Helloween is a German
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 contra ...
band founded in 1984 in
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
by members of bands Iron Fist, Gentry, Second Hell and Powerfool. Its first lineup consisted of singer and guitarist
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 promine ...
, bassist
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 friend ...
, guitarist
Michael Weikath and drummer
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: ...
. By the time Hansen quit Helloween in 1989 to form
Gamma Ray
A gamma ray, also known as gamma radiation (symbol γ or \gamma), is a penetrating form of electromagnetic radiation arising from the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei. It consists of the shortest wavelength electromagnetic waves, typically ...
, the band had evolved into a five-piece, with
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 ...
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
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, ...
and drummer
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 hi ...
.
Since its inception, Helloween has released 16 studio albums, three live albums, three EPs and 30 singles, was honored with 14 gold and six platinum awards and has sold more than ten million records worldwide. Helloween has been referred to as the "fathers of
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 contra ...
", as well as one of the so-called "big four" of the genre's early German scene, along with
Grave Digger
A gravedigger is a cemetery worker who is responsible for digging a grave prior to a funeral service.
Description
If the grave is in a cemetery on the property of a church or other religious organization (part of, or called, a churchyard), ...
,
Rage and
Running Wild, and as one of power metal "big four" overall, along with
Blind Guardian
Blind Guardian is a German power metal band formed in 1984 in Krefeld, West Germany. They are often credited as one of the seminal and most influential bands in the power metal and speed metal subgenres.[Sabaton
A sabaton or solleret is part of a knight's body armor that covers the foot.
History
Fourteenth and fifteenth century sabatons typically end in a tapered point well past the actual toes of the wearer's foot, following fashionable shoe shapes ...]
and
DragonForce
DragonForce are a British power metal band from London, England. The band was formed in 1999 by guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman, and are known for their long and fast guitar solos, fantasy-themed lyrics and retro video game-influenced ...
.
History
Early years and first album (1984–1986)
Helloween was formed 1984 in
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
, West Germany. The original line-up included
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 promine ...
on vocals and rhythm guitar,
Michael Weikath on lead guitar,
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 friend ...
on bass and
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: ...
on drums. That year, the band signed with
Noise Records
Noise Records is a German heavy metal record label founded in 1983 by German music industry personality Karl-Ulrich Walterbach as an expansion of his company Modern Music Records. It was sold to the Sanctuary Records Group in 2001 and ceased an ...
and recorded two songs for a Noise compilation record called ''
Death Metal''. The compilation featured the bands
Hellhammer
Hellhammer was a Swiss metal band from Nürensdorf, active from 1982 to 1984. Although the band's sound and style were heavily criticized and poorly reviewed during their active years, they have been widely praised in retrospect and are often r ...
,
Running Wild and Dark Avenger. The two tracks were "Oernst of Life" by Weikath and Hansen's "Metal Invaders," a faster version of which would appear on the band's first full-length album.
Helloween recorded and released its first record in 1985, a
self-titled
An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''.
Usage of the word
The term ''epon ...
EP containing five tracks. Also that year, the band released its first full-length album, ''
Walls of Jericho''. During the following concert tour, Hansen had difficulties singing and playing the guitar at the same time. Hansen's last recording as the band's lead singer was in 1986 on a vinyl EP titled ''Judas'', which contained the song "Judas" and live versions of "Ride the Sky" and "Guardians" recorded at Gelsenkirchen. (The CD edition has the live introduction, but the songs have been replaced with studio versions and crowd noise spliced in.) Following these releases, Helloween began the search for a new vocalist.
Hansen said in an interview 1999:
''Keeper of the Seven Keys'' (1986–1989)
The band found an 18-year-old vocalist,
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 ...
, from a local Hamburg band named Ill Prophecy. Kiske was initially uninterested in them, having heard the more thrashy ''Walls of Jericho'', but after Weikath insisted, he attended one of their sessions and heard some songs they had composed for his voice (songs which would later be featured in their next albums), and he changed his mind.
With their new lead vocalist in tow, Helloween approached record labels Noise International and RCA and proposed the release of a double-LP to introduce the line-up. This proposition was turned down.
Instead, they recorded a single LP, ''
Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part I.'' The album was released by Noise Records on 23 May 1987, months after the band spent the winter of 1986 into 1987 hard at work inside Horus Sound Studio in Hannover, Germany. It consisted of songs mostly written by Hansen. Due to guitarist Michael Weikath's illness, he was recovering from a nervous breakdown, all the rhythm guitars on the album were played by Hansen. Weikath was only able to play some guitar solos and only wrote the ballad "A Tale That Wasn't Right". Weikath said in an interview: "I was pleased to still be in the band."
