If ever there was a band whose career could be described in terms of extreme peaks and valleys, it's HELLOWEEN. The original Deutsch power metallers may have experienced their greatest moment with the original "Keeper of the Seven Keys" albums, but it's been an unpredictable rollercoaster ride from there. To their credit, they've made considerable effort to avoid stagnation, but whether that's paid off (such as the aptly titled "The Dark Ride") or blown up in their face (the annoyingly titled "Pink Bubbles Go Ape" and "Rabbit Don't Come Easy"), at least we can give them credit for still plugging away after all these years.

Thankfully, their mission to tie together their classic style and modern influence has finally been realized with their latest release, "Gambling with the Devil". Where the last "Keeper" album managed to be both overwhelming in length and underwhelming in overall quality, "Gambling" does a decent job at solving both these problems. Album opener "Kill It" hits like a roundhouse kick to the temple, and "The Saints" proves that their power metal template may be often imitated, but never totally duplicated. After that, the low-tuned grind of "Paint a New World" and the sinister tone of "Bells of the 7 Hells" show that this is a band that still has something to offer to the current scene. To appease the sensitive types, there are some effective ballad-ish type tracks in "As Long As I Fall" and "Fallen to Pieces" that are a nice reprieve from the bouncy riffs.

Basically, there's only one stinker in the bunch: the major-keyed inspirational "Can Do It", which is going to have metalheads covering their faces in embarrassment. Other than that one track, though, this is still a solid offering from beginning to end, which is more than can be said for the vast majority of modern power metal albums out there. Hopefully this is the boost of momentum that HELLOWEEN needs to maintain a solid fan base throughout their third - and, if possible, even their fourth - decade of churning out the metal. Just don't forget to skip track 10.

- Cardona

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