Better Than Raw

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!".

Better Than Raw
Studio album by Helloween
Released	4 March 1998
Recorded	1997
Studio	Chateau du Pape and Crazy Cat Studios, Hamburg, Germany and Mi Sueño Studio, Tenerife, Spain
Genre	Power metal
Length	52:58
Label	Castle Communications
Producer	Tommy Hansen, Helloween
Helloween chronology
High Live (1996) Better Than Raw (1998) Metal Jukebox (1999)
Singles from Better Than Raw
"I Can" Released: April 1998 "Hey Lord!" Released: April 1998

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]

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.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"Deliberately Limited Preliminary Prelude Period in Z"	instrumental	Uli Kusch	1:45
2.	"Push"	Andi Deris, Kusch, Michael Weikath	Kusch	4:45
3.	"Falling Higher"	Deris, Weikath	Weikath	4:45
4.	"Hey Lord!"	Deris	Deris	4:07
5.	"Don't Spit on My Mind"	Deris	Deris, Markus Grosskopf	4:24
6.	"Revelation"	Deris	Kusch	8:21
7.	"Time"	Deris	Deris	5:43
8.	"I Can"	Weikath	Deris, Weikath	4:38
9.	"A Handful of Pain"	Deris	Kusch	4:49
10.	"Lavdate Dominum"	Weikath	Weikath	5:10
11.	"Midnight Sun"	Weikath	Weikath	6:19
Total length:				52:58

Expanded Edition bonus tracks

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"Back on the Ground"	Deris	Kusch	4:40
2.	"A Game We Shouldn't Play"	Deris	Deris	3:38
3.	"Perfect Gentleman" (live bootleg version)	Deris, Weikath	Deris	3:27
4.	"Moshi Moshi~Shiki No Uta" (live drum solo & original song)	instrumental	Moshi~Moshi: Kusch, Roland Grapow, Shiki no Uta: T. Araki	6:53

• M - 2 also appears on the "I Can" single.
• M - 3,4 also appears on the "Hey Lord!" single.

Personnel

Helloween

• Andi Deris – lead and backing vocals
• Michael Weikath – guitar, backing vocals
• Roland Grapow – guitar, backing vocals
• Markus Grosskopf – bass, backing vocals
• Uli Kusch – drums

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.
• Laudate Dominum was written as a tribute for the band's dedicated fans in Spain, South America and other Christians countries.
• 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.
• 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 Helloween.

Charts

Chart (1998)	Peak position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[4]	36
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[5]	7
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[6]	19
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[7]	9
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[8]	35
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[9]	42
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[10]	21
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[11]	14

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)[12]	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. "Austriancharts.at – Helloween – Better Than Raw" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
5. "Helloween: Better Than Raw" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
6. "Offiziellecharts.de – Helloween – Better Than Raw" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
7. Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
8. "Swedishcharts.com – Helloween – Better Than Raw". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
9. "Swisscharts.com – Helloween – Better Than Raw". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
10. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
11. "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
12. "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

External links

• Helloween - Better Than Raw (1998) - Poster (Hi Res Scan)