Album
Better Than Raw
Better Than Raw is the eighth studio album by the German power metal band Helloween, released on 4 March 1998 through Paradoxx Music. It followed The Time of the Oath from 1996 and came a year before Metal Jukebox, so it sits in the middle of the band's run of late-nineties records. Two singles were taken from it: "I Can" and "Hey Lord!".
The sessions were split between Chateau du Pape and Crazy Cat Studios in Hamburg and Mi Sueño Studio in Tenerife. Tommy Hansen produced and mixed the album, and Ian Cooper mastered it at Metropolis in London. If you want to hear how Helloween sounded as the decade drew to a close, with heavy metal and power metal at the centre of their sound, this is a good place to start.
Better Than Raw: tracklist, credits and charts
12 tracks · 58:28Tracklist
- 1Deliberately Limited Preliminary Prelude Period in ZUlrich “Uli” Kusch1:05
- 2PushKusch, Deris, Weikath5:25
- 3Falling HigherMichael Weikath and Andi Deris4:47
- 4Hey Lord!Andi Deris4:07
- 5Don’t Spit on My MindAndi Deris and Markus Grosskopf4:25
- 6RevelationUlrich “Uli” Kusch and Andi Deris8:22
- 7TimeAndi Deris5:43
- 8I CanAndi Deris and Michael Weikath4:40
- 9A Handful of PainUlrich “Uli” Kusch and Andi Deris4:48
- 10Laudate DominumMichael Weikath5:10
- 11Midnight SunMichael Weikath6:21
- 12A Game We Shouldn’t PlayAndi Deris3:36
- Produced by
- Tommy Hansen, Helloween
- Recorded at
- Chateau Du Pape, Mi Sueno Recording Studios, Chateau du Pape and Crazy Cat Studios, Hamburg, Germany and Mi Sueño Studio, Tenerife, Spain
- Recorded
- 1997
- Mixed by
- Tommy Hansen
- Mixed at
- Chateau Du Pape
- Labels
- Paradoxx Music, Castle Communications
- Length
- 58:28
Line-up
- Roland Grapow · guitar
- Markus Grosskopf · bass guitar
- Ulrich “Uli” Kusch · drums (drum set)
- Michael Weikath · guitar
- Andi Deris · lead vocals
Singles
- “I Can” · April 1998
- “Hey Lord!” · April 1998
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| Finnish Albums · 1998 | 7 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 1998 | 9 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums · 1998 | 14 |
| German Albums · 1998 | 19 |
| UK Independent Albums · 1998 | 21 |
| Swedish Albums · 1998 | 35 |
| Austrian Albums · 1998 | 36 |
| Swiss Albums · 1998 | 42 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Japan · 1998 | Gold |
From MusicBrainz and Wikipedia. Only what the sources record is shown.
50.3
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
884
ListenBrainz listeners
26k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
477
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 4 March
Every year →
More from Helloween
Full discography →
Death Metal
1984
Helloween
1985
Walls of Jericho
1985
Keeper of the Seven Keys, Part I
1987
Keeper of the Seven Keys, Part II
1988
Live in the U.K.
1989
Pink Bubbles Go Ape
1991
The Best, The Rest, The Rare
1991
Chameleon
1993
Mr Ego (Take Me Down) EP
1994
Master of the Rings
1994
The Time of the Oath
1996
High Live
1996
Karaoke Remix, Volume 2
1998
Karaoke Remix, Volume 1
1998
Metal Jukebox
1999
The Dark Ride
2000
Treasure Chest
2002
Rabbit Don’t Come Easy
2003
Keeper of the Seven Keys: The Legacy
2005
Keeper of the Seven Keys: The Legacy: World Tour 2005/2006
2007
Gambling With the Devil
2007
Unarmed: Best of 25th Anniversary
2009
7 Sinners
2010
Burning Sun
2012
Straight Out of Hell
2013
My God‐Given Right
2015
Halloween - Live
2019
United Alive
2019
Helloween
2021
Giants & Monsters
2025
The best of 1998
All of 1998 →
System of a Down
System of a Down · 1998
Americana
The Offspring · 1998
Garage Inc.
Metallica · 1998
Follow the Leader
Korn · 1998
Adore
The Smashing Pumpkins · 1998
Mechanical Animals
Marilyn Manson · 1998
Yield
Pearl Jam · 1998
Dizzy Up the Girl
Goo Goo Dolls · 1998
Iron Maiden An Introduction to… Virtual XI 1998
An Introduction to… Virtual XI
Iron Maiden · 1998
Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age · 1998
Celebrity Skin
Hole · 1998
Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie
Alanis Morissette · 1998
More on Paradoxx Music
The label →
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia 1998-03-04; musicbrainz + wikidata 1998-04-14 (41 days apart, likely another territory)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 14 April 1998 | ignored lone early release dated 1998-03-04 |
| Wikipedia infobox | 4 March 1998 | |
| Wikidata | 14 April 1998 | |
| US release | 15 September 1998 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 1998 | earliest UK or European date |
14 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | BR | Paradoxx Music | 7891591006839 | other |
| 1998 | GB | — | 5026389412529 | other |
| 1998 | AR | NEMS Enterprises | 7891591006839 | other |
| 4 March 1998 | JP | Victor | 4988002364343 | original |
| 14 April 1998 | DE | Raw Power | 5026389412529 | other |
| 15 September 1998 | US | Velvel | 634677973628 | other |
| 5 September 2002 | KR | — | other | |
| 2003 | MX | Castle Music | 5050159112029 | other |
| 2006 | MX | Scarecrow Records | 505749413161 | other |
| 3 April 2006 | GB | Castle Music | 5050749413161 | deluxe |
| 3 April 2006 | XE | Castle Music | 5050749413161 | deluxe |
| 16 May 2006 | US | — | other | |
| 16 December 2016 | XE | BMG | 4050538214680 | other |
| 27 September 2024 | — | Sanctuary Records | 4099964054255 | remaster |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · upscaled: minor: best source 1400x1400, upscaled to 1500 (x1.07)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 1400×1400 | upscaled: minor: best source 1400x1400, upscaled to 1500 (x1.07) |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |