Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part II
1988 studio album by Helloween
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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.
| Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part II | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 29 August 1988 | |||
| Recorded | May–June 1988 | |||
| Studio | Horus Sound Studio, Hanover, Germany | |||
| Genre | Power metal | |||
| Length | 49:23 | |||
| Label | Noise | |||
| Producer | Tommy Newton, Tommy Hansen | |||
| Helloween chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part II | ||||
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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 one of the band's best-known songs, and has been covered by several metal bands, such as Gamma Ray (which Kai Hansen formed after leaving Helloween itself), Unisonic (co-founded by Michael Kiske, after he left Helloween), HammerFall, LORD and Sonata Arctica. It is their last album to feature Hansen until 2021's self-titled album.
The title track "Keeper of the Seven Keys" remained the band's longest song until being surpassed by "King for a Thousand Years", from Keeper of the Seven Keys: The Legacy (2005).
Background
The recording of the album ran 24 hours a day between May and June 1988. Tommy Newton would work during the daytime and Tommy Hansen took over at night until Karl Walterbach (Noise Records) fired Tommy Hansen from the project. Newton claimed that if he mixed 'Eagle Fly Free' on his own he could make it sound more modern and so wanted to continue on his own. After the preview mix of 'Eagle Fly Free', Tommy Hansen was sent home.[3]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Blabbermouth.net | 10/10[5] |
| Classic Rock | [6] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 9/10[7] |
| Kerrang! | [8] |
| Metal Hammer (GER) | 7/7[9] |
| Rock Hard | 9/10[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
All tracks are written by Michael Weikath, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Invitation" | 1:06 | |
| 2. | "Eagle Fly Free" | 5:08 | |
| 3. | "You Always Walk Alone" | Michael Kiske | 5:08 |
| 4. | "Rise and Fall" | 4:22 | |
| 5. | "Dr. Stein" | 5:03 | |
| 6. | "We Got the Right" | Kiske | 5:07 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7. | "March of Time" | Kai Hansen | 5:13 |
| 8. | "I Want Out" | Hansen | 4:39 |
| 9. | "Keeper of the Seven Keys" | 13:37 | |
| Total length: | 49:23 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10. | "Save Us" (CD & cassette bonus track, track 7 on North American releases) | Kai Hansen | 5:15 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Savage" | Kiske | 3:25 |
| 2. | "Livin' Ain't No Crime" | 4:42 | |
| 3. | "Don't Run for Cover" | Kiske | 4:45 |
| 4. | "Dr Stein" (remix) | 5:05 | |
| 5. | "Keeper of the Seven Keys" (remix) | 13:52 | |
| Total length: | 31:49 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Don't Run for Cover" | Kiske | 4:45 |
| 12. | "Dr. Stein" (remix) | 5:05 | |
| 13. | "Keeper of the Seven Keys" (remix) | 13:52 |
- Tracks 1 and 2 also appear on the "Dr. Stein" single
- Track 3 also appears on the "I Want Out" single
- Tracks 4 and 5 also appear on the Treasure Chest compilation
Personnel
Helloween
- Michael Kiske - vocals
- Kai Hansen - guitar, backing vocals
- Michael Weikath - guitar, backing vocals, cover concept
- Markus Grosskopf - bass, fretless bass on "Eagle Fly Free"
- Ingo Schwichtenberg - drums
Production
- Tommy Newton - engineer, mixing for "I Got Confused Productions"
- Tommy Hansen - engineer, mixing of "Invitation"
Charts
Weekly
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Year-end
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Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Germany (BVMI)[27] | Gold | 250,000^ |
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^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||