Undisputedly,
HELLOWEEN are one of Germany’s most
respected metal exports and
considered the founders of German
melodic speed metal. As godfathers
of the genre, they have grown to
become one of the most influential
metal bands in the world. In a
career reaching back as far as 1984,
HELLOWEEN have performed at
innumerable metal festivals around
the globe such as Rock in Rio,
Loudpark, Wacken, or the Woodstock
in Poland, which they headlined in
front of over 500,000 fans. The band
has delivered countless headliner
world tours, spectacular shows with
the likes of Iron Maiden, Black
Sabbath, Dio, Slayer, or Ozzy
Osbourne just to name a few, and
played at exotic locations in Borneo,
Indonesia, Manaus, Brazil, or at
over 3,200 m in the world’s highest
capital La Paz, Boliva. The band’s
spectacular show at the »Monsters Of
Rock« festival in Castle Donington
in front of over 100,000 metal heads
in 1988 was just as memorable as the
massive MTV »Headbanger’s Ball« US
tour with Anthrax and Exodus. So
far, HELLOWEEN have released
fourteen studio and three live
albums, including the genre
masterpieces »Keeper of the Seven
Keys« Part I & II in the late 80s.
In total, HELLOWEEN have sold over
eight million records and received
fourteen gold and six platinum
awards. Without them, contemporary
acts such as Edguy, Sabaton, Blind
Guardian, or even Avenged Sevenfold
would probably not sound the way
they do. For 30 years now, the band
has been delighting their fans with
fantastic riffs, great songs, and
haunting melodies. HELLOWEEN’s
latest album »Straight Out Of Hell«
charted at a sensational #4, marking
their highest German chart entry
ever. Additionally, the album
achieved five Top Ten entries in
Europe and entered the US Billboard
Top 100. The »Hellish Rock Part II«
tour took the band to 39 countries
in Europe, Asia, and America with
far more than 100 mostly sold-out
shows.
FLASHBACK.
Noise
Records, in 1984 a rather small
label, publishes two HELLOWEEN songs
(»Oernst Of Life« and »Metal
Invaders«) before signing the young
band and releasing their first EP »Helloween«,
followed by their first studio album
»Walls
Of Jericho«.
During the band’s first extensive
tour, singer Kai Hansen experiences
trouble singing and playing guitar
at the same time, making it
necessary to replace the lead
singer’s position with Michael Kiske
– at the time only 18-years-old and
gifted with a voice which later
earned him iconic status in the
metal scene. The following album, »Keeper
Of The Seven Keys Part I«,
becomes the metal sensation of 1987
with impressive reactions from fans
in Japan and the US, as well as
leading to an invitation to the
legendary MTV »Headbanger’s Ball«
tour. 1988’s »Keeper
Of The Seven Keys Part II«
delivers the Top Ten single »Dr.
Stein«.
Both “Keeper albums” are among the
most successful German metal albums
of all time, and, until today, are
considered milestones of power
metal.
After some
dark years of legal disputes with
their record label, the departure of
guitarist Kai Hansen, rather
experimental musical output, and the
tragic suicide of founding member
and former drummer Ingo
Schwichtenberg in 1995, the band
recruits former Pink Cream 69
vocalist Andi Deris in 1994 to start
a new chapter. The big sellers »Master
Of The Rings«,
»Time
Of The Oath«
and »Better
Than Raw«
follow, accompanied by major world
tours and huge festival appearances.
With Deris, HELLOWEEN become
absolute superstars in Japan with
over ten singles in the local Top
Ten.
Following
the release of »The
Dark Ride«, a
decision was made for Kai Hansen’s
successor Roland Grapow and Uli
Kusch, who had replaced Ingo
Schwichtenberg, to leave the band,
whereupon they went on with their
previously crafted musical side
project. New guitarist Sascha
Gerstner comes on board in time to
contribute to the next album »Rabbit
Don´t Come Easy«
(2003) and drummer Mikkey Dee
(Motörhead) steps in for the
majority of the studio work. After
extensive touring in South America,
gigs in the United States, and
numerous European shows, the
preparations for »Keeper
Of The Seven Keys – The Legacy«
commence. Dani Löble joins the band
as the new man on drums, finally
putting the changes in line-up to
rest. The following world tour is
recorded on CD & DVD, titled »Keeper
Of The Seven Keys – The Legacy World
Tour 2005/2006, live on 3 Continents«,
displaying breathtaking performances
from São Paulo, Tokyo, and Sofia and
preparing the stage for 2007’s
»Gambling With The Devil«, as well
as for live shows with special
guests Gamma Ray on the »Hellish
Rock« tour. In 2010, »7
Sinners«
marks HELLOWEEN’s 13th studio
release, presenting a heavier and
more metal side than ever before.
Since 2005,
the band’s steady line-up consists
of
Andi Deris
(vocals),
Michael
Weikath
(guitar),
Markus
Großkopf
(bass),
Sascha
Gerstner(guitar)
and
Daniel Löble
(drums). 2015 sees the band’s 30th
anniversary featuring the
publication of the first book in the
band’s career ever. The downright
‘Helloween bible’ called “Hellbook”
is guaranteed to become a sought
after fan item as well as the only
official reference book to date.
After three decades of representing
pure metal, HELLOWEEN obviously are
far from running out of steam: a
following of close to two million
fans on Facebook, and their unabated
joy of playing music massively up
the ante for 2015 with the release
of HELLOWEEN’s15th studio album. –
No doubt: The German Pumpkins’
singular success story will
definitely be continued ...