When we were contacted about reviewing the debut album for the group, Van Helsing's Curse, it took a second for us to consider. Should a movie review site branch out and review a CD? And what will make our readers want to actually listen to this disc?

The answer is plain and simple: Dee Snider. Yes, the former leader of 80's make-up sporting metallers, Twisted Sister, and the demented mind behind 1998's Strangeland has delivered a concept album straight to your door to celebrate Halloween.

Snider himself wrote and narrates the basis story for this album that has a soulless demon coming to Earth to enslave the human race only to come up against opposition from a young child who's recruited a member of the Van Helsing family to stop the beast. It's a listenable tale but really is over-ruled by the music which is bascially a lot of guitar and thrash metal mixed with Latin choir chants, great string arrangements by Mark Wood (who some will remember as being billed as the first "Heavy Metal Violinist") and reworkings of classic music, movie themes (such as "Tubular Bells" from The Exorcist) and even "Black Sabbath" by (who else?) Black Sabbath.

This isn't an album to listen to in bits, you need to hear it from start to finish to really appreciate the effort Snider and his team have put into it. It's a great idea to bring out a Halloween themed CD (that's not lame-o sound effects) and they pull it off pretty darn well despite my mild complaint that I'd of liked a bit more of Snider's "story".

All true horror fans should dig this CD - and it's always good to hear the "Omen" theme by Jerry Goldsmith used to its eerie advantage. Pick this one up, folks.