80-501: Helloween is a German power metal band founded in 1984 in Hamburg by members of bands Iron Fist, Gentry, Second Hell and Powerfool. It is said that the band is one of the most influential European heavy metal bands of the 1980s. Its first lineup consisted of singer and guitarist Kai Hansen , bassist Markus Grosskopf , guitarist Michael Weikath and drummer Ingo Schwichtenberg . By the time Hansen left Helloween in 1989 to form Gamma Ray ,
160-505: A double bass pedal ; using them to play a constant stream of sixteenth notes (semiquavers) with snare drum accents on the beat, a style not restricted to, but most often associated with, power metal. The style was used by drummer Ingo Schwichtenberg of Helloween , setting a blueprint for many other drummers to follow. Others, such as the drummers of Blind Guardian and Iced Earth , use a more thrash metal style of drumming with rapid bursts of double bass that involve three to six beats with
240-419: A self-titled EP containing five tracks. Also that year, the band released its first full-length album, Walls of Jericho , which helped spawn speed metal. 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
320-755: A 1982 Battle of the Bands competition featuring over 100 bands, winning studio time to demo new material. Grimmett was then the unofficial vocalist for Cheltenham's Chateaux , who were signed to Darryl Johnston's Ebony Records label, so he handed them the Grim Reaper demo tape, and the band was signed. Their debut album was See You in Hell . The album was released in 1983 and was distributed worldwide through RCA Records . Grim Reaper soon became readily identifiable with Bowcott's guitar work and lead vocalist Steve Grimmett's head voice vocals. Their successful world tour included
400-451: 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 festival along with Iron Maiden , David Lee Roth , Kiss , 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
480-463: A freelance music writer, and later staff contributor, for publications like Circus and Guitar World . Bowcott also worked with Marshall Amplification 's United States division. He also played in the band Barfly who recorded an album with Jack Ponti producing and Michael Wagener mixing for RCA records. In 2006, Eddie Trunk announced on Metal Mania that the band had reformed. The "original" lineup of Grim Reaper (without Nick Bowcott) played
560-413: A greater emphasis on guitar leads. USPM is also notable for its widespread (but not universal) use of high-register operatic vocals, a trend which would continue with the rise of European power metal in the late 1980s and early 1990s. This style is not exclusive to North America, as European bands such as Sacred Steel , Majesty , and Australian band Pegazus later adopted a style inspired by USPM bands in
640-648: A harsh, thrash metal style, including Chris Boltendahl of Grave Digger , Kai Hansen of Gamma Ray , Peavy Wagner of Rage , and Wintersun 's Jari Mäenpää . Many power metal vocalists, most notably Hansi Kürsch of Blind Guardian , record multi-layered vocals reminiscent of Queen , creating a choral effect. Themes that frequently feature throughout other metal subgenres, such as religion and politics, are comparatively rare in power metal - albeit not unheard of. Power metal's lyrical themes often focus on fantasy and mythology , camaraderie and hope, personal struggles and emotions, war and death, or combinations of
720-411: A high register, and the singer's vocal range is usually wide. The majority of the genre's vocalists sing in the tenor range and are capable of hitting very high notes, for example Timo Kotipelto of Stratovarius , Tony Kakko of Sonata Arctica , Michael Kiske ( Helloween ) and Andre Matos (ex- Angra ). There are many exceptions who sing in either baritone or bass range. Some vocalists sing in
800-447: 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
880-435: A lot of pre-production costs and sadly we weren't able to sell enough albums for them to have their money back. The fans were disappointed. First with "Pink Bubbles Go Ape", and now with "Chameleon". We still sold 400.000 copies of "Chameleon", but we made a deal with EMI and changed our label." Grosskopf continued: "That was a time when nobody understood each other. There was too much arguing. Someone wanted it this way,
SECTION 10
#1732855737914960-513: A portion of this leg was amputated on 18 January 2017. The band continued to play, and played an emotional headlining set at Hard Rock Hell's NWOBHM Christmas gig in Sheffield in December that year. On 25 July 2019, it was announced that Grim Reaper would be releasing an album of all-new material. The album titled At The Gates was released on 11 October 2019 with a special album launch show to follow
1040-558: A singer like Kiske, but then after all those years and listening to what he's doing now I hope people will understand why we did that decision. Otherwise he would have pushed us into the direction where he is going now and we didn't want that." 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: "Well, EMI said we didn't sell enough records for their taste. They had to pay
1120-561: A support show at Texxas Jam playing to over 20,000 people. Their 1985 follow-up, Fear No Evil , showed improvement on the production front and also enjoyed moderate success in both the United States and Europe . Legal battles with Ebony Records delayed the release of the band's third album Rock You to Hell by almost two years. The album was released directly through RCA Records in 1987. However, by this time Grim Reaper's melodic heavy metal sound had fallen out of favor as much of
