Better Than Raw

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Better Than Raw is the eighth studio album by German power metal band Helloween, released in 1998.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.

The album cover art is a parody of the popular Belgian comic strip The Smurfs.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Track listing

• 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

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Chart (1998)	Peak position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)<ref name="JPN">Template:Cite book</ref>	9

External links

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