The pandemic has made every day more or less the same. At least for me.
Wake up, bathroom, coffee, computer, beer. The days all go by looking pretty much the same.
But Saturday, March 13th, was definitely different.
Invited to hear firsthand the entire new Helloween , the first in decades to feature the return of the brilliant Kai Hansen and one of the best vocalists in history, Michael Kiske .
And as if listening to the album wasn't enough to shake up my pandemic Saturday, how about a nearly 2-hour chat afterwards with these Power Metal , plus the drummer, my namesake, Dani Löble ?
At 9:50, the meeting began and Kai Hansen arrived chatting with everyone, joking with German journalists about the Bremen vs. Bayern game that was going on. Super friendly, as he always was every time I met him.
We had already spoken to him through Wikimetal backstage at Rock In Rio in 2013 and in the dressing room at HSBC Brasil before the Unisonic , and he never disappoints. He's always in a good mood and without that "Rock Star aura," behaving much more like "one of us."
Drummer Dani, on the other hand, is very funny and irreverent, always making jokes and playing pranks on an English journalist and other guests.
The listening session for the new album, self-titled Helloween , was scheduled for 10 o'clock sharp, but Michael Kiske was having technical problems with his computer and when he finally came on, after a quick "hi," the album, which is over an hour long, began with the traditional introduction that every self-respecting Helloween album has to have.
What's different this time is that the guitar riff that opens the introduction is so dissonant that it seems to announce a new Slayer more than a Helloween one. But right after this dissonance, the melody of the Kings of Power Metal appears in "Out For The Glory," one of the songs on this album that will surely be elevated to the level of EPIC, a place where classics like "I'm Alive," "Twilight of the Gods," and "March of Time" rest.
The opening theme, composed by Michael Weikath , is truly amazing, lasting over 7 minutes.
In fact, all the songs were written by just one composer, without any collaborations. After listening to the album, I asked Kai Hansen if this was due to the pandemic, since in the past, some songs were written in partnership, such as "Metal Invaders" and "Heavy Metal (Is The Law)" composed by the guitar duo Hansen and Weikath.
He said the pandemic had nothing to do with it, since the songs were written before Covid existed. In the opinion of the Helloween founder, he thinks it has to do with the maturity and age of the band members.
“When the band is new and everyone is young, everyone hangs out together and we have all the time in the world. It’s very easy to compose songs together. Nowadays, everyone has their own life, their families, their commitments. We don’t have the necessary time, so it’s easier for each person to bring the idea for the song already half-finished. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t collaborations from other people on the songs, it just doesn’t appear in the credits. I contributed to many songs on this album and other people contributed to my music. We just decided that we don’t need to credit them.”
But going back to the classic opening track of the Helloween , as you might expect, we have one of those melodious choruses sung by Michael Kiske that will truly move any fan of the German band. His vocals are top-notch, and he even raises the pitch further in the middle of the chorus! Kiske through and through!
In the middle of the song, some more shouted vocals alternate with Kiske's melodic voice , "You're iron minions, must be deceased!" , reminiscent of the middle part of the epic 13-minute song "Halloween," which opened the Pumpkins United .
Actually, that was another comment I made in the chat with them after the audition. They were commenting on how great it is to play live and feel the energy of the audience, to which I said, "But of course... You open the show with the song 'Halloween'... Just there, in the first few seconds of the show, you already win over the entire audience"... And Kai Hansen replied:
"And it's the perfect song to open the show and introduce who we are... After all... Aaaaahhh, It's Halloween ...."
Complementing the references in the opening music, we also have a solo that clearly pays homage to the classic "Guardians," as well as a narrated section, just like in the epic "Halloween."
Phew… That was just the first song, the first 7 minutes! Much more to come.
Maintaining the epic and glorious start of the new album, next up is the first of four songs composed by Helloween's "new" vocalist, Andi Deris . "New" is in quotes because he's only been in the band for 27 years and many people still treat him as "the band's new vocalist."
