HELLOWEEN released "Keeper of the Seven Keys Part I," their second studio album and one of the most important records in power metal history. The album essentially invented the genre's template: soaring vocals from Michael Kiske, galloping twin-guitar harmonies, fantasy-themed lyrics, and epic song structures that stretched far beyond conventional metal. Tracks like "Halloween," the nearly fourteen-minute tour de force that closes the record, and "I'm Alive" demonstrated a compositional ambition that few metal bands had attempted before. Kai Hansen and Michael Weikath crafted riffs that were simultaneously heavy and melodic, opening an entirely new dimension for European metal. "Keeper of the Seven Keys Part I" is the foundation stone of power metal and one of the most influential metal albums ever recorded in Germany.
