580. Helloween / 7 Sinners. 2010. 4/5

Given the chosen directional change that Helloween adapted for their 25th anniversary Unarmed best of album, I can admit that I approached this new album with a certain amount of trepidation. The band had promised their fans that they would be returning to their heavy metal roots for this release, but one could only wait and hope.

So let's say from the outset that Helloween have succeeded in continuing their excellence in releasing yet another powerful album. What is immediately obvious is the pushing forward of the keyboards in the mix in all songs, even more so than for instance Rabbit Don't Come Easy and Gambling With The Devil. While it came as quite a surprise initially, once you are used to it being there so prominantly again you can accept it. After all, the power metal genre relies on keyboards so much, that it shouldn't be a surprise that one of the godfathers of the genre should fall back on one of its key elements (no pun intended).

Everything works here. Dani Loble's drumming is superb, even scintillating in places. With some high profile drummers in the world tinkering with their artform (and not in a good way) it is refreshing to hear a drummer who may not be one of the bigger names outside of Europe, but plays superb breaks and rolls and has a great sound out of his kit. Markus Grosskopf is magnificent on bass again, while guitarists Weikath and Gerstner are both brilliant. Throw in Andi Deris and his still awesome vocals and everything is still working in Helloweenworld.
I love the way the album starts, with "Where the Sinners Go", the anthemic "Are You Metal?" and "Who is Mr Madman?". Other fave songs for me include "World of Fantasy" and "Far in the Future".
While there is still a couple of dalliances with slower songs, it is most definitely the faster and heavier songs that stand apart on the album, and also make the album's mark.
In regards to recent releases, 7 Sinners doesn't quite match up to The Dark Ride or Keeper of the Seven Keys: The Legacy but I think does stack up better than Rabbit Don't Come Easy and Gambling With The Devil. What is most pleasing is that it proves that Helloween are not a fading force, and that they still have plenty to offer the world of metal.

579. Metallica / Six Feet Down Under [EP]. 2010. 2.5/5

An EP released for the start of the 2010 Australian tour, and it seems to have created quite a reaction. Mostly negative.
As a collector and fan of bootlegs, I found it quite easy to listen to this collection. For those people who cannot listen to live recordings unless they are a pristine, 100% reproduction of the songs as they appear on the studio albums, there is no use coming near this release. In the long run, this wasn't released for those fans.
On the other hand, if you are a Metallica fan, who has seen the band on all of their tours of Australia, this is an interesting trip down memory lane. And THAT is who this release is for.

Containing two songs from each of their Australian tours (1989, 1993, 1999 and 2004), the quality of each song varies from location to location, and era to era. And that is how it should be. Just because Metallica now record every show they do, and offer it for sale at LiveMetallica.com does not mean they always did, and if you want a record of their material from those early eras, then bootlegs are your only choice.

So - my low rating for this EP does not come from the quality of the recording. It comes from the song selection. Quite simply, I do not like four of the eight songs here - "The Unforgiven", "Low Man's Lyric", "Devil's Dance" and "Frantic" are below par Metallica songs. They don't cut it, from an era of Metallica that, for me, is a bit hard to swallow.

If you enjoy the albums from the 90's, ignore the quality of the recordings and enjoy Metallica in their great live setting. If you are more a fan from the 80's era, then apart from the two brilliant songs here from ...And Justice For All you are probably like me in being able to put this aside.

578. Metallica / Six Feet Down Under Part II [EP]. 2010. 4.5/5

Second EP released for the Australian tour, this one A+ live recordings from the first half of the tour in September 2010.

All the songs played here are from Metallica's heyday, off the first four albums of the band's career. The sound quality is excellent, and they sound great. You have to accept the fact that Hetfield doesn't sing them the same way as he did 20 years ago - his whole way of singing changed after blowing out his voice on the Metallica album, and so there are a few cringe-worthy moments when he sings certain lines in a high sappy voice rather than the stinging anger-filled scream of youth. You also have to accept the fact that Ulrich is not going to play the drums the same way as he did on the albums, and even live up until the mid-1990's. His live kit has diminished to a size such that even learner drummers now possess more equipment, and he simply can't play the songs the same way as he originally recorded them.

Given that, Hetfield and Hammett still smoke on guitar, and Kirk's solo's are still awesome. Trujillo's bass and backing vocals do the job, and the eight songs produced are some of their finest. All in all, a worthy addition to your Metallica collection.