Celebrating the Return of the German Power Metal Institution - A Review of Helloween's United Forces

United Forces is a compilation by German power metal legends Helloween released with German Hard Rock magazine one month before the release of Helloween's self-titled album featuring three different singers and an intriguing combination of the band's oldest and most recent line-ups.

This compilation kicks off with single ''Fear of the Fallen'', a solid mid-paced and melodic tune with a catchy chorus that however fails to leave a deeper mark and doesn't offer the best combination of songwriting ideas and running time. A much better song from the new album is the shortened version of ''Skyfall'', an epic song with slow passages, mid-paced sections and relentless up-tempo energy set in a mysterious atmosphere as the lyrics talk about the adventures of an alien. These intriguing lyrics are sung by an aggressive Kai Hansen, a melodic Michael Kiske and an energetic Andreas Deris as the three singers complement one another perfectly. This song is the best Helloween song since ''The King for a Thousand Years'' released sixteen years earlier and certainly worth your attention.

Up next comes non-album and comeback single ''Pumpkins United'', a fast and enthusiastic tune celebrating the band's career and attempting to be its new anthem. The final result is entertaining while it lasts but fails to leave a deeper mark since the songwriting is a little bit by the numbers and lacking courageous, fresh and memorable ideas.

This compilation concludes with two rare live versions as ''Forever and One'' offers a heartfelt campfire ballad sung along by enthusiastic fans while ''How Many Tears'' shows the band's newfound energy and offers entertaining enthusiasm through eleven passionate minutes. These two songs complement the outstanding live document United Alive splendidly as said live record is one of the best ever created due to its atmosphere, diversity and energy, even though a few elements such as the vocals and the sounds of the crowd have been polished in the studio.

As you can read, Helloween's United Forces offers five good to excellent songs and brings thirty-six minutes of melodic entertainment for a very reasonable price. Both fans of the band and possible newcomers should check this compilation out.

Final Rating: 80%