“Fear Of The Fallen” begins with fingerpicking and vocals in a slow section typical of Helloween, which after 37 seconds transforms into a heavy and fast song while still maintaining the band's melodic tradition.
Although written by Deris, the song alternates between vocals by Kiske and himself. Regarding this, Andi Deris said, "I had a lot of fun writing songs not only for my voice but also for one of the greatest vocalists out there."
Kiske added, "The whole process, including the spirit, was simply perfect. If I felt that one of the parts wasn't going to fit right, I'd ask Andi if he could sing, and vice versa. There's no competition whatsoever – what mattered was what was best for each party. And I'm very grateful to be part of this crazy family (again). I love them all."
The third song on the album was composed by Sascha Gerstner . Besides being one of the shortest songs on the album, it's undoubtedly the most commercially appealing, featuring a catchy chorus that will have the same effect as legendary tracks like "I Want Out" or "Future World": we'll be humming that chorus for days, even after only hearing the song once. That's the trump card of "Best Time," which will win over audiences in just over three minutes.
"Mass Pollution" is the second song on Andi Deris' album and is yet another song that references various moments from Helloween's past. The song begins with Markus Grosskopf , the only member who has been in the band from day one to the present. And it features the famous "conversation" between guitarists during the solos, alternating like that lively discussion we're used to seeing in Helloween's music.
In the chat that followed the audition, Kai Hansen said something curious. He said that he's able to tell who the composer of each song is just by reading the lyrics. He says that Andi is always saying what's right and what should be done. Hence Deris's cry in the song that says that despite "Everybody tries to shape our minds," this is our life and we won't give in!
"Angels" is the fifth song on the album. Lyrics and music by Sascha. Starting slowly with Kiske's vocals over a keyboard and bass, this track presents an epic middle section with a beautiful solo, perhaps the most beautiful on the album. The vocal duets also stand out in this song, which keeps the album's momentum and quality high. The riffs near the end are also worth noting.
Incidentally, Kai Hansen told us that when the composer of the music is a guitarist, he records the main guitar track himself and chooses one of the other two guitarists to record the second track. And the solos are also always a choice of the songwriter, who decides who will play which part.
With “Rise Without Chains” we reach the end of the first half of the album. The track, with lyrics and music by Andi Deris, features an excellent chorus and sets the mood for the energetic “Indestructible”, the only song composed by bassist Markus Grosskopf.
This track, which also features great guitar duels and a kind of Accept , can be considered a perfect analogy for the band's own career, which, after going through countless situations, remains more alive than ever. "We are indestructible, because we are One."
“Robot King” is also just over 7 minutes long and is the song that I found the most difficult to digest right away. Michael Weikath's composition perhaps contains a lot of information and needs to be listened to several times. It gives the impression that it will be a killer song live, with the audience singing the epic final part along with the 3 vocalists who in unison sing shouting “RISE UP HIGH!!!” in a very high tone! I'm eager to see this live.
“Cyanide” opens the final part of the album and completes Andi Deris' contributions, being the shortest song on the record. Hands off” once again sets the tone for Deris' themes, which Kai Hansen discussed in the interview. It's a track with a great chorus that brings back Gamma Ray .
And with that, we move on to the final stretch that will give any Helloween fan goosebumps. The last 20 minutes of the album, split between the legendary "Down In The Dumps" by Michael Weikath and "Skyfall," the only song composed by Kai Hansen, are enough to make you cry.
Come with me to this final part:
“Down In The Dumps” is so epic that the verses sound like choruses, they're so melodious and grand. However, when the bridge and chorus arrive, the song incredibly grows even more, which seems impossible. Epic.
It begins with an orchestrated intro, and after 20 seconds, a crescendo begins to build. Phrase after phrase, the music escalates until it enters the first verse after a minute and a half. As I said, the verse sounds like a chorus. But it isn't. Wait and weep…
“Orbit” is just a 1-minute instrumental introduction to put us in the “Kai Hansen orbit” and call for the album's closing with its high point. The 12 minutes of “Skyfall” that follow can undoubtedly be considered a masterpiece. It's great to see Kai Hansen so inspired and composing such good music.