The album received great reviews from the press and a great response from the fans. The positive reception took Helloween across the ocean, as they toured the US together with
Grim Reaper
Death is frequently imagined as a personified force. In some mythologies, a character known as the Grim Reaper (usually depicted as a berobed skeleton wielding a scythe) causes the victim's death by coming to collect that person's soul. Other b ...
and
Armored Saint. Their American distributor at the time, RCA, got them to record a video for the epic ''"Halloween"'', but cut it to four minutes so that the video can be played on
MTV. However, after the European tour together with
Overkill, the first struggles within the band started taking shape.
Exhausted from touring, Hansen asked the band to take a short break from live performances. However, as the band was just starting to gain momentum the time to take a break was just not right. The disputes ranged from arguing about their musical direction on the future releases to extensive touring and other, mostly insignificant topics. Hansen started contemplating leaving the band.
In August 1988, Helloween released ''
Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part II.'' This time the record featured more Weikath-penned tracks. The idea behind this was that the first album should feature tracks written by Hansen due to their similarity to the style of their debut, while the second album would feature tracks composed by Weikath which were a lot more mainstream by comparison. The album capitalized on the success of Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 1 and picks up where it left off. Success bloomed all over Europe, Asia and even the US. The album went gold in Germany, reached #108 in the US, hit the UK top 30 albums and single "''
Dr Stein"'' reached the lofty heights of #57.
Despite the vast commercial success of the Keeper's part two, the rift between the band members kept growing. They spent more time arguing about the music rather than composing it. Hansen called for a meeting and once again asked the band if they could take a break from touring.
The band got the chance to perform, in front of 100.000 people, as a part of the
Monsters of Rock
Monsters of Rock was an annual hard rock and heavy metal music festival held in Castle Donington, England, from 1980 to 1996, taking place every year except 1989 and 1993. It later branched into other locations such as the Netherlands, Poland, ...
festival along with
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harri ...
,
David Lee Roth,
Kiss
A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
,
Megadeth and
Guns N' Roses at
Donington Park on 20 August 1988.
Around the same time, the tension between the band and their record label Noise led to an argument which would later lead to a lawsuit. The band was discontent with how much they were being paid taking into account great record and merchandise sales, as well as frequent touring. Helloween also supported Iron Maiden on their
Seventh Tour of a Seventh Tour
Seventh Tour of a Seventh Tour was a world tour conducted by British heavy metal band Iron Maiden in 1988, in support of their seventh studio album, ''Seventh Son of a Seventh Son''. It was their last tour to feature the World Piece Tour-era ...
, on some dates in Europe.
In the fall of 1988, the band went on yet another European tour, now as headlining act, named "Pumpkins Fly Free Tour", which spawned their first ever live album, released the year after, titled "''
Live in the U.K.''" recorded during their show in Scotland. The same record was also released as "''Keepers Live''" in Japan and "''I Want Out Live''" in the US.
MTV put the single "
I Want Out" into heavy rotation. A video that was directed by
Storm Thorgerson
Storm Elvin Thorgerson (28 February 1944 – 18 April 2013) was an English graphic designer and music video director. He is best known for closely working with the group Pink Floyd through most of their career, and also created album or other ar ...
. In Hansen's ''I Want Out'' the guitarist very publicly laid out his disillusion with life as a member of Helloween at this time.
In support of its ''
Headbangers Ball'' show, MTV also presented the Headbangers Ball Tour in US and invited Helloween to be a part of it in 1989. However, before the start of that tour, in December 1988 Kai Hansen broke the news to the other members that he was leaving Helloween. Hansen's last show with the band was at
The Hummingbird
''The Hummingbird'' ( it, Il colibrì) is a 2019 novel by Sandro Veronesi. The novel is presented in fragments with a nonlinear narrative structure and follows the tumultuous life of ophthalmologist Marco Carrera. The novel won the prestigious ...
, Birmingham, UK on 8 November 1988.
Hansen and Kiske's departures (1989–1993)
Helloween chose
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 Han ...
to replace Hansen.
Grapow was originally discovered in a club in Hamburg, Germany playing with his band Rampage. Helloween guitarist Michael Weikath, who kept Grapow's name in mind in the event Hansen would potentially leave.
Grapow, who was a
car mechanic
An auto mechanic (automotive technician in most of North America, light vehicle technician in British English, and motor mechanic in Australian English) is a mechanic who services and repairs automobiles, sometimes specializing in one or more ...
at the time, stated in 2017 that, if Weikath had not happened to ask him to join the band, he would have kept his job and given up on his dream of becoming a professional musician. Grapow said in 2020:
The inaugural
Headbangers Ball Tour started in April 1989 with Helloween joining
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...
thrash-metal band
Exodus in support of headlining act
Anthrax. The band was slotted in the prestigious second spot, right before Anthrax's set. On the heels of this exposure to U.S. audiences, the band achieved worldwide success. Kiske reflected at the time:
At the height of their success Helloween decided to sign with then-major label EMI after being urged to do so by their management company Sanctuary, who also managed
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harri ...