1200-518: A theatrical, dramatic and emotionally "powerful" sound. The term was first used in the mid-1980s and refers to two different but related styles: Anthropologist Sam Dunn traced the origins of power metal back to the late 1970s, when the groundwork for power metal lyrical style was laid down by Ronnie James Dio . The fantasy-oriented lyrics he wrote for Rainbow , concentrated around medieval, renaissance, folk, and science fiction themes, directly influenced modern power metal bands. According to Dunn,
1280-469: 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 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 , one of the band's heaviest albums since the full-length debut. The subsequent supporting tour
1360-421: Is significant in defining power metal just as the fast rapid chord changes often define traditional thrash metal . Power metal often makes use of Major chord progressions as well as circle progressions. Some of the most influential and acclaimed power metal guitarists are Kai Hansen of Gamma Ray , Michael Weikath of Helloween , and Timo Tolkki formerly of Stratovarius. It is a common trait in power metal for
1440-489: Is today associated with fast guitar riffs and drumming, twin melodies, operatic singing. The sound is tempered by characteristics of speed metal , power metal's musical forerunner. Power metal is highly focused on the vocalist, with "clean" vocals being much more prevalent than the growling vocals often associated with extreme metal . Inspired by Ronnie James Dio , Bruce Dickinson , Rob Halford , Geoff Tate , and other heavy metal vocalists, power metal vocals are often in
1520-575: The NWOBHM , emerging in late 1980s, particularly in Germany, with Helloween , Running Wild , Rage , Grave Digger , and Blind Guardian . The second and third Helloween albums; Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part I (1987) and Part II (1988) are usually considered the first proper European power metal albums. Alongside the early German bands came Finland's Stratovarius in late 1980s. These bands pioneered
1600-453: The epic doom metal band Cirith Ungol ); or even with thrash metal elements, e.g., Iced Earth . US power metal saw a sharp decline in popularity at the beginning of the 1990s, though the style has rebounded somewhat in the past decade, with bands such as Liege Lord or Heir Apparent reforming for live performances and many, such as Helstar and Omen , still releasing new material. European power metal originated from speed metal and
1680-399: The "fathers of power metal ", as well as one of the so-called "big four" of the genre's early German scene, along with Grave Digger , Rage and Running Wild . Helloween was formed 1984 in Hamburg , West Germany. The original line-up included Kai Hansen on vocals and rhythm guitar, Michael Weikath on lead guitar, Markus Grosskopf on bass and Ingo Schwichtenberg on drums. That year,
SECTION 20
#17328557379141760-414: The "second wave" of power metal since its spread was in the late 1980s and especially the mid-late 1990s rather than proliferating throughout the 1980s, and the widespread influence and development of the genre that came in its tow while US "first wave" style markedly declined. Grim Reaper (band) Grim Reaper were a British heavy metal band from the new wave of British heavy metal era. The band
1840-683: The 1990s for appearing on Beavis and Butt-Head . After disbanding in 1988, the band reformed in 2006 around Grimmett, and due to legal issues surrounding the rights to the original band name, they went by Steve Grimmett's Grim Reaper . Two albums under that name – Walking in the Shadows (2016) and At the Gates (2019) – were released before Grimmett died in 2022, after which the band disbanded again. The band formed in Worcestershire and initially featured Paul de Mercado on vocals. Their first album demo tape
1920-595: The 1990s. The early releases of progressive metal bands Queensrÿche and Fates Warning , such as The Warning (1984) and The Spectre Within (1985), heavily influenced a number of bands that were to develop a common sound towards the late 1980s. Among the better known representatives of the style, such as Manowar , Vicious Rumors , Virgin Steele , Riot , or Jag Panzer , a small number of bands enriched their sound with progressive and epic elements (the most obvious examples being Crimson Glory , Savatage , Sanctuary and
2000-596: The European tour, because Kai wanted to leave the band…so I started learning the songs and in December I was playing five songs with them at the rehearsal room. Some weeks later I was already on tour in America with them and then we went to Japan after that." The inaugural Headbangers Ball Tour started in April 1989 with Helloween joining San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal band Exodus in support of headlining act Anthrax . The band
2080-723: The Keep It True VI festival in Lauda-Königshofen on 8 April 2006. The band played the annual MetalBrew festival in London's Mill Hill on Saturday 18 July 2009. Later they were scheduled to play at the Play it Loud IV in Bologna, Italy, in September 2009. The festival was then cancelled when the promoter forfeited, but the band (urged on by a crowd of fans who had already bought tickets) managed to play
2160-546: 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: "We wanted to go for a lot more intricate stuff on the guitar and more technical. So it was like getting harder and harder for me without having big experience on vocals. I never had lessons or anything and I
