| Walls of Jericho | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1985 | |||
| Recorded | September–October 1985 | |||
| Studio | Musiclab Studio (Berlin, West Germany) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 40:54 | |||
| Label | Noise | |||
| Producer | Harris Johns, Helloween | |||
| Helloween chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 8/10[4] |
| Sputnikmusic | [5] |
Walls of Jericho is the debut studio album by German power metal band Helloween, released in 1985 on LP by Noise Records.[6] It is the only album featuring Kai Hansen as lead vocalist until 2021's Helloween, although he would continue to act as guitarist on the two following albums.
In 1988, Walls of Jericho was released on CD. Due to the enhanced capacity of the CD, the Helloween EP/mini-LP and the song "Judas" from the Judas EP were added to the Walls of Jericho track listing; they are now released as a compilation. In the late 1980s, due to a manufacturing error, side one of several cassette copies of Walls of Jericho accidentally contained the music of Celtic Frost's To Mega Therion, confusing many first-time Helloween listeners.[7]
Track listings
Original Edition
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Walls of Jericho" | Michael Weikath, Kai Hansen | 0:53 |
| 2. | "Ride the Sky" | Hansen | 5:54 |
| 3. | "Reptile" | Weikath | 3:45 |
| 4. | "Guardians" | Weikath | 4:19 |
| 5. | "Phantoms of Death" | Hansen | 6:33 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Metal Invaders" | Weikath, Hansen | 4:10 |
| 7. | "Gorgar" | Hansen | 3:57 |
| 8. | "Heavy Metal (Is the Law)" | Weikath, Hansen | 4:08 |
| 9. | "How Many Tears" | Weikath | 7:15 |
| Total length: | 40:54 | ||
1987 CD Edition
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Starlight" | Weikath, Hansen | 5:17 |
| 2. | "Murderer" | Hansen | 4:26 |
| 3. | "Warrior" | Hansen | 4:00 |
| 4. | "Victim of Fate" | Hansen | 6:37 |
| 5. | "Cry for Freedom" | Weikath, Hansen | 6:02 |
| 6. | "Walls of Jericho / Ride the Sky" | Weikath, Hansen | 6:45 |
| 7. | "Reptile" | Weikath | 3:45 |
| 8. | "Guardians" | Weikath | 4:19 |
| 9. | "Phantoms of Death" | Hansen | 6:33 |
| 10. | "Metal Invaders" | Hansen | 4:10 |
| 11. | "Gorgar" | Weikath, Hansen | 3:57 |
| 12. | "Heavy Metal (Is the Law)" | Weikath, Hansen | 4:00 |
| 13. | "How Many Tears" | Weikath | 7:15 |
| 14. | "Judas" | Hansen | 4:43 |
| Total length: | 71:37 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15. | "Don't Run for Cover" | Michael Kiske | 4:47 |
2006 Remastered & Expanded Edition
Disc one is the same as above.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Murderer" (remix) | Hansen | 4:34 |
| 2. | "Ride the Sky" (remix) | Hansen | 6:46 |
| 3. | "Intro / Ride the Sky" (live) | Hansen | 7:17 |
| 4. | "Guardians" (live) | Weikath | 4:26 |
| 5. | "Oernst of Life" | Weikath | 4:46 |
| 6. | "Metal Invaders" (demo version) | Hansen | 4:37 |
| 7. | "Surprise Track (White Christmas - I'll Be Your Santa Claus)" | Traditional | 2:08 |
| Total length: | 34:34 | ||
- Tracks 1 & 2 also appear on the album Treasure Chest
- Tracks 3 & 4 also appear on the Judas EP
- Tracks 5 & 6 also appear on the Death Metal compilation
- Track 7 also appears on the Helloween EP
Notes
- The second pressing of an unofficial 1991 cassette release by MG Records comes with a yellow top right corner, a pink stripe in the top right corner, a pink spine, and a pink/black label logo on the front cover. The third pressing in 1992 comes with a blue top right corner, a yellow stripe in the top right corner, a pink background on the front cover, and a black band logo on the front cover
- An unofficial 1991 cassette release by Tact adds the song "Starlight"
- An unofficial 1993 cassette release by Euro Star adds the song "Judas". The second pressing comes with a green background behind the tracklist, green border around the album art, the band name in green, and the album title in blue
- The track list on the back cover of the 1993 CD release by Futurist lists "Walls of Jericho" and "Ride the Sky" as separate tracks instead of the actual CD where they are joint
- An unofficial 1997 cassette release by Audio Max excludes "Heavy Metal (Is the Law)" and "Judas"
- The track list on the back cover of the 1997 re-release by Noise Records is incorrect, which lists "Walls of Jericho" and "Ride the Sky" as joint songs
- An unofficial 2001 CD release by Agat Company contains the 1987 album Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part I
- The 2002 release by Sauron Music has the lyrics in Korean
Personnel
Band members
- Kai Hansen – vocals, guitar
- Michael Weikath – guitar, cover concept
- Markus Grosskopf – bass
- Ingo Schwichtenberg – drums
Additional musicians
Production
- Produced, engineered and mixed by Harris Johns
- Edda and Uwe Karczewski – Cover design
- Peter Vahlefeld – Layout, typography
Charts
| Chart (1989) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[8] | 40 |
Trivia
- The titular entity in the song "Gorgar" is the first talking pinball machine ever produced.[9]
- The main theme of Edvard Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King" is used in the song "Gorgar."
- The intro to "Starlight" is taken from a commercial in the movie Halloween III: Season of the Witch.
- The song "Heavy Metal (Is the Law)" is not an official live recording. Rather, crowd noise was added.
- The live versions of "Ride the Sky" and "Guardians" are not live recordings; they are the same songs as found on Walls of Jericho but with crowd noise mixed in. The actual live versions of the two songs appeared only on the original 12" vinyl edition of the "Judas" single.
- Professional wrestler Chris Jericho took his ring name and the name of his submission maneuver from the title of this album.
References
- ↑ 10 greatest power metal albums as chosen by Northtale
- ↑ Helloween - Walls Of Jericho"If you go back in time, to the year 1985, you will see a music world where the word "Power Metal" was absent from any metal definition lexicon. It was something unknown. At that time a band called Helloween tried to make its first steps into the music industry. "Walls Of Jericho" is the first full length album of the band. With its speedy sound, catchy rhythm and Kai Hansen's powerful screams, it is considered to be one of the first albums that gave the spark to light this new eruptive genre of metal, called "Power Metal." Many well known bands of today are still inspired by this album."
- ↑ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Helloween Walls of Jericho review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2011-12-30.
- ↑ Popoff, Martin (1 November 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 157. ISBN 978-1-894959-31-5.
- ↑ Stagno, Mike (2006-10-31). "Helloween - Walls of Jericho". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 2013-08-20.
- ↑ "Helloween - Walls of Jericho". Encyclopaedia Metallum. Retrieved 2011-12-30.
- ↑ "Helloween - Walls of Jericho". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
- ↑ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
- ↑ "The Internet Pinball Database Presents Gorgar". The Internet Pinball Database. Retrieved 2011-12-30.
External links
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