. Their former label
Noise Records
Noise Records is a German heavy metal record label founded in 1983 by German music industry personality Karl-Ulrich Walterbach as an expansion of his company Modern Music Records. It was sold to the Sanctuary Records Group in 2001 and ceased an ...
sued them for breach of contract which effectively put the band on hold. Between June 1989 and April 1992 they did not play one show. All the momentum the band had built up came to a halt.
Their first album with new guitarist Grapow ''
Pink Bubbles Go Ape
''Pink Bubbles Go Ape'' is the fourth studio album by German power metal band Helloween, released in 1991. It marked the departure of guitarist Kai Hansen, with Roland Grapow replacing him. It was also the first album released on EMI Records.
Ba ...
'' was released on EMI in the spring of 1991 in Europe and Japan. In the rest of the world as well as the band's home country Germany the album was delayed until April 1992 due to the ongoing legal battle between the band's current and former labels. By that time the music landscape had changed drastically. It also did not help that Helloween moved even further away from their speed metal roots and further embrace the hard rocking side of their sound. As a result, ''Pink Bubbles Go Ape'' failed commercially and tensions started to build amongst the band members.
They played their first show on their "Quick Hello Tour" in Hamburg 30 April 1992 and continued with some more dates in Europe and the band also went to Japan in the autumn of 1992.
The follow-up ''
Chameleon'' was released on EMI in the summer of 1993. The very experimental album was a commercial failure. The band's diversion away from the sound that had made them famous alienated a large portion of their fanbase.
The original drummer Ingo Schwichtenberg was then fired from the band due to his deteriorating mental state.
Grosskopf said 1996:
Schwichtenberg could not be part of the band anymore until he recovered from drugs and alcohol abuse and took his medications against
schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social wit ...
. After a long telephone call with Weikath, in which he explained why they had made that hard and painful decision, Schwichtenberg was asked to leave Helloween.
He was replaced by session drummer Ritchie Abdel-Nabi on a temporary basis to finish the ''Chameleon'' Tour. Also many of the European dates were cancelled. Helloween played in half-filled venues and their decision to focus the setlist mostly on ''Chameleon'' and ''Pink Bubbles'' songs did not help either.
Weikath said 1994 about Kiske and the ''Chameleon'' Tour:
Meanwhile, the conflicts within the rest of the band worsened and the decision was made to fire Kiske. His last performance with the band was at a Charity show at
Rockfabrik Ludwigsburg
Rockfabrik Ludwigsburg was a music venue located in Ludwigsburg, Germany. It opened in 1983 on the premises of a former refrigerator factory (German language, ger. 'Fabrik'), from which the name derives. Many notable artists have performed at the ...
22 December 1993, until he returned to the stage with Helloween 24 years later.
Kiske did not have any contact with Grosskopf and Weikath for many years. He would later release soloalbums with different musical directions. In 2008, Kiske released ''
Past in Different Ways''; an album featuring most of his old Helloween songs, albeit rearranged and re-recorded acoustically. Commenting on Kiske's dismissal, Grosskopf later said:
1993 would come to a close for Helloween with no singer, no drummer, and no record contract (EMI released the band from its agreement for the low sales numbers for ''Pink Bubbles Go Ape'' and ''Chameleon'').
Weikath said 1994:
Grosskopf continued:
First years with Andi Deris and return to the roots (1994–2000)
Helloween returned in 1994 with former
Pink Cream 69 frontman
Andi Deris as their new lead vocalist and
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, an ...
, formerly of Kai Hansen's
Gamma Ray
A gamma ray, also known as gamma radiation (symbol γ or \gamma), is a penetrating form of electromagnetic radiation arising from the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei. It consists of the shortest wavelength electromagnetic waves, typically ...
, on drums. The band already knew Deris from some recording sessions in Hamburg, though both Deris and new drummer Uli Kusch played on the band's next album Master Of The Rings, which was released on 8 July 1994, they were temporary members of the band back during the recording sessions, but they eventually became permanent members of the band on 1 September 1994.
He had been approached by Weikath to join the band in 1991, but he had declined, despite being intrigued by the offer and having to deal with emerging conflicts between him and his band. In the years since, however, Kiske was fired from Helloween and the issues within Pink Cream 69 worsened. Faced with the inevitability of his firing, Deris accepted Weikath's offer during a night out with the band members.
With this new lineup and a new record contract with Castle Communications, Helloween released its comeback album, ''
Master of the Rings''.