2240-659: The UK and Europe. They did a short tour of Greece and Cyprus in November 2011 and released the Limited Edition "Live in Europe 2011". Festival appearances in 2012 included Sweden's "Muskelrock" and headlining Germany's Sword Brothers. More European Festivals and US tours followed in the coming years. In 2013, they were co-headliners of Belgium's Heavy Sound Festival in November with Tokyo Blade. In April 2014, Grim Reaper played their first show in
2320-533: The US since 1987, joined by original guitarist Nick Bowcott, and featured several tracks from the forthcoming album, From Hell . In 2016, Steve Grimmett's Grim Reaper released a new studio album, their first since 1987. On 17 January 2017 Grimmett was hospitalized following a show at Piedrahits & Pedro Moncayo in Guayaquil , Ecuador . Surgery followed, which was unsuccessful in defeating an infection in his right leg, so
2400-457: 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
2480-455: The United States, drawing influence primarily from traditional metal and the NWOBHM . Though very close to its roots, US power metal (often abbreviated USPM) is often faster and more energetic than traditional heavy metal, with a more riff-driven approach and a relative lack of keyboard usage compared to its later European counterpart. However, it is often more melodic than thrash metal , with
Helloween - Misplaced Pages Continue
2560-781: The aforementioned. For example, Finnish band Sonata Arctica have been known for focusing their lyrics of their songs on fantasy but also have many songs based on reality, love and relationships. Many power metal bands based their concept albums on fantasy books and national epics ; Blind Guardian based Nightfall in Middle-Earth on Tolkien's The Silmarillion , while Kamelot based Epica and The Black Halo on Goethe's Faust . Some bands have even written their own imaginary stories, like Rhapsody of Fire 's Emerald Sword Saga and The Dark Secret Saga , Iced Earth 's Something Wicked Saga , or Avantasia by Edguy 's Tobias Sammet . Historical themes have also seen usage in
2640-438: 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. "We started to notice something
2720-473: The band are characterized by the treatment of Christianity and ancient Romanian legends. Powerwolf, however, do not consider themselves a religious band, but rather call themselves spiritual. Power metal guitarists and bassists generally play rapid streams of notes, but change chords comparatively slowly, with a harmonic tempo of once per measure or slower. Fast and technically demanding guitar solos, however, are almost guaranteed. The slow changing of chords
2800-402: 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 features all of
2880-413: 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 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
2960-413: The band signed with Noise Records and recorded two songs for a Noise compilation record called Death Metal . The compilation featured the bands Hellhammer , 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,
3040-497: 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
3120-592: The band was at a Charity show at Rockfabrik Ludwigsburg 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 solo albums 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: "People thought we were crazy for firing
3200-536: 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
3280-476: 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. Deris 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
Helloween - Misplaced Pages Continue
3360-422: The bass guitar to take a back seat, so to speak; often simply providing the chord root notes and being drowned out by the more prevalent rhythm guitars. However, some power metal bands incorporate bass that is more audible with colorful patterns distinct from the rhythm guitars, such as Helloween, Hibria , and Symphony X . Many power metal drummers play double bass patterns with either two bass drums , or utilize
3440-683: The date along with several originally billed acts (as a single-day event instead of a weekend-spanning one). The band made a successful appearance at the British Steel festival in Bologna, Italy in November 2010 at the Estragon venue on a bill that included other classic bands of the NWoBHM era – Diamond Head, Girlschool, Demon, and Angelwitch. They also played at the Academy Birmingham with the band Jameson Raid. The then-current line-up continued to tour
3520-409: The double kick. Power metal bands often incorporate keyboards into their musical arrangements, something popularized by Jens Johansson of Stratovarius (though their prominence varies). Some power metal bands also record with symphonic elements, and as such, they utilize a full orchestra to fill the role usually played by the keyboardist. The American branch of power metal emerged in early 1980s in
3600-414: The earliest who combined elements of power metal and an early form of melodic death metal . European-style power metal became widespread in comparison with US style as of the mid 1990s, with numerous North American bands such as Theocracy , Borealis , Forgotten Tales , Avian , Pharaoh , Circle II Circle , and Kamelot demonstrating the style. This European style of power metal is sometimes considered
3680-569: The event Hansen would potentially leave. Grapow, who was a car mechanic 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: " Weikath called me in August 88 with the question if I was still playing guitar, because he saw me at a Rampage show, He asked me if I'd like to join Helloween after they will finish
