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Thursday, April 20, 2006

122. Helloween / Better Than Raw. 1998. 3/5.

This album falls into a strange bracket for this band. After the falling-out phase that came from Pink Bubbles Go Ape and the atrocious Chameleon, a change of personnel had brought two further studio albums and a live album that had well and truly gotten the band back on track.

Here however a change is in the air, which succeeds on all levels on the album that FOLLOWS this release. For me, though, Better Than Raw doesn't click at all. The songs seem a bit rushed, with little in the way of a hook to drag you into the album.
The first single, Hey Lord, has a very radio feel about it, but also sounds out of place in the mix of the album. It is probably just me, but there doesn't appear to be a lot of cohesion in the song writing, or the arrangement of the songs themselves.

Perhaps I am being a bit picky. I don't know for sure. I do know that from the time I bought this album it just didn't sit right. Having given it three straight listens again today, my opinion remains the same.

Rating : There is not a lot here that grabs my attention. However, that doesn't make it an altogether poor album. Just a disappointing one in my book. 3/5.

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