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Helloween
Helloween is a German power metal band founded in 1984 in Hamburg by members of bands Iron Fist, Gentry, Second Hell and Powerfool. Its first lineup consisted of singer and guitarist Kai Hansen, bassist Markus Grosskopf, guitarist Michael Weikath and drummer Ingo Schwichtenberg. By the time Hansen quit Helloween in 1989 to form Gamma Ray, the band had evolved into a five-piece, with Michael Kiske taking over as lead vocalist. Schwichtenberg and Kiske both parted ways with Helloween in 1993; Schwichtenberg died two years later as the result of suicide. Between then and 2016, there had been numerous line-up changes, leaving Grosskopf and Weikath as the only remaining original members. As a septet, their current lineup includes four-fifths of the '' Keeper of the Seven Keys: Parts I'' and '' II''-era (1987–1988) lineup, featuring three additional members, vocalist Andi Deris (who had replaced Kiske in 1994), guitarist Sascha Gerstner and drummer Daniel Löble. Since its incepti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Kiske
Michael Kiske (born January 24, 1968) is a German singer and lead vocalist for the German power metal band Helloween. Kiske has released four solo albums, two albums with the hard rock band Unisonic, has participated on various metal and rock related projects, such as Avantasia, Place Vendome and Kiske/Somerville and has also performed with numerous bands as a guest vocalist. Biography Early life Prior to joining Helloween, Kiske sang with the German band Ill Prophecy at the age of 17. The band recorded a demo, but it was never released commercially. Personal life Kiske said in an interview 2021 that his father killed himself with alcohol. Michael himself didn't drink alcohol at all for many years, but in 2021 he said he could enjoy a glass of red wine while he was working. He has a younger sister and an older brother. Kiske said in an interview 2013: "I'm very sensitive and I take betrayal very, very heavy. I don't wanna sound stupid, but I think I'm a good friend. If ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roland Grapow
Roland Grapow (born 30 August 1959 in Hamburg) is a German professional guitarist and music producer. Grapow is best known for his time in the power metal band Helloween, with which he played for 12 years after replacing founding member Kai Hansen. He subsequently created the power metal band Masterplan in 2001, which is still active today. Life and career Early years Grapow started playing guitar at age 12. His father bought him a guitar and had him take lessons, but Grapow couldn't stand the theory part and his teacher told his father that the boy didn't have any talent for guitar playing. Helloween Prior to joining Helloween, Grapow was a member of the heavy metal band Rampage. He joined the band in roughly 1979, and played on two of their studio albums: ''Victim of Rock'' in 1980 and ''Love Lights Up the Night'' in 1982. He left Rampage around 1983. He was then fairly inactive musically, and made a living as a car mechanic until Michael Weikath called him to offer him a pos ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kai Hansen
Kai Michael Hansen (born 17 January 1963) is a German musician who is the founder, lead guitarist and vocalist of power metal band Gamma Ray. He is also one of the co-founders of metal band Helloween, which he rejoined in 2016. He is a prominent figure in power metal and has sold millions of albums worldwide. He is regarded as "the godfather of power metal", having founded two seminal bands in the genre. In 2011, he joined the band Unisonic featuring former Helloween vocalist Michael Kiske. Hansen and Kiske reunited with Helloween in 2017 for a world tour with all current members, celebrating the 30-year anniversary of release of the albums ''Keeper of the Seven Keys'' Parts I and II. Early life Kai Hansen was born in Hamburg in 1963. At the age of ten, Kai got interested in music and started playing wash-drums. His parents however, didn't like the noise and bought him an acoustic guitar instead. He took a six-months course in classical guitar and following it, formed his first ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Andi Deris
