 2 (March of Time, I Want Out and Save Us) are all written by Kai Hansen, who also wrote the majority of Keeper 1. And comparing the epic songs Halloween and Keeper of the Seven Keys, I would definitely go for Halloween.

This.

I hate both Keepers because they initiated the pussification of power metal.

I actually consider the Keeper albums one whole album.

But if I had to pick, I would say part II. Just more of a mature work.

agreed

If you ask me, it can be answered in one word: Halloween.

That one song thrashes anything they put out on Part 2.

The Legacy

Seriously, here's what I think though

Walls>Keeper II> Keeper I

I don't know where I'd put The Legacy on here, but some of the stuff on there is way better than any of the original Keepers stuff. "King for 1000 Years"...fuck!

Come on, is there even any question? Part I one is far better; much more consistent and with far more substance behind the catchy cheesiness. I mean, let's face it Part II is basically a pop album, albeit a pretty good one, but a pop album nonetheless.

Indeed. As far as I am concerned, The Legacy is up there with at least Part II, if not Part I. One of my favorite albums, but I'm kind of a Helloween fanboy, so what does that tell you?

It does have "March of Time" though, that song smokes. Total speed metal ownage.

PvtNinjer, yeah, I like The Legacy quite a bit, but a lot of the 2nd disc is filler. "Occasion Avenue," "Born on Judgment Day," "The Invisible Man" (That fucking solo kills!) and "Pleasure Drone" are also very good. "Silent Rain" has excellent lyrics, too, and it's very catchy.

Man, I need to dig this album up again.

I prefer Keeper I, mostly because Kai Hansen is a better songwriter than Michael Weikath. Songs like "Eagle Fly Free" and "Dr Stein" just seem goofy and forced, while I don't have that problem with any of the Keeper I songs.

Keeper 1 and 2 was originally meant to be released at the same time, as a double album. I think if this had happened, it would have been more complete. The first album has a few less tracks for a start, but that also means it has more chance of being consistent than part 2. In saying that, part 2 has no weak tracks on it either. Though with part 1 having both I'm Alive and Halloween on it, I have to go with part 1. Both albums are amazing though!

King For 1000 Years is one of the most kickass power metal songs out there, but there were some clunkers on the legacy too.

The remastered Walls Of Jericho(with the EP included) is my 2nd favourite album of all time.

When it comes to the Keepers... albums, I like part II more. Rise and Fall is the catchiest and funniest fucking song ever even though it is rather stupid, and March of Time grab me by the balls every time I hear it. Also like the title track slightly more than Halloween. Save Us is awesome as well!

I love Walls Of Jericho and the EP but Keepers are kinda mixed bag. For long I hated both of them but I've given them more listens in last couple years and parts of them have grown on me. Squeeshed together with best songs from both albums they would make a killer record for me. One thing I still hate about Keepers is their influence on later Power Metal.

Are we supposed to hate the trailblazers in history?... or should the blame be on those who are easily influenced by them? “Don’t go where the path may lead, but go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” The Keepers will forever remain one of those rare few beautiful daemons of metal

Ofcourse i'm not being very fair on this but Keepers still remain as the most significant cuts in castration of power metal. Even if they weren't powerless by themselves.

I'd have to say part 2 for the title track and Eagle Fly Free.

Disease, disease, disease my friend!

....There is a first one!?

Those are probably my favorite tracks from that album, but I also like the more "Master of the Rings" hard rockish stuff too (that album is one of my favorites also, go figure). It's Deris, mainly. I love hard rock oriented wailers in power metal (the guy on Masterplan's MKII is another one I like) and to me, Deris is among the best. Great voice, and a great songwriter to boot!

Firstly, I love this thread. I hadn't listened to Helloween in probably years. So I put on both dics to decide the very question of which one is better.'

My first observation is that both albums are awesome - this made the decision pretty hard.

Second observation was that Pt. I feels a little more "foofy" overall, though it's pretty close.

Third observation was that I never realized how awesome of a bassist Markus Grosskopf is - totally impressed.

Fourth observation was that "Halloween" still slays and is probably still my favorite Helloween song.

Fifth observation is that Part II has way more songs that I love (Pt I: "I'm Alive", "A Tale That Wasn't Right", "Halloween")(Pt. II: "Dr. Stein", "Save us", "March of Time", "I Want Out", "Keeper of the Seven Keys").

So I have to [barely] go with Pt. II....

Listened to Keepers III again and the long ass runtime really hurts it.

Listened to the title track of the first Keepers albums again and it sucked, no coherency at all. This band got so much better later. Gambling with the Devil rules.

Eh, I never really got into Gambling With The Devil that much. I think I might be the only one who actually thought it was pretty bland, aside from a few tracks.

Maybe. It's pretty unfocused and even loose at times, but I just love the general style (riffs, etc) that they use, and they put so much energy into it that I had to love it.

This basically.

Both haven't aged very well with me after all these years. Trust me, at least the first one was in my top 10 or something probably for years... but I don't care to go back to it that often anymore. The production isn't that heavy, I don't like Kiske at all, and overall both parts feel too sappy now that I listen to them. Too much sing alongs and shit.

Funny because I think I'd have an entirely different opinion if Kai sang on those albums, I'd probably like them more. But anyways, it's not even fair to compare those albums, or anything Helloween has ever done to Walls of Jericho in my opinion. I still enjoy a lot of Gamma Ray, though I think WoJ was Kai's peak. Timeless stuff.

It's very very interesting to think about what Helloween could've become. What if Kai sang on the Keeper albums? What if Kai stuck around? What if Kai got the rights to the Helloween band name when he left the band like he wanted? What if they did more like Walls of Jericho? What if Piet Sielck stuck with them for awhile? etc, crazy to think about how different they could've been with some simple changes.