Album Review: "The Time of the Oath" by German Power Metal Band Helloween

1. We Burn
2. Steel Tormentor
3. Wake Up the Mountain
4. Power
5. Forever and One (Neverland)
6. Before the War
7. A Million to One
8. Anything My Mama Don’t Like
9. Kings Will Be Kings
10. Mission Motherland
11. If I Knew
12. The Time of the Oath

After the album Master of the Rings in 1994, I’m sure metal fans thought about what German power metal band Helloween would do. Well, their 1996 album called The Time of the Oath is a very solid power metal album that is filled with interesting song beginnings, a ballad, and just overall great guitar playing. The first song called We Burn is a fast, energetic song that sets the tone for the album.

Steel Tormentor has the sound of a race car engine being turned on to start the song. The song is about a race car driver that is determined to do whatever it takes to win the race, even if he has to get intoxicated. But safety in driving is very important however. This race car driver described in the song clearly knows how to handle his machine or shall we say car?

Wake Up the Mountain starts with some Yngwie Malmsteen style lead guitar play and then the bass guitar kicks in. Wake Up the Mountain is actually a song that refers to the dangers that result when human beings are involved in a materialistic lifestyle. In our pursuit of lots of money and fame, we sometimes end up hurting the people that we love at the expense of our own selfish desires. I know that we cannot change the world by ourselves but we can change our attitude and how we approach certain things in life. Getting cash and having a stable career are noble and worthwhile goals to have but if you go too far with them and end up succumbing to fear, is it really worth it? Living in fear is not a way to live. I am glad that the band brings up the subject of materialism for thought. The next song Power features some of the most melodic vocals from Andi Deris that you will ever hear. When you have the power to change and transform your life, you know that you were created by divine love to come to this Earth and accomplish something. Forever and One (Neverland) is a ballad song and it may be the best song in this album. This is a song about a person that has been separated from the love of his life because she has lied to him and deceived him. He is wondering whether he will stop crying or not. Before the War is a heavy song that has one of the best Helloween style interludes that you will hear.

The song A Million to One is about a parent giving their child the proper advice about how to properly take care of themselves and to survive throughout life. The weakest song in this album is the one called Anything My Mama Don’t Like in spite of the good vocals. If I Knew is another love song and this one is about someone who has discovered the love of his life again because the two of them have crossed paths. If he happens to lose her one day, he does not know how he would even manage and get by. The last song called The Time of the Oath has a lower tuned heavy guitar part that sounds like a groovy thrash metal band but it is catchy enough. Overall, The Time of the Oath just might be the best album that the band released during the decade of the 1990’s. The strongest songs are We Burn, Wake Up the Mountain, Power, Forever and One (Neverland), If I Knew, and the title track.