8 March 1995, original drummer
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: ...
committed suicide by jumping in front of a train in his native Hamburg. In the years since his departure from Helloween, Schwichtenberg had gotten worse from schizophrenia. 1996's ''
The Time of the Oath
''The Time of the Oath'' is the seventh studio album by German power metal band Helloween, released in 1996. This is the first album following the death of the original drummer Ingo Schwichtenberg, who was fired from the band after ''Chameleon' ...
'' was dedicated to his memory.
Following another world tour, a double live album called ''
High Live'' was released. In 1998, Helloween released ''
Better Than Raw
''Better Than Raw'' is the eighth studio album by German power metal band Helloween, released in 1998. 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 Su ...
'', one of the band's heaviest albums since the full-length debut. The subsequent supporting tour was made up of stops in Europe, Japan and Brazil, but on 20 December 1998, the band visited New York and played a show at the venue Coney Island High in Manhattan, the first show for Helloween in the United States in nearly a decade.
The band would follow ''Better Than Raw'' with a 1999 release titled ''
Metal Jukebox
''Metal Jukebox'' is a cover album by German power metal band Helloween. The song "Lay All Your Love on Me" was released as a single in Japan. Each member of the band recorded their instruments independently (and in different countries and studio ...
'', a cover-album featuring Helloween's versions of songs from such bands as
Scorpions
Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs, and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always end ...
,
Jethro Tull,
Faith No More,
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
,
ABBA
ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group ...
and
Deep Purple.
Line-up changes (2002–2004)
2000 saw the release of ''
The Dark Ride
''The Dark Ride'' is the ninth studio album by German power metal band Helloween, released in 2000. The album's style was quite different from ''Better Than Raw'' as it had a much darker sound, drop-tuned guitars, and gruffer vocals. The album ...
'', a more experimental and darker album than their previous releases. It came complete with downtuned guitars and a gruffer singing style from Deris. Immediately following the tour, Helloween parted ways with guitarist Roland Grapow and drummer Uli Kusch.
One version of events states that Weikath, Deris and Grosskopf felt that Kusch and Grapow, in particular, were spending more time on and paying more attention to their new side-project,
Masterplan (Grapow's output on Helloween albums had dropped to barely one song per album by that point); since the others believed that Kusch and Grapow were not one hundred percent dedicated to Helloween, they were dismissed.
They were replaced by guitarist
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, ...
(ex-
Freedom Call
Freedom Call is a German power metal band formed in 1998. The band tours regularly and the current line-up includes two original members including lead vocalist and songwriter, Chris Bay. Freedom Call has released 12 albums in total, nine ...
, Neumond) and drummer
Mark Cross (ex-
Metalium,
Kingdom Come,
At Vance
At Vance is a neoclassical/power metal band formed in Germany. They were formed by vocalist Oliver Hartmann (ex-Centers) and guitarist Olaf Lenk (ex-Velvet Viper) in 1998.
Biography
With the combined credentials of vocalist Oliver Hartmann a ...
,
Firewind
Firewind is a Greek power metal band formed in Thessaloniki in 1998. The group is currently signed to Century Media Records and was originally a small project created by guitarist Gus G. to showcase his demo, ''Nocturnal Symphony'', in 1998. ...
), culminating with the recording of another studio album, titled ''
Rabbit Don't Come Easy
''Rabbit Don't Come Easy'' is the tenth studio album by German power metal band Helloween, released in 2003. It is the first Helloween album to feature Sascha Gerstner on guitars, who replaced Roland Grapow. No drummer is listed in the band line ...
'', in 2003. The band met Gerstner via a recommendation by producer
Charlie Bauerfeind
Karl Rudolf "Charlie" Bauerfeind (born 30 May 1963) is a German sound engineer and producer who has worked mostly with power metal bands such as Angra, Blind Guardian, Helloween, Primal Fear, Rage, HammerFall and Saxon.
Works
Productio ...
. According to Grosskopf, one day he was recording something with Freedom Call "and later on we called him up and he went to first meet Weiki because it was very important that Weiki finds a player that he can play with and also communicate and understand.
..So we got him on the island where we recorded and let him hang out with us a little and then he decided 'Good, let's go'."
Later in 2012, on an interview with Metal Shock Finland's Chief Editor, Mohsen Fayyazi, Grapow stated:
Cross could not finish the album due to
mononucleosis
Infectious mononucleosis (IM, mono), also known as glandular fever, is an infection usually caused by the Epstein–Barr virus (EBV). Most people are infected by the virus as children, when the disease produces few or no symptoms. In young adult ...
, completing only two tracks; the drum tracks were completed by
Motörhead
Motörhead () were an English rock band formed in London in 1975 by Lemmy (lead vocals, bass), Larry Wallis (guitar) and Lucas Fox (drums). Lemmy was also the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band are often considered a precu ...
