Better Than Raw

Better Than Raw
Studio album by
Helloween
Released4 March 1998
Recorded1997
StudiosChateau du Pape and Crazy Cat Studios, Hamburg, Germany and Mi Sueño Studio, Tenerife, Spain
GenrePower metal
Length54:46
LabelCastle Communications
ProducersTommy Hansen, Helloween
Helloween chronology
High Live
(1996)		 Better Than Raw
(1998)		 Metal Jukebox
(1999)
Singles from Better Than Raw
  1. "I Can"
    Released: April 1998
  2. "Hey Lord!"
    Released: April 1998
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStar [1]

Better Than Raw is the eighth studio album by German power metal band Helloween, released in 1998.[2][3] The album spawned the singles "I Can" and "Hey Lord!".

The album was recorded at Chateau du Pape and Crazy Cat Studios in Hamburg and at Mi Sueño Studio in Tenerife. It was produced and mixed by Tommy Hansen at Chateau du Pape and mastered by Ian Cooper at Metropolis, London.

Track listing

No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Deliberately Limited Preliminary Prelude Period in Z"instrumentalUli Kusch1:45
2."Push"Andi Deris, Kusch, Michael WeikathKusch4:45
3."Falling Higher"Deris, WeikathWeikath4:45
4."Hey Lord!"DerisDeris4:07
5."Don't Spit on My Mind"DerisDeris, Markus Grosskopf4:24
6."Revelation"DerisKusch8:21
7."Time"DerisDeris5:43
8."I Can"WeikathDeris, Weikath4:38
9."A Handful of Pain"DerisKusch4:49
10."Lavdate Dominvm"WeikathWeikath5:10
11."Midnight Sun"WeikathWeikath6:19
Total length:54:46
Expanded Edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Back on the Ground"DerisKusch4:40
2."A Game We Shouldn't Play"DerisDeris3:38
3."Perfect Gentleman" (live bootleg version)Deris, WeikathDeris3:27
4."Moshi Moshi~Shiki No Uta" (live drum solo & original song)instrumentalMoshi~Moshi: Kusch, Roland Grapow, Shiki no Uta: T. Araki6:53
  • M - 2 also appears on the "I Can" single.
  • M - 3,4 also appears on the "Hey Lord!" single.

Personnel

Helloween

Others

  • Jorn Ellerbrock – keyboards
  • Tommy Hansen (producer) – keyboards
  • Jutta Weinhold, Ralf Maurer, Christina Hahne – backing vocals

Trivia

  • Hanson have been known to use the album introduction as an entrance to their concerts.
  • "Lavdate Dominvm" (read as Laudate Dominum, Classical Latin for "Praise the Lord") was written as a tribute for the band's dedicated fans in Spain, South America, and other Catholic and Christian countries and regions.
  • "Midnight Sun" is about the ending of a bad relationship.
  • The cover was inspired by The Smurfs, with Gargamel changed for the witch and the Smurfs for pumpkins.[4]
  • As opposed to the more benign-looking pumpkin used on previous albums, a sinister-looking pumpkin is used to represent the "o" in the "Helloween" logo. Albeit with a few minor tweaks, it was in use up until the 2021 album Helloween.

Charts

Chart (1998) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[5]36
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[6]7
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[7]19
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[8] 9
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[9]35
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[10]42
UK Independent Albums (Official Charts)[11]21
UK Rock & Metal Albums (Official Charts)[12]14

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)[13] Gold 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ Better Than Raw at AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-06-22.
  2. ↑ "Better than Raw". Encyclopaedia Metallum. Retrieved 2012-11-11.
  3. ↑ "Helloween – Better Than Raw (tracklist and versions)". Discogs. Retrieved 2012-11-11.
  4. ↑ Webster, Tony (1998-07-21). "Interview with Michael Weikath". True Metal. Retrieved 2025-10-29. We [Andi Deris and Michael Weikath] had the idea about the Smurfs and Gargamel and the characters were replaced by the sexy witch and the pumpkins.
  5. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Helloween – Better Than Raw" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Helloween: Better Than Raw" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Helloween – Better Than Raw" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  8. ↑ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  9. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Helloween – Better Than Raw". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Helloween – Better Than Raw". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Official Independent Albums Chart on 19/4/1998 – Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart on 19/4/1998 – Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Japanese album certifications – Heloween – Better Than Raw" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved December 27, 2020. Select 1998年3月 on the drop-down menu
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