Band:	Helloween
Album:	High Live
Style:	Power metal
Release date:	1996

Disc I
01. We Burn
02. Wake up The Mountain
03. Sole Survivor
04. The Chance
05. Why?
06. Eagle Fly Free
07. The Time Of The Oath
08. Future World
09. Dr.Stein

Disc II
01. Before The War
02. Mr. Ego
03. Power
04. Where The Rain Grows
05. In The Midlle Of A Heartbeat
06. Perfect Gentleman
07. Steel Tormertor

After a wonderful resurgence with "The Time Of The Oath", it was time for the German metal kings Helloween to release a full live album. "High Live" was recorded during their European tour in 1996. The performance in general is tight and full of energy, Andi Deris' vocals were in top form then, his voice sounds stronger than it does in "Live In Sao Paulo". Anyone would notice that he's not using falsettos to reach the higher notes, a lot of metal singers have a higher pitch but this guy has his own style and it's quite refreshing the way he takes the classics from the Kiske era without hesitation.
The set in High Live is composed mostly by highlights from albums that were recent then (Master Of The Rings and The Time Of The Oath), and delivers the usual classics that can't be missed in a live album by Helloween: Eagle Fly Free, Dr. Stein, while the audience doesn't hold back with the usual sing along Future World. They also perform a forgotten gem, The Chance which is a song from the Pink Bubbles Go Ape album, written by Roland Grapow.

The sound in High Live is compact and heavy and not even a single note is played here by mistake, Helloween have refined their act after years of continual touring and recording and this album is a proof of how competent are they on stage. It's an intense set, and it's certainly more enjoyable than Live In Sao Paulo since it's not full of long lasting tracks. Many of us discovered Helloween with this line up (Deris, Grapow, Kusch, Weikath, Grosskopf), so it's a nice way to remember how cool they were live. A must have for Helloween fans (and all metal fans).