's
Mikkey Dee
Micael Kiriakos Delaoglou (born 31 October 1963), known professionally as Mikkey Dee, is a Swedish musician, best known as the last drummer for British heavy metal band Motörhead from 1992 until its dissolution in 2015. Dee also played temporari ...
.
Stefan Schwarzmann
Stefan Schwarzmann (born 11 November 1965Larkin, Colin (2006). ''The Encyclopedia of Popular Music''. Oxford University Press. p. 189. .) is a German drummer who has recorded for Accept,Montgomery, James et al (2005)"Metal File: Korn, Motorhead, ...
, former drummer of
Running Wild and
Accept would shortly thereafter take over the drumming duties. Despite a somewhat tepid response to the album, Helloween nonetheless completed a successful world tour, highlighted by the return of classic songs such as "Starlight", "Murderer", and "Keeper of the Seven Keys" to the setlist. Additionally, the band toured the United States for the first time since 1989, playing to sold-out crowds at nearly every venue.
Steady line-up (2005–2016)
![2011-08 Woodstock 56](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/2011-08_Woodstock_56.jpg)
2005 saw yet another line-up change, following the "Rabbits on the Run" tour, as it became apparent that Helloween and Stefan Schwarzmann did not share the same musical vision. As further noted by the band, he had some trouble performing fast drum parts,
so he was replaced by
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 hi ...
, the former drummer of German metal band Rawhead Rexx. A change in record company also followed as they inked a deal with German label
SPV. Any fears that what had now become a revolving door of band members would affect the quality of their new album were laid to rest as Helloween's new studio album, titled ''
Keeper of the Seven Keys – The Legacy
''Keeper of the Seven Keys: The Legacy'' is the eleventh studio album by German power metal band Helloween, released in 2005. It is the first album with new and current drummer Dani Löble and a continuation of their 1987 and 1988 albums '' Keep ...
'', was released on 28 October 2005 in Germany and 8 November in the US to commercial and critical acclaim. The album had a pre-release single, "
Mrs. God", as well as a video for the track. The track "
Light the Universe" was released as a single on 22 November, featuring
Candice Night
Candice Night (born May 8, 1971) is an American singer and musician. She has been the vocalist/lyricist and multi-instrumentalist for the traditional folk rock project Blackmore's Night since its origins in 1997 with her husband, guitarist Ritch ...
of
Blackmore's Night on guest vocals. She also appears in the video clip for that track.
In late 2006, Helloween filmed and recorded shows in
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...
(Brazil),
Sofia
Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and h ...
(Bulgaria) and Tokyo (Japan) for their live album ''
Keeper of the Seven Keys – The Legacy World Tour 2005/2006''. The DVD also featured extra footage of the band, as well as interviews and a road movie. This was the second Helloween live album to feature Andi Deris as frontman and third overall. It enjoyed chart success in several countries: Germany: 9 (DVD) & 58 (CD), Sweden: 9 (DVD), France: 10 (DVD)
Helloween has since completed their studio album ''
Gambling with the Devil'', which was released on 23 October 2007. It received many positive reviews, with most fans praising the album as being one of the best Deris-era albums. Despite being one of Helloween's heaviest albums, it is noted for featuring more keyboards. "
As Long as I Fall", the first single, was released in early September and only available via download (save for Japan, where it was released on CD). The video for the song is available at their official site.
Helloween teamed up with
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 promine ...
's current band
Gamma Ray
A gamma ray, also known as gamma radiation (symbol γ or \gamma), is a penetrating form of electromagnetic radiation arising from the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei. It consists of the shortest wavelength electromagnetic waves, typically ...
for their 2007–2008 "Hellish Rock" world tour, which started in early November 2007. Helloween were headlining and
Gamma Ray
A gamma ray, also known as gamma radiation (symbol γ or \gamma), is a penetrating form of electromagnetic radiation arising from the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei. It consists of the shortest wavelength electromagnetic waves, typically ...
were labeled as the "very special guest" with most shows also having fellow German "guest"
Axxis
Axxis is a German heavy metal band that was founded in 1988. Their debut album, '' Kingdom of the Night'', became the best-selling debut album by a hard rock band in Germany in 1989.
Biography
Axxis' musical roots lie within the traditional ...
. The tour went through Europe, Asia and South America, as well as a few dates in the US. The tour is notable for
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 promine ...
stepping on stage with his former band fellows Weikath and Grosskopf to perform hits "I Want Out" and "Future World" in the last
encore
An encore is an additional performance given by performers after the planned show has ended, usually in response to extended applause from the audience.Lalange Cochrane, in ''Oxford Companion to Music'', Alison Latham, ed., Oxford University Pre ...
segment of Helloween.
