Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part II

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Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part II
Studio album by
Helloween
Released29 August 1988
RecordedMay–June 1988
StudioHorus Sound Studio, Hanover, Germany
GenrePower metal
Length49:23
LabelNoise
ProducerTommy Newton, Tommy Hansen
Helloween chronology
Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part I
(1987) 		Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part II
(1988) 		Live in the U.K.
(1989)
Singles from Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part II
  1. "Dr. Stein"
    Released: September 1988
  2. "I Want Out"
    Released: 31 October 1988

Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part II is the third studio album by German power metal band Helloween, released in 1988.[1][2] The album sold well, and success bloomed all over Europe, Asia, and even the United States. The album went gold in Germany and reached No. 108 in the US.

Two singles were released from the album, "Dr. Stein" and "I Want Out". "Dr. Stein" has a very long and moody solo, played with a blues tinge, very unlike other solos on the album, as well as an organ solo. "I Want Out" remains the band's best-known song, and has been covered by several metal bands, such as Gamma Ray (which Kai Hansen formed after leaving Helloween itself), Unisonic, HammerFall, LORD and Sonata Arctica. It is their last album to feature Hansen until 2021's self-titled album.

Background[edit]

The recording of the album actually lasted for 24 hours a day. Tommy Newton would work during the daytime and Tommy Hansen took over at night. That went on (between May and June 1988), until eventually Tommy Hansen got fired from the project by Karl Walterbach (Noise Records' boss). Newton wanted to continue on his own, so after Tommy Hansens preview mix of 'Eagle Fly Free' he was sent home. Newton had claimed that if he mixed it on his own he could make it sound far more modern.[3]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Blabbermouth.net10/10[5]
Classic Rock[6]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal9/10[7]
Kerrang![8]
Metal Hammer (GER)7/7[9]
Rock Hard9/10[10]
Sputnikmusic[11]

Loudwire named the album at first in their list "Top 25 Power Metal Albums of All Time."[12] The album also ranked in the list "The 10 essential power metal albums" by Metal Hammer[13] and topped their 2019 list of "25 Greatest power metal albums".[14]

Track listing[edit]

All songs written by Michael Weikath, except where noted.

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Invitation" 1:06
2."Eagle Fly Free" 5:08
3."You Always Walk Alone"Michael Kiske5:08
4."Rise and Fall" 4:22
5."Dr. Stein" 5:03
6."We Got the Right"Kiske5:07
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
7."March of Time"Kai Hansen5:13
8."I Want Out"Hansen4:39
9."Keeper of the Seven Keys" 13:37
Total length:49:23
CD bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
10."Save Us" (CD bonus track, track 7 on North American releases)Kai Hansen5:15
Expanded edition bonus disc
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Savage"Kiske3:25
2."Livin' Ain't No Crime" 4:42
3."Don't Run for Cover"Kiske4:45
4."Dr Stein" (remix) 5:05
5."Keeper of the Seven Keys" (remix) 13:52
Total length:31:49
"Keeper of the Seven Keys, Parts I & II" bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Don't Run for Cover"Kiske4:45
12."Dr. Stein" (remix) 5:05
13."Keeper of the Seven Keys" (remix) 13:52

Personnel[edit]

Helloween[edit]

Production[edit]

  • Tommy Newton - engineer, mixing for "I Got Confused Productions"
  • Tommy Hansen - engineer, mixing of "Invitation"

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Germany (BVMI)[27] Gold 250,000^
Japan (RIAJ)[19] Gold 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Helloween – Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part II (tracklist and versions)". Discogs. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  2. ^ "Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II". Encyclopaedia Metallum. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  3. ^ "Dave Ling. Michael Weikath Interview. 15 November 2005". Classic Rock/Metal Hammer Magazine. 2021-04-01.
  4. ^ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Keeper of the Seven Keys, Pt. 2 - Helloween | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  5. ^ Bergman, Keith. "Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II - Helloween". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
  6. ^ Berelian, Essi (February 2011). "Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 1 & 2". Classic Rock. No. 154. p. 88.
  7. ^ Popoff, Martin (November 1, 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 157. ISBN 978-1-894959-31-5.
  8. ^ Miller, Paul (August 27, 1988). "Helloween - 'Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II'". Kerrang!. No. 202.
  9. ^ Kühnemund, Götz (September 1, 1988). "Helloween – Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part II". Metal Hammer (in German). Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
  10. ^ Stratmann, Holger. "Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys, Part II". Rock Hard (in German). Archived from the original on September 29, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  11. ^ Stagno, Mike (September 7, 2006). "Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II (album review 4)". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  12. ^ DiVita, Joe (July 5, 2017). "Top 25 Power Metal Albums of All Time". Loudwire. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  13. ^ Lawson, Dom (October 19, 2016). "The 10 essential power metal albums". Metal Hammer. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  14. ^ Chantler, Chris (14 November 2019). "The 25 greatest power metal albums". Metal Hammer. Future plc. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  15. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Helloween – Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  16. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Helloween – Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  17. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  18. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Helloween – Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part II" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  19. ^ a b Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  20. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Helloween – Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  21. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Helloween – Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  22. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Helloween – Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  23. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  24. ^ "Helloween Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  25. ^ "1988 Year End Eurocharts: Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music and Media. 1 January 1989. p. 31. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  26. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts 1988". Offizielle Charts (in German). Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  27. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Helloween; 'Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part II')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
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