''Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part II'' is the third studio album by German

power metal Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in contra ...

band

Helloween Helloween is a German power metal band founded in 1984 in Hamburg by members of bands Iron Fist, Gentry, Second Hell and Powerfool. Its first lineup consisted of singer and guitarist Kai Hansen, bassist Markus Grosskopf, guitarist Michael Weik ...

, released in 1988. 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. Two singles were released from the album, "

Dr. Stein "Dr. Stein" is a song by German power metal band Helloween. Taken from the 1988 album ''Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 2'', the song remains one of the band's most popular songs, and is played live at virtually every Helloween concert. The lyrics ...

" and " I Want Out". "Dr. Stein" has a very long and moody

solo Solo or SOLO may refer to: Arts and entertainment Comics * ''Solo'' (DC Comics), a DC comics series * Solo, a 1996 mini-series from Dark Horse Comics Characters * Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character * Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ''S ...

, played with a

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

tinge, very unlike other solos on the album, as well as an

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

solo. "I Want Out" remains the band's best-known song, and has been covered by several metal bands, such as

Gamma Ray A gamma ray, also known as gamma radiation (symbol γ or \gamma), is a penetrating form of electromagnetic radiation arising from the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei. It consists of the shortest wavelength electromagnetic waves, typically ...

(which

Kai Hansen Kai Michael Hansen (born 17 January 1963) is a German musician who is the founder, lead guitarist and vocalist of power metal band Gamma Ray. He is also one of the co-founders of metal band Helloween, which he rejoined in 2016. He is a prominent ...

formed after leaving Helloween itself), Unisonic,

HammerFall HammerFall is a Swedish power metal band from Gothenburg. The band was formed in 1993 by ex-Ceremonial Oath guitarist Oscar Dronjak. History Early days (1993–1996) HammerFall was formed when rhythm guitarist Oscar Dronjak quit Ceremonial ...

LORD Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or ar ...

and

Sonata Arctica Sonata Arctica is a Finnish power metal band from the town of Kemi, Finland. Created as a hard rock band named Tricky Beans, they later changed to Tricky Means and finally to Sonata Arctica, when they shifted to power metal. The current lineup ...

. It is their last album to feature Hansen until 2021's self-titled album.

Background

The recording of the album actually lasted for 24 hours a day. Tommy Newton would work during the daytime and Tommy Hansen took over at night. That went on (between May and June 1988), until eventually Tommy Hansen got fired from the project by Karl Walterbach (Noise Records' boss). Newton wanted to continue on his own, so after Tommy Hansens preview mix of 'Eagle Fly Free' he was sent home. Newton had claimed that if he mixed it on his own he could make it sound far more modern.

Critical reception

Loudwire ''Loudwire'' is an American online media magazine that covers news of hard rock and heavy metal artists. It is owned by media and entertainment business Townsquare Media. Since its launch in August of 2011, ''Loudwire'' has secured exclusive ...

'' named the album at first in their list "Top 25 Power Metal Albums of All Time." The album also ranked in the list "The 10 essential power metal albums" by ''

Metal Hammer ''Metal Hammer'' is a heavy metal music magazine and website founded in 1983, published in the United Kingdom by Future, with other language editions available in numerous other countries. ''Metal Hammer'' features news, reviews and long-form ...

'' and topped their 2019 list of "25 Greatest power metal albums".

Track listing

All songs written by

Michael Weikath Michael Ingo Joachim "Weiki" Weikath (born 7 August 1962) is a German musician, best known as a founding member and one of the guitarists of pioneering power metal band Helloween. Biography Weikath was born in Hamburg and was musical from a ...

, except where noted. *Tracks 1 and 2 also appear on the "

" single *Track 3 also appears on the " I Want Out" single *Tracks 4 and 5 also appear on the ''

Treasure Chest Treasure (from la, thesaurus from Greek language ''thēsauros'', "treasure store") is a concentration of wealth — often originating from ancient history — that is considered lost and/or forgotten until rediscovered. Some jurisdictions leg ...

'' compilation

Personnel

Helloween

Michael Kiske Michael Kiske (born January 24, 1968) is a German singer and lead vocalist for the German power metal band Helloween. Kiske has released four solo albums, two albums with the hard rock band Unisonic, has participated on various metal and rock ...

- vocals *

- guitar, backing vocals *

- guitar, keyboards, backing vocals, cover concept *

Markus Grosskopf Markus Grosskopf (born 21 September 1965) is a German musician who is the bass guitarist, backing vocalist and a founding member of the power metal band Helloween. Biography Grosskopf started playing bass at the age of 15 when he became friend ...

- bass,

fretless bass A fretless bass is a bass guitar whose neck does not have any frets. While the instrument is played in all styles of music, it is most common in pop, rock, and jazz. It first saw widespread use during the 1970s, although some players used them befo ...

on "Eagle Fly Free" *

Ingo Schwichtenberg Ingo "Mr. Smile" Schwichtenberg (18 May 1965 – 8 March 1995) was a German drummer and one of the founding members of the power metal band Helloween. Biography Helloween guitarist Roland Grapow said about Schwichtenberg in an interview 1999: ...

- drums

Production

*Tommy Newton - engineer, mixing for "I Got Confused Productions" *Tommy Hansen - engineer, mixing of "Invitation"

Charts

Weekly

Year-end

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Keeper Of The Seven Keys, Pt. 2 1988 albums Helloween albums Noise Records albums Sequel albums