On 26 December 2009, Helloween released the ''
Unarmed – Best of 25th Anniversary'' album in Japan. The album was released on 1 February 2010 in Europe. The album is a compilation of ten of the band's best known songs, re-recorded in different musical styles than the original recordings and by the current lineup. It features a seventeen-minute "Keepers Medley", recorded by a seventy-piece orchestra from Prague, mixing together "Halloween", "The Keeper of the Seven Keys" and "The King for a 1000 Years". There is a limited edition
digipak
Optical disc packaging is the packaging that accompanies CDs, DVDs, and other formats of optical discs. Most packaging is rigid or semi-rigid and designed to protect the media from scratches and other types of exposure damage.
Jewel case
...
, including a thirty-minute "making of"-DVD with interviews and studio footage. The band's website states that the album was released on 13 April 2010 in North America via Sony & THE END RECORDS labels. On 14 May 2010, it was announced on their site that they were working on a new studio album, which was the fastest and heaviest effort in years.
Helloween released their thirteenth studio album, ''
7 Sinners'', on 31 October in Europe and 3 November in the US. Before its physical release, the band made it available worldwide for streaming via their Myspace page. The name of the album alludes to the seven deadly sins. According to Andi Deris, the album goes straight to the point: "After an acoustic album, we needed definitely something that shows the people without any question that this is a metal album." The band toured to promote the new album with
Stratovarius
Stratovarius is a Finnish power metal band that formed in 1985. Since their formation, they have released sixteen studio albums, five DVDs and six live albums. In its history, the band has gone through many chaotic lineup changes, and after fo ...
and
Pink Cream 69 as their guests. On 5 April 2011, via the band's website, it was announced that ''7 Sinners'' was awarded 'Gold status' in the Czech Republic.
In June 2012, Helloween entered the studio to begin recording their fourteenth album, ''
Straight Out of Hell
''Straight Out of Hell'' is the 14th studio album by German power metal band Helloween. It was released in 2013 and produced by Charlie Bauerfeind.
Overview
Regarding the songs, guitarist and founding member Michael Weikath stated:
Three mon ...
'', which was released on 18 January 2013. They then went on tour around the world with Gamma Ray again.
In September, Helloween played at Rock in Rio 2013 with former member
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 promine ...
as a special guest. In October 2014, the band announced a new album for a May 2015 release. It was produced by
Charlie Bauerfeind
Karl Rudolf "Charlie" Bauerfeind (born 30 May 1963) is a German sound engineer and producer who has worked mostly with power metal bands such as Angra, Blind Guardian, Helloween, Primal Fear, Rage, HammerFall and Saxon.
Works
Productio ...
at Mi Sueño Studio on
Tenerife
Tenerife (; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitants as of Janu ...
and marked their return to the
Nuclear Blast
Nuclear Blast is a record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label mov ...
label with which they released ''The Dark Ride'' and ''Rabbit Don't Come Easy''.
On 26 February 2015, the band revealed the name and the cover artwork of the album, ''
My God-Given Right
''My God-Given Right'' is the 15th studio album by German power metal band Helloween. It was released on 29 May 2015.
It is their seventh consecutive album produced by Charlie Bauerfeind, and their first album released under the label Nuclear Bl ...
'', released on 29 May 2015. The artwork was created by
Martin Häusler
Martin Häusler (born January 24, 1971 in Heidelberg, Germany) is a German portrait photographer, music video director and art director. In the United States, and other English speaking countries, he uses the adjusted spelling of his name Martin ...
.
In June 2015, it was discovered that the band members were working on a book, released as "Hellbook". Grosskopf stated that it is "a kind of history book with lots of pictures".
Pumpkins United (2016–present)
In November 2016, it was announced that former members
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 promine ...
and
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 ...
were re-joining the band for a world tour titled the Pumpkins United World Tour, that would start on 19 October 2017 in
Monterrey, Mexico, and conclude the following year.
Although Hansen had been occasionally appearing as a guest on Helloween shows for a few years, Kiske had been particularly reluctant in interviews to the idea of performing with Helloween again due to bad blood with Markus Grosskopf and especially Michael Weikath, dating from when he was fired from the band in 1993; this started to change in 2013, when he ran into Weikath at the
Sweden Rock Festival.
He stated in 2017: "''The first thing
eikathsaid was, 'What have I done that you can't forgive me?' That was the first line he said to me. And I realized that I had forgiven somehow a long time ago without noticing. That's how it all started''". It was Hansen, who had been his bandmate as a part of
Unisonic since 2011, who ultimately convinced him in 2014.
Other popular former members
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 Han ...
and
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, an ...
were not asked to re-join, with Grosskopf stating "''it would be too many people''".