In the chat, Michael Kiske said that another song by Kai Hansen, which he thought was very good, wasn't chosen to be included on the album. I wonder... Who knows, maybe it will be released as a bonus track in the future or on a future album.
The same thing was said about a ballad. In fact, that's what was missing! All the references from all the Helloween eras can be found on this album. Except for a ballad. An "A Tale That Wasn't Right" or a "We Got The Right". And they said they had a ballad ready, but in the vote that all the members took to decide the tracklist, categorizing the songs as A, B, or C, it didn't make the cut. Maybe in the future.
Going back to “Skyfall,” Kai Hansen’s 12-minute epic, I think it’s the song that most resembles the Keeper of the Seven Keys .
The track depicts an alien spaceship crashing to Earth while Kiske, Deris, and Hansen himself duel with each other, creating an unforgettable vocal adventure. The music video will be released in early April and promises to be something grand, in their words, "the best video Helloween has ever made."
As if that weren't enough, the track also features a bass solo ("Eagle Fly Free" vibes?) as well as a brilliant tribute to David Bowie .
In the chat, Kai Hansen said that they recorded "Skyfall" about 100 times. "I'm never satisfied. I keep changing little things. Increasing a guitar, adding some effect."
And bursting into laughter to tease Kiske and drummer Dani Löble, he concludes, "I think in the end, after being tinkered with so much, I preferred how the song was on my demo" (laughs).
Getting back to serious matters, Kai Hansen concludes: “We didn’t want to recreate another Keeper of the Seven Keys . And I didn’t want my music to be too Gamma Ray or too… uhm… me. So I focused on who I was back in those Helloween days, and I think 'Skyfall' reflects that.”
Asked if it's the best album he's ever made, the ever-sincere guitarist commented: “I loved it, but I can't judge it yet. I'm always very critical. I wanted to keep changing things. I need more time, more distance, to then listen again so I can evaluate and decide more impartially.”
The music and the new Helloween album end with the phrase "Somewhere Out In Space" being repeated and fading away... For fans of Kai Hansen, this can be considered the closing of a cycle in the life of the Godfather of Power Metal, while at the same time opening up a sea of future possibilities with his original band.
Now that the album is finished and looking back with a broader perspective, it's really cool to notice so many elements from Helloween's different eras.
The riffs, the dueling guitars, the melodious choruses, the atmosphere. And the attention to detail and care in the production, both from a musical standpoint with Charlie Bauerfind and with the cover art itself – hand-painted, old-fashion, as was, for example, the Keepers .
And all of this is framed by the perfect combination and presence of the 3 vocalists who have lent their voices to this legendary band.
All these things make this album very special.
The album is simply called Helloween , just like the band's first recording, the 1985 Helloween
This is the rebirth of Helloween.
As the first sentence of the press release that the record label, Nuclear Blast , sent us stated:
This is the beginning of a new era:
Forget HELLOWEEN – HELLOWEEN begins here.
The album is already available for pre-order here and the link to listen can be saved here .
Halloween Tracking List :
01 – Out For The Glory (Micahel Weikath) – 7:19
02 – Fear Of The Fallen (Andi Deris) – 5:39
03 – Best Time (Sascha Gerstner) – 3:36
04 – Mass Pollution (Andi Deris) – 4:15
05 – Angels (Sascha Gerstner) – 4:42
06 – Rise Without Chains (Andi Deris) – 4:56
07 – Indestructible (Markus Grosskopf) – 4:43
08 – Robot King (Micahel Weikath) – 7:08
09 – Cyanide (Andi Deris) – 3:29
10 – Down In The Dumps (Micahel Weikath) – 6:01
11 – Orbit (Kai Hansen) – 1:05
12 – Skyfall (Kai Hansen) – 12:11
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