ALBUM REVIEW: Helloween - March of Time (The Best of 40 Years)

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Does the world need a three disc best of compilation from German power metal champions Helloween?

Well, whether you like it or not, March of Time is perhaps the most definitive collection of the band’s 40+ year career and it’s coming at you loud and proud. For many of us of a certain vintage, it’s those early albums that stand as the classics with much of the following decades less than exciting. I’m willing to argue that few bands have released a trio like Walls of Jericho and the double Keepers of the Seven Keys records before crashing with the departure of founder Kai Hansen and the commercial rock sound of Pink Bubbles Go Ape. 


Still, there are some gems hidden in here. Disc 1 does hark back to those first three albums, and although some of the tracks haven’t aged well, at least we haven’t got the ridiculous Rise and Fall included, a bonus point to the band who have apparently curated this release. Dr Stein, still a fan favourite but ridiculous and throwaway in my mind is there, raising a smile with its pop sensibilities. It’s the two heavyweight beasts Halloween and Keeper of the Seven Keys that will always be the band’s flagbearers, although Ride the Sky with its deliciously aggressive speed metal still holds a place. 

With the arrival of Andi Derris from Pink Cream 69 in 1994 the band picked up again, and there are a few decent tracks on Disc 2. There’s also some dirge, such as Windmill, In the Middle of a Heartbeat and Forever and One (Neverland), all of which make nails down the blackboard sound inviting. 

It’s been the return of Hansen and vocalist Michael Kiske in 2016 that signalled a real upturn in the band’s fortune. The balance on Disc 3 includes the awful Are You Metal? which contrasts with the more muscular Kill It and Where the Sinners Go, as well as a couple from 2015’s My God Given Right, including the robust title track. This was the first album that really held my attention for many years, with solid performances all round. 

It was the 2021 self-titled album that saw Kiske and Derris along with the now seven-piece outfit hit their best music for years. And the best track on that album, Skyfall, stands as a fitting closing song on this collection. Whether you are new to Helloween or an old school fan, there is plenty to enjoy here. 

It’s debatable as to the need for exposure to all elements of the band, but if you want to experience the range of music that this legendary and hugely influential group has delivered, then March of Time is an ideal place to start. 


Personally, I can survive with those first three and Helloween, but that’s not to say that in places, March of Time really hit the right buttons. The band hit the UK in the autumn and I’m looking forward to seeing them in all their glory at Hammersmith Apollo. 

March Of Time (The Best Of 40 Years) contains 42 tracks curated by the band and remastered by Sascha “Busy” Bühren, mastering engineer of the band´s No 1 album Helloween from 2021 and will be available in the following formats: 



• Deluxe limited edition, 5 red vinyl box set including art print and puzzle. 
• Triple CD digisleeve with booklet. 
• Digital download.

March of Time is released via BMG on 28th March
Review by Hutch

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