This new line-up released an original song, "Pumpkins United", on 13 October 2017, as a free download (with a
vinyl
Vinyl may refer to:
Chemistry
* Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer
* Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation
* Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry
* Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...
release on 8 December), on which Deris, Hansen and Kiske all share lead vocals. The Pumpkins United World Tour started in
Monterrey, Mexico on 19 October 2017. The first show saw both Deris and Kiske performing songs from their respective Helloween albums and sing duets together, while Hansen performed lead vocals for a
medley of songs from ''
Walls of Jericho''. The show also included a tribute to the late original Helloween drummer
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: ...
.
![Helloween - Pumpkins United - Wacken Open Air 2018 22](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Helloween_-_Pumpkins_United_-_Wacken_Open_Air_2018_22.jpg)
However, Kiske started suffering health issues related to his voice shortly before starting the tour, to the point where after the first two shows in Mexico, his involvement for the next dates was unsure.
He was cleared to perform by doctors in time for the next show in
San José, Costa Rica on 23 October, although his illness forced the band to temporally remove a few songs from their setlist, and to have Deris, Hansen and Gerstner support him more vocally.
After accusations from fans of Kiske using
lip sync
Lip sync or lip synch (pronounced , the same as the word ''sink'', short for lip synchronization) is a technical term for matching a speaking or singing person's lip movements with sung or spoken vocals.
Audio for lip syncing is generated th ...
on the more vocally demanding parts of some songs, Kai Hansen confirmed that Kiske had indeed partially used taped vocals, but only for the tour's opening show in Monterrey, and because the band feared they would have to cancel the show, as Kiske felt unsure he would be able to perform at all due to his illness.
On 28–29 October 2017, the band recorded their concerts in
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...
, Brazil for a future live album and DVD.
About a potential studio album under the Pumpkins United line-up, Deris stated in March 2018: "We certainly have lots and lots of talks
bout it This summer, if the chemistry goes on like this, then everything is possible. After recording that particular "Pumpkins United" song, we realized that it's easy working together.
..Yeah, it was no problem at all, as if we would have worked together for decades already. So, I could see an upcoming album for the future. If the chemistry stays the way it is now, I definitely would say 99 percent yes, we're going for it." When they were interviewed together in June, Weikath stated: "''We don't really feel like starting with it because it's going to be a lot of work and it's going to take a lot of time and right now, we are kind of comfy with what we are doing, so to say. So, we are not lying. It's very easy to say; we are just too lazy to get started with that", while Hansen stated "There's a lot of ideas in the room for what we do next and so on. But, nothing is kind of decided. Nothing is ripe for the decision. We leave that open, kind of''."
On 21 August 2018, the band announced that, at the request of their label
Nuclear Blast
Nuclear Blast is a record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label mov ...
, the Pumpkins United line-up would perdure after 2018, and that a live CD and DVD for the Pumpkins United World Tour would be released in early 2019, followed by a new studio album to be recorded later that year for a planned 2020 release, with Weikath, Hansen and Deris acting as a "songwriting trio"; this will be their first studio album to feature Hansen since ''
Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part II'' in 1988 and the first with Kiske since ''
Chameleon'' in 1993.
The Pumpkins United World Tour concluded on 22 December 2018 in
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
.
On 4 October 2019, Helloween performed at the 2019 edition of
Rock in Rio
''Rock in Rio'' is a recurring music festival originating in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It later branched into other locations such as Lisbon, Madrid and Las Vegas.
Nine incarnations of the festival have been held in Rio de Janeiro, in 1985, 1991, ...
and on the same day the live DVD/Blu-ray ''United Alive'' and the live album ''
United Alive in Madrid'', both recorded during the Pumpkins United World Tour, were released. The first comprises recordings of the band's performances in
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...
WiZink Centre (2017), at
Wacken Open Air (2018) and in
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...
(2017) and the second is a recording of the full performance in Madrid, with songs recorded in shows in
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...
,
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...
,
Wacken and
Santiago
Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whos ...
acting as bonus tracks.
On 26 November 2019, the band published a video in which they shared that they had begun recording their next album in
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
and that they were planning to resume touring in late 2020. On 1 June 2020, Helloween confirmed that they had postponed their fall European tour to the spring of 2021, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. The band also announced that they had "decided to shift the release" of their new album to early next year; with six years between ''My God-Given Right'' and the new album, this marks the longest time between two Helloween studio albums, as the band had never previously spent more than three years without releasing a new studio album.
On 25 March 2021, Helloween releases in Japan their new book, an encyclopedia called ''Seven Keys United Memorial: Complete Collection of Helloween''.
In March 2021, it was announced that the band's first album with the Pumpkins United line-up would be titled ''
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 Wei ...
