Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Helloween
Label: Noise Records
Released: 1985
Length: 40:32
Rating: 4.5/5
»Walls of Jericho« was the studio debut of German power metal giants Helloween, who in the early days of their career were a pretty rebellious, and at times downright mischievous, speed metal quartet. Their first EP, titled »Helloween« and released in March 1985, earned them cult status among the home metal crowd, while the rest of the world still saw them as an obscure, if not completely unknown, band. Thanks mostly to their unofficial chieftain, guitarist/vocalist Kai Hansen, and his partner in guitar crime Michael Weikath, the two main songwriters, Helloween had a whole set of sonic and conceptual strengths from the very start that set them clearly apart from comparable German metal bands. Besides the distinctive pumpkin logo, the cover of »Walls of Jericho« is marked by the enigmatic, originally one-eyed alien with Kevlar jaws, Fangface, who is busy smashing the walls of Jericho, supposedly the first walled city in human history, which according to the Old Testament was brought down by gigantic, ‘godly’ trumpets.
Helloween’s sonic vocabulary on »Walls of Jericho« was still heavily influenced by American speed metal, and the influences of classic heavy metal in the vein of Judas Priest and the NWOBHM scene, led by Iron Maiden, were far from negligible either. Kai’s ‘terrorist’ screams effectively made up for his technical vocal shortcomings, while his guitar variations, teamed up with Weikath, were among the most inventive and witty in German metal at the time. Their lyrics were a mix of sharp social criticism, self-irony, pacifism and celebration of the metal lifestyle (the song »Heavy Metal (Is The Law)«, for instance). On top of that, Helloween had an exceptionally well-versed rhythm section, marked by the melodic bass lines of Markus Grosskopf and the lightning-fast drum fills of Ingo Schwichtenberg: a stunning mix of speed and punch. The production, a collaboration between the band and Harris Johns, who over his career worked with a heap of different bands from the metal and punk scenes, is just right for emphasizing the apocalyptic and fatalistic atmosphere of most of the album’s creations.
The title track, »Walls of Jericho«, is a purely instrumental, orchestral overture with a ‘happy, happy Halloween’ motif, used to kick off the speed metal classic »Ride The Sky«, where Kai, over murderous double bass pedal hammering and vengeful guitar passages, touches vocal heaven with his high-pitched wails. »Reptile« is another caustic social satire on societal hypocrisy, with a bloodthirsty vocal approach, irritated choruses and rattling drum marches. One of the more interesting pieces on the album is certainly »Guardians«, where Mr. Hansen once again hops between high and low registers like his life depends on it, while the epic and unusually upbeat chorus already hints a bit at later power metal feats. The rhythm section is nonetheless wound up to the end and in a constant fighting mood, while the exchange of harmonies between the two guitar heroes follows a thoroughly crafty formula. Between the choruses you can also hear some rather shy sounds of the E-mu synthesizer emulator.
»Phantoms Of Death« is yet another rhythmically unhinged crusher with possessed vocal theatrics and a strong pacifist message. »Metal Invaders«, which came out in a slightly different version on the compilation »Death Metal Sampler« (1983), has classic Teutonic metal ingredients, while its chorus features a typical, if not downright clichéd, metal anthem. Here too, Hansen and Weikath trade some seriously juicy guitar harmonies, heavily influenced by several NWOBHM heavyweights led by Iron Maiden. »Gorgar«, named after the first pinball machine with sound effects, from 1979, is an interesting achievement with mocking lyrics aimed at gambling addiction. In the middle section they slyly weave in the central motif from Grieg’s ‘In the Hall of the Mountain King’, which only deepens the mysterious and gloomy mood.
»Heavy Metal (Is The Law)« is a typical metal wake-up anthem, the kind Kai always loved and never got tired of, even many years later in Gamma Ray. The excited cheering of the live crowd is of course sonic manipulation, but it still successfully deepens the lively, combative mood, even though the lyrics themselves would suit some ‘metal muscleman’ type like Manowar a lot better, the kind who, thanks to countless frustrations, need constant self-affirmation. The title of best track on the album goes to the pacifist anthem »How Many Tears«, which stayed a favorite in their live repertoire even after the switch to power metal. Here Mr. Hansen, through vengeful screams, in the middle of one of the album’s better lyrics, pours out all his rage at the unjust social order of humankind. Guitar cannonades and crafty variations between the two guitar heavyweights fire off like cannon shots, while the climax of the song is Weikath’s melancholic solo, which cools down the heated atmosphere a bit and gives a deranged humanity a moment for some personal reflection. The epic chorus is not even that far from their future power metal achievements, so it’s no surprise they kept happily playing it at gigs even after the change in sound.
The speed metal masterpiece »Walls of Jericho« was quite possibly the best debut by any Teutonic metal band of the eighties. It earned Helloween a well-deserved cult status among the metal crowd of the time, and among those music fans who more or less stumbled across their existence by chance. Few people back then would have guessed that in less than two years they would go through a pretty radical change of style and, after the arrival of singer Michael Kiske, to whom Hansen, who had struggled to keep up his double role, gladly handed over the microphone, become the pioneers of European power metal and make two consecutive concept albums. »Walls of Jericho« was also released in 1988 as a CD compilation, which added the tracks from the »Helloween« EP and the single »Judas« (1986).
Lineup
Kai Hansen – vocals, guitar
Michael Weikath – guitar
Markus Grosskopf – bass
Ingo Schwichtenberg – drums
Production
Harris Johns and Helloween
Tracklist
1. Walls of Jericho
2. Ride the Sky
3. Reptile
4. Guardians
5. Phantoms of Death
6. Metal Invaders
7. Gorgar
8. Heavy Metal (Is the Law)
9. How Many Tears