Andreas "Andi" Deris (born 18 August 1964) is a German singer, best known as the lead vocalist of the power metal band Helloween, and co-founder and former lead singer of the metal band Pink Cream 69. Singing style Deris has a high baritone type voice and possesses an almost four-octave vocal range, with a melodic and aggressive vocal, always using the voice mix. Biography First bands (1979–1987) Deris was born in Karlsruhe and started to sing in his first band, Paranoid, when he was 15. Two years later, they changed the band's name to Nameless. In Nameless, Deris stayed along with his school friend, drummer Ralf Maurer, who also played on both Deris' solo albums. In late 1984, Deris joined a band called Dragon with the two brothers Bruno and Oscar Di Blasio ("Di Blasio BrOs") on guitar, and Bernd and Stefan Lüddemann (bass and drums). After playing live concerts in the Karlsruhe area, they went to Edo Zanki's studio in Karlsdorf and to Arco Studio, Munich, to record ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Markus Grosskopf
Markus Grosskopf (born 21 September 1965) is a German musician who is the bass guitarist, backing vocalist and a founding member of the power metal band Helloween. Biography Grosskopf started playing bass at the age of 15 when he became friends with a drummer and a guitar player. They were looking for a bass player, so he bought his first bass and started jamming with covers of the Sex Pistols, Ramones, and the like. They covered songs from the Sex Pistols, the Ramones, Sid Vicious, XTC, The Stranglers, and others. Some time later, he decided to leave in hope of finding a heavier band with more live playing opportunities, then he met Kai Hansen and his band Second Hell, with whom he started playing. The band soon joined forces with former Powerfool guitarist Michael Weikath and adopted the name Helloween, with the original lineup being Kai Hansen (guitars/vocals), Michael Weikath (guitars), Grosskopf (bass) and Ingo Schwichtenberg (drums). Helloween Grosskopf writes some of t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Weikath
Michael Ingo Joachim "Weiki" Weikath (born 7 August 1962) is a German musician, best known as a founding member and one of the guitarists of pioneering power metal band Helloween. Biography Weikath was born in Hamburg and was musical from a very early age. As a four to five-year-old, he would lie in the grass, looking at the sky, and come up with melodies in his head. He began taking a serious interest in music in 1971 and spent much of his time as a child at the tube stereo set of his parents, listening to all the stations available at the time. The first album he owned was '' 1962–1966'' by The Beatles. In 1974, Weikath started playing the guitar and later on began rehearsing with his friends. He formed his first band, Powerfool, in 1978. Prior to forming Helloween, he worked for a record mail order company. In 1982, he served heavy social duty as an alternative to military service. The main bands that have had an influence on him are The Beatles, Deep Purple, Scorpions, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ingo Schwichtenberg
Ingo "Mr. Smile" Schwichtenberg (18 May 1965 – 8 March 1995) was a German drummer and one of the founding members of the power metal band Helloween. Biography Helloween guitarist Roland Grapow said about Schwichtenberg in an interview 1999: The song " Step Out of Hell" from the Helloween album ''Chameleon'' is written by Roland Grapow about Schwichtenberg's problems with drug abuse. After a six-hour telephone call with Michael Weikath, in which he explained why they had made that hard and painful decision, Ingo was asked to leave Helloween after the album ''Chameleon''. Schwichtenberg was apparently somewhat dissatisfied with the direction of the band as well, even going as far as to refer to their song from the ''Chameleon'' album "Windmill", as "Shitmill". Michael Kiske said about the recording: "Ingo was very sick, that was the last thing he did, after he did the drumming he had a breakdown." Drummer Ritchie Abdel Nabi covered immediate commitments and played on the ''Ch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gamma Ray (band)
Gamma Ray is a German power metal band from Hamburg, founded and fronted by Kai Hansen after his departure from power metal band Helloween, in 1989. He is the band's lead vocalist, guitarist and chief songwriter. Between 1990 and 2014, Gamma Ray recorded eleven studio albums. Biography Formation In 1988, after four years with the German power metal band Helloween, guitarist and songwriter Kai Hansen decided to leave the group. Hansen claimed that Helloween had become too big for him to handle, although the group's troubles with financial issues and their record company, Noise Records, most likely played a part as well. He proceeded to do some studio work with German power metal band Blind Guardian and, in 1989, decided to form his own project with long-time friend Ralf Scheepers, former vocalist of the band Tyran Pace. This two-man project grew into a four-man band with the addition of Uwe Wessel on bass and Mathias Burchardt on drums. This was the first line-up of Gamma Ray, b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Power Metal
Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in contrast with the heaviness and dissonance prevalent, for example, in extreme metal. Power metal bands usually have anthem-like songs with fantasy-based subject matter and strong choruses, thus creating a theatrical, dramatic and emotionally "powerful" sound. "Riffs became labyrinthine, vocals scorched higher altitudes—and they even managed to crank out some more volume." The term was first used in the mid-1980s and refers to two different but related styles: * the first pioneered and largely practiced in North America with a harder sound similar to speed metal; * a later, more widespread and popular style based in Europe "American metal such as Queensrÿche, Attacker, Jag Panzer, Iced Earth, Liege Lord, and Savatage; European bands such as H ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Uli Kusch
Ulrich Kusch (born 11 March 1967) is a heavy metal drummer. He is best known for playing with Helloween, Gamma Ray, Masterplan and Holy Moses, among others. He is known for his technical style of playing, fast-paced speed metal-like rhythm, and capable songwriting abilities. Biography During the 1980s and early 1990s, he used to be a studio musician and played for many bands, such as Holy Moses, Mekong Delta among others. In 1990, after first drummer of Gamma Ray Mathias Burchardt quit the band, Kai Hansen recruited Uli to perform for his band. In 1991, this lineup released their second full-length studio album, labeled '' Sigh No More'' and went on a world tour. However, Uli quit Gamma Ray in 1992. He Joined Axe La Chapelle 1993 and played the drums for the album "Grab What You Can" before he joined Helloween, with whom he released ''Master of the Rings'' in 1994 and ''The Time of the Oath'' in 1996. That same year Helloween released the 2-CD live album ''High Live'', provi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sascha Gerstner
Sascha Gerstner (born 2 April 1977) is a German musician who has been one of the guitarists and backing vocalists of power metal band Helloween since 2002. He is also a former member of Freedom Call. Biography Gerstner grew up in Nuremberg, West Germany. He started playing keyboards at the age of six and switched to playing guitar when he was thirteen. His main musical influences were the Michael Schenker Group, Toto, Peter Gabriel, Chicago and Journey. At the age of seventeen, he started working as a studio guitarist in Nuremberg. In 1996, Gerstner joined the cover band scene in South Germany, where he met his former bandmates from Freedom Call. He joined Freedom Call in 1998, with whom he recorded two albums and did three big tours in Europe before leaving in 2001. After leaving Freedom Call, Gerstner co-founded a recording studio and worked as a producer and songwriter for other young artists until Helloween producer Charlie Bauerfeind contacted him and introduced him t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Daniel Löble
Daniel "Dani" Löble (born 22 February 1973) is a Swiss-German drummer, who has been a member of German power metal band Helloween since 2005. Biography Dani began his career with Rawhead Rexx, a band that he helped form but departed due to his new commitments to Helloween. He was also a touring drummer for Blaze Bayley from October 2004 to December 2005. He lives in Steißlingen. Regarding his role in Helloween when compared to his two predecessors, Ingo Schwichtenberg and Uli Kusch, Dani was quoted as saying: "I view my style as a symbiosis of Schwichtenberg and Kusch. I'm not as straightforward as Ingo but not as technical as Uli. I have my own style." In August 2008, Dani inked an endorsement deal with Paiste and states being extremely happy with his new cymbal setup, which features the new Signature Reflector Heavy Full Crash models and describes them as being warm, full, and 'sounding straight as an arrow' with a silvery shimmer. Discography Höllenhunde * ''Alptrau ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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