'', and it was released on 18 June 2021.
The album topped German charts and also reached number one in sales in other countries. Following the success of this album, the band launched a comic book and a line of collectible
action figure
An action figure is a poseable character model figure made most commonly of plastic, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, military, video game or television program; fictional or historical. These figures are usually mark ...
s inspired by the bands' cover artwork and lyrical lore.
Band members
Current members
*
Michael Weikath – guitars, backing vocals
(1984–present)
*
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 friend ...
– bass, backing vocals
(1984–present)
*
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 promine ...
– guitars
(1984–1989, 2016–present), lead vocals
(1984–1986, 2016–present), backing vocals
(1986–1989)
*
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 ...
– lead vocals
(1986–1993, 2016–present)
*
Andi Deris – lead vocals
(1994–present)
*
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, ...
– guitars, backing vocals
(2002–present)
*
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 hi ...
– drums
(2005–present)
Additional musicians
* Jörn Ellerbrock – keyboards, piano
(1988–2003)
* Matthias Ulmer – keyboards
(2007–present)
* Eddy Wrapiprou – keyboards
(2010)
* Ritchie Abdel-Nabi – drums
(1993)
Former members
*
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: ...
– drums
(1984–1993; died 1995)
*
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 Han ...
– guitars, backing vocals
(1989–2001)
*
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, an ...
– drums, backing vocals
(1994–2001)
*
Mark Cross – drums
(2001–2003)
*
Stefan Schwarzmann
Stefan Schwarzmann (born 11 November 1965Larkin, Colin (2006). ''The Encyclopedia of Popular Music''. Oxford University Press. p. 189. .) is a German drummer who has recorded for Accept,Montgomery, James et al (2005)"Metal File: Korn, Motorhead, ...
– drums
(2003–2005)
Timeline
Awards and nominations
;Metal Hammer Awards (GER)
, -
, 2014 , , Helloween , , Maximum Metal , ,
Discography
*''
Walls of Jericho'' (1985)
*''
Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part I'' (1987)
*''
Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part II'' (1988)
*''
Pink Bubbles Go Ape
''Pink Bubbles Go Ape'' is the fourth studio album by German power metal band Helloween, released in 1991. It marked the departure of guitarist Kai Hansen, with Roland Grapow replacing him. It was also the first album released on EMI Records.
Ba ...
'' (1991)
*''
Chameleon'' (1993)
*''
Master of the Rings'' (1994)
*''
The Time of the Oath
''The Time of the Oath'' is the seventh studio album by German power metal band Helloween, released in 1996. This is the first album following the death of the original drummer Ingo Schwichtenberg, who was fired from the band after ''Chameleon' ...
'' (1996)
*''
Better Than Raw
''Better Than Raw'' is the eighth studio album by German power metal band Helloween, released in 1998. 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 Su ...
'' (1998)
*''
The Dark Ride
''The Dark Ride'' is the ninth studio album by German power metal band Helloween, released in 2000. The album's style was quite different from ''Better Than Raw'' as it had a much darker sound, drop-tuned guitars, and gruffer vocals. The album ...
'' (2000)
*''
Rabbit Don't Come Easy
''Rabbit Don't Come Easy'' is the tenth studio album by German power metal band Helloween, released in 2003. It is the first Helloween album to feature Sascha Gerstner on guitars, who replaced Roland Grapow. No drummer is listed in the band line ...
'' (2003)
*''
Keeper of the Seven Keys: The Legacy'' (2005)
*''
Gambling with the Devil'' (2007)
*''
7 Sinners'' (2010)
*''
Straight Out of Hell
''Straight Out of Hell'' is the 14th studio album by German power metal band Helloween. It was released in 2013 and produced by Charlie Bauerfeind.
Overview
Regarding the songs, guitarist and founding member Michael Weikath stated:
Three mon ...
'' (2013)
*''
My God-Given Right
''My God-Given Right'' is the 15th studio album by German power metal band Helloween. It was released on 29 May 2015.
It is their seventh consecutive album produced by Charlie Bauerfeind, and their first album released under the label Nuclear Bl ...
'' (2015)
*''
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 Wei ...
'' (2021)
Bibliography
* ''Hellbook'' (2015)
* ''Seven Keys United Memorial – Complete Collection of Helloween'' (2021)
* ''Helloween: The Full History'' (2021)
*''Helloween: Seekers of the Seven Keys'' ''Comic Book'' (2021) # Several issues
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{Authority control
1984 establishments in Germany
Articles which contain graphical timelines
German heavy metal musical groups
German power metal musical groups
German progressive metal musical groups
Musical groups established in 1984
Musical groups from Hamburg
Nuclear Blast artists
RCA Records artists
Noise Records artists