Album
Master of the Rings
Master of the Rings is Helloween's sixth studio album, released in August 1994. It arrived after Pink Bubbles Go Ape and Chameleon, and it marks a fresh start: Andi Deris and Uli Kusch both make their first appearances with the band here. For a group from Germany whose name is tied to power metal, that change in personnel gives the record a real sense of a new chapter.
Four singles were taken from it: "Where the Rain Grows", "Mr. Ego (Take Me Down)", "Perfect Gentleman" and "Sole Survivor". The first three came with videos. "Mr. Ego" was dedicated to former singer Michael Kiske and also came out as an EP in Europe. It is a good place to hear how the band sounded with Deris at the front, and it leads straight into The Time of the Oath.
Master of the Rings: tracklist, credits and charts
11 tracks · 50:19Tracklist
- 1IrritationMichael Weikath1:16
- 2Sole SurvivorMichael Weikath and Andi Deris4:33
- 3Where the Rain GrowsMichael Weikath and Andi Deris4:47
- 4Why?Andi Deris4:12
- 5Mr Ego (Take Me Down)Roland Grapow7:03
- 6Perfect GentlemanAndi Deris and Michael Weikath3:54
- 7The Game Is OnMichael Weikath4:40
- 8Secret AlibiMichael Weikath5:50
- 9Take Me HomeRoland Grapow4:26
- 10In the Middle of a HeartbeatAndi Deris and Michael Weikath4:30
- 11Still We GoRoland Grapow5:09
- Produced by
- Tommy Hansen, Helloween, Tommy Hansen and Helloween
- Recorded at
- Chateau Du Pape (Hamburg, Germany)
- Recorded
- 1994
- Mixed by
- Tommy Hansen
- Mixed at
- Chateau Du Pape
- Labels
- Raw Power, Victor Entertainment, Castle Communications/Raw Power, Castle Records
- Length
- 50:19
Line-up
- Roland Grapow · guitar
- Markus Grosskopf · bass guitar
- Ulrich “Uli” Kusch · drums (drum set)
- Michael Weikath · guitar
- Andi Deris · lead vocals
Singles
- “Mr. Ego” · 22 July 1994
- “Where the Rain Grows” · 3 August 1994
- “Perfect Gentleman” · 28 September 1994
- “Sole Survivor” · 5 October 1995
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 1994 | 6 |
| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts) · 1994 | 7 |
| Swiss Albums · 1994 | 22 |
| German Albums · 1994 | 23 |
| Swedish Albums · 1994 | 26 |
| Austrian Albums · 1994 | 34 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Japan · 1994 | Gold |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
55.5
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
1.4k
ListenBrainz listeners
32k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
590
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 26 August
Every year →
All Hope Is Gone
Slipknot · 2008
I’m With You
Red Hot Chili Peppers · 2011
Waking the Fallen
Avenged Sevenfold · 2003
Of Kingdom and Crown
Machine Head · 2022
Motörizer
Motörhead · 2008
KISS Rocks Vegas
KISS · 2016
The First Session
Hole · 1997
Fuck the Kids
NOFX · 1996
Decision Day
Sodom · 2016
Radio, Radio, Radio
Rancid · 1993
People of the Sun EP
Rage Against the Machine · 1996
Singles 1-12
Melvins · 1997
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
The Time of the Oath
1996
High Live
1996
Better Than Raw
1998
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 1994
All of 1994 →
Dookie
Green Day · 1994
The Division Bell
Pink Floyd · 1994
The Rolling Stones Volumen 1 1994
Volumen 1
The Rolling Stones · 1994
The Rolling Stones Coca-Cola Presenta Rolling Stones 1994
Coca-Cola Presenta Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones · 1994
The Rolling Stones Volumen 2 1994
Volumen 2
The Rolling Stones · 1994
Definitely Maybe
Oasis · 1994
MTV Unplugged in New York
Nirvana · 1994
Grace
Jeff Buckley · 1994
The Downward Spiral
Nine Inch Nails · 1994
Superunknown
Soundgarden · 1994
Smash
The Offspring · 1994
Vitalogy
Pearl Jam · 1994
More on Raw Power
The label →
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia 1994-08-26 vs 1994-07-08 (musicbrainz)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 8 July 1994 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 26 August 1994 | |
| Wikidata | 1994 | |
| Wikipedia (other date) | 30 August 1994 (GB) | |
| US release | 8 July 1994 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 30 August 1994 | earliest UK or European date |
12 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | DE | Raw Power | 5026389410129 | other |
| 1994 | DE | Raw Power | 4010946715025 | other |
| 1994 | XE | Raw Power | 4010946715025 | other |
| 8 July 1994 | US | Castle Records | 600234010129 | original |
| 8 July 1994 | GB | Raw Power | 5026389410129 | original |
| 24 August 1994 | JP | Victor | 4988002295135 | other |
| 22 January 2001 | GB | Castle Communications | 5050159111824 | other |
| 2006 | MX | Scarecrow Records | 5050749413130 | other |
| 3 April 2006 | XE | Castle Music | 5050749413130 | deluxe |
| 3 April 2006 | GB | Castle Music | 5050749413130 | deluxe |
| 30 August 2024 | — | Sanctuary Records | 4099964054118 | remaster |
| — | — | — | 5414939523878 | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · native: native 3703x3703, downscaled to 3000
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 3703×3703 | native: native 3703x3703, downscaled to 3000 |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |