This release will surely be loved or hated by Helloween fans everywhere and granted some of it works, some doesn’t.

I understand the motivation for heavy metal bands doing unplugged/acoustic albums, symphony, or orchestra collaborations. Why?...well the artists get bored of course, plus, if your music is suited for such a treatment then go for it. It’s not like this is forever and after playing the same style of music for 20 years you must want to try something new. Case in point with Helloween and "Unarmed" is probably the most unique release when it comes to a metal band merging with the other musical worlds.

With long time producer Charlie Bauerfeind, the band have re-recorded twelve (‘Why’ is a bonus track) of their most popular songs. What works well? ‘Dr. Stein’ is doctored up with a 50s big band swing complete with horns. Given the upbeat percussion and acoustic guitars ‘Future World’ feels like the guys recorded it on the back of a tractor during a mid west hoedown. ‘Why’ also has an acoustic base and nice bounce.

‘The Keeper’s Trilogy’ has been arranged as one song combining all three parts (with a verse and chorus from each) into one 17 minute epic. ‘Halloween’, "The Keeper of the Seven Keys, and "The King for a 1,000 Years" already were designed for such a treatment and all three unite nicely in this dramatic composition. The basic melodies for all three parts are in tact, but by removing the guitars, keeping the drums and Andi’s vocal, and adding strings, horns, woodwinds, layered backing vocals, and other instruments (those wood blocks sound great during "Keeper" and the piano are excellent for the final chorus) this does sound like something on the Broadway stage. Don’t let anyone tell you different this works very well.

What doesn’t work? ‘I Want Out’ (the twin guitar leads are removed and children handle the backing vocals). Power ballads ‘A Tale That Wasn’t Right’ and ‘Forever And One’ really lose their impact in this stripped down, now more orchestrated, environment. Nice arrangements but here is where those crunchy guitars are surely missed.

All in all, "Unarmed" is cool offering something very different from the usual "unplugged" or "orchestra" release.