Helloween

I imagine after Chameleon this probably sounded like fuckin' King Crimson's Red in comparison, which helps

ahh now Time of the Oath, now THIS is ace. this is how to remake a band that's dealing with several personnel changes, particularly a new vocalist.

it sounds quite a bit like their later material but nowhere near as overproduced and the choruses are really good, and the guitar is still punchy and fist pumpy, not mindless "chug a chug chug a chug ok here's the chorus, one held chord for every measure"

"Skyfall" is out, and it's a ripper. Classic Helloween, and it's so great to hear Kai and Michael again. The new album is really, really good, but this track, which has been pretty heavily edited, is Kai's one songwriting contribution. He made it count.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLV530n3kMw

From what I read Kai always seemed a bit reticent about why he left the band and the other members said they never understood it. Did he ever make it totally clear?

I've never heard the exact reasons for his departure either. They were all so young back then and had a lot of growing up to do. They're a lot more easygoing now. Turning 50 will do that to a guy!

this is my most anticipated album of the year, which feels weird to say. after so much of the pedestrian Deris era (which has some good stuff, but not a huge amount), it's nice to hear them actually playing power metal with riffs and so nice to hear Kiske again.

i hope I'm not disappointed "Skyfall" (and "Pumpkins United", which I know is not on this album but was kinda the first 'reunion' song) destroyed, I wasn't feeling the second single as much even though I liked it.

actually never wanted to see them live as I never liked how Deris sang Kiske's songs and half the setlist would be 'meh' but now it might be a fun fucking idea.

it's not a perfect album but this may hit my top ten list, and if not that, top twenty. i can barely stomach a lot of the Deris albums, and this one is full of hooks and good guitar work, and man how does Kiske still sound this good. his low notes actually sound better.

also love Kai's harsh vocals.

glad to hear more of those harmonized lead runs which have been missing forever from their sound

weirdly some of this reminds me of the first few Angra albums

alright after many many listens I still love this and it's currently in my top 5 for the year.

It's not Keeper-era Helloween, which was a bit more raw and fist-pumpy, but it does have the same ancestral DNA. The hooks are a bit poppier, but not in the annoying way a lot of the Deris era has been (almost 'pop-punk' power metal).

Obviously, the return of Kiske and Hansen help, but neither of these had a significant effect on the songwriting, sans "Skyfall". Deris wrote a lot of the songs, as well as Weikath, Gerstner, and Grosskopf - basically the same songwriting core as the last few albums. but the material does 'feel' more like classic Helloween, though it does have a few elements of other European bands they inspired (like aforementioned Angra).

also yes, Kiske's voice on the material helps because Deris just doesn't fit Helloween at all to me; he's a hair-metal vocalist who sounds like a fish out of water. but he really is second-fiddle here, like he does sing lead, but he often shares it with Kiske, he harmonizes a lot, and a lot of his lead spots occur in places where they're well-suited. Kiske carries the material (Hansen does a few vocals here and there, and it's pretty obvious when).

I'm guessing the presence of Kiske and Hansen just made things more exciting and that's where the inspiration came from. The hooks are undeniable on almost every song, and while I'm not usually into feel-good happy sounding metal, Helloween have always scratched that itch for me and then some. it's also weird how good Kiske sounds, his highs are still really smooth, but his low range has really gotten fuckin' resonant as hell - it always was, really, you can hear it on "A Tale That Wasn't Right", but he didn't like to sing down there much in Keeper era.

I've basically been playing all 80s Helloween all week, and hell those first two Deris albums are actually alright!

Is this lineup going to stay or is it just a one-time thing?

This album purs a great big smile on my face. Especially "Skyfall", an instant classic.

As far as I know, they're going to stuck with the expanded lineup for ss long as it's fun for everybody. Doing the interviews the big thing that came across is how well they get along these days.

US Tour! albeit a short'un!

May 13 - Dallas, TX - The Factory
May 16 - St. Petersburg, FL - Jannus Live
May 18 - Silver Spring, MD - The Fillmore
May 20 - New York, NY - Terminal 5
May 21 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium
May 23 - Toronto, ON - History
May 24 - Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Hall
May 26 - Chicago, IL - The Riviera
May 27 - Minneapolis, MN - The Fillmore
May 30 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
Jun. 01 - Las Vegas, NV - Brooklyn Bowl
Jun. 02 - Los Angeles, CA - YouTube Theater
Jun. 03 - San Francisco, CA - The Warfield

(next year obv)

I WANT OUUUUUUUUUT

still can't believe Andi Deris came from a group called Pink Cream 69, or that there are dudes who can be in a band named that without embarassment of their poor life choices.

keeper of the 7 keys is a jawn

two of my favorites. (I refuse to count the third Keeper album which should never have been made)

I still play the Walls of JerichoCD with the EP on it and the first Keepers album, like, a lot.

yeah Walls featuring Helloween EP is a staple for me too. was just listening to last night actually.

GORGAR WILL EAT YOU

I was kinda wondering why the two Keepers were so sonically different, the latter having more of the traditional power metal trappings we come to associate w/ the genre, the first being more speed metally, and...huh, guess Weikath barely played or wrote on Keeper 1, it was all Kai. that'd explain it.

Walls of Jericho owns

Minutes away from showtime!!!!!

OH MY FUCKING GOD

seeing em this weekend, it’s gonna rule

I'm so happy

oh mami

ur the keeper of the seeeeeven keys

soooooooooooo....anybody know a contact within Helloween outside of just messaging their social media?

they were working with a company named Incendium to make Keeper of the Seven Keys action figures. I bought two - back in 2021. They never showed and they gave shitty excuses and now the company is completely scrubbed from the internet. lots of fans saying how they also got scammed.

I'm only out $80 but seems shitty that the band hasn't addressed it.

(not the band themselves, the appropriate people in charge of that stuff)