by Andy Hinds

After well over a dozen albums, Helloween still has an impressive knack for grafting memorably anthemic choruses over full-throttle power metal. What's more, their quieter, more melodic moments never dissolve into schmaltzy sentimentality (a mistake made too often by the band's many followers); the ballad "Don't Stop Being Crazy" has a certain pathos without being corny. The group's chops are in top form on Rabbit Don't Come Easy (aided by moonlighting Motörhead skinsman Mikkey Dee), but the quality of the songs is what leaves the strongest impression.