3760-427: The genre's precise stylistic origins are often contested, acts such as Cirith Ungol , Jag Panzer , Manilla Road , Omen , Riot , Savatage , and Warlord are generally believed to have influenced the earliest development of the style. More concretely, in 1987 German band Helloween released their second album, Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part I , cited by AllMusic as "a landmark recording that remains arguably
3840-409: The genre, but took it in somewhat different directions. Helloween, followed by early Gamma Ray , mixed fast palm muted speed metal riffs with high-pitched clean vocals, and with a strong focus on melody and uplifting, positive themes. Stratovarius further developed this melodic direction by making heavy use of keyboards , with lyrics dealing with emotions and personal issues. Blind Guardian utilized
3920-420: The keyboard sound of Deep Purple 's Jon Lord , which was further incorporated into the genre. Manowar 's mythological sword and sorcery lyrics influenced a number of power metal bands. Throughout the early 1980s (especially during 1982 and 1983), the US power metal style first emerged from traditional heavy metal, the new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM), and thrash / speed metal backgrounds. Although
4000-509: The late 90s and early 00s, power metal spread over Europe especially as well as the rest of the world, often incorporating new influences. Italy's Elvenking , Sweden's Falconer , Spain's Mägo de Oz , and Denmark's Wuthering Heights integrated elements of folk music with power metal. Angra , Kamelot , and especially Symphony X are known for combining progressive and power metal. Some bands are known for combining power metal with more aggressive musical forms; Children of Bodom were one of
4080-426: The main characteristics of power metal. The twin-guitar sound promoted by Judas Priest's duo of K. K. Downing and Glenn Tipton also highly influenced this subgenre. Another British band, Iron Maiden , brought epic and melodic sensibility to metal, creating anthemic, singalong music, an approach widely embraced by modern power metal musicians. Referred to as the "main prototype" of the power metal genre, Iron Maiden
SECTION 50
#17328557379144160-559: The metal market moved toward heavier fare like thrash metal and speed metal . Even the major label distribution and popular video for the title track could not save the band. With the production of their fourth studio album (reportedly to be called Nothing Whatsoever to Do with Hell ) about to start, another round of legal action from Ebony Records effectively dealt the death blow to Grim Reaper, subsequently disbanding in 1988. Grimmett went on to front Onslaught and Lionsheart , as well as perform on several tribute albums. Bowcott became
4240-446: The ocean, as they toured the US together with Grim Reaper 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 could be played on MTV . However, after the European tour together with then-unknown American thrash metal band Overkill , the first struggles within the band started taking shape. Exhausted from touring, Hansen asked
4320-407: The other wanted that way. We didn't have anything to lose. The three of us sat down and decided to begin again." Helloween returned in 1994 with former Pink Cream 69 frontman Andi Deris as their new lead vocalist and Uli Kusch , formerly of Kai Hansen's Gamma Ray , on drums. The band already knew Deris from some recording sessions in Hamburg, though both Deris and new drummer Uli Kusch played on
4400-586: The others believed that Kusch and Grapow were not one hundred percent dedicated to Helloween, they were dismissed. Power metal Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal , often within a symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in contrast with the heaviness and dissonance prevalent in, for example, extreme metal . Power metal bands usually have anthemic songs with fantasy-based subject matter and strong choruses, thus creating
4480-507: 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
4560-585: The release of The Dark Ride , 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
4640-545: The release of a double-LP to introduce the line-up. This proposition was turned down. Instead, they recorded a single album, resulting in 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
4720-419: The rest. Kiske said he had a throat illness, but we all thought it was panic. Your voice disappears when you are frightened or on panic. It looked like he just stayed static on stage, and when I said to him to move and give a better impression to the audience, he said that I was diminishing his authority on stage. I didn't find that fun, because he did his acts on stage, and they weren't spontaneous like before, he
4800-406: The single most influential power metal album to date. Its volatile combination of power and melody would inspire an entire generation of metal bands". This release influenced a European power metal style to evolve, which proliferated throughout the globe and since the start of the 1990s is still the most commonly heard style of power metal. Power metal "bears all the hallmarks of traditional metal"
4880-593: The songs "Stargazer" and "A Light in the Black" from the 1976 album Rising , as well as "Kill the King" and "Lady of the Lake" from the 1978 album Long Live Rock 'n' Roll , might be among the earliest examples of power metal. In his 2011 documentary series Metal Evolution , Dunn further explained how Rob Halford of Judas Priest created a blueprint for power metal vocal delivery. His almost constant high-pitched singing became one of
SECTION 60
#17328557379144960-482: 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 , Birmingham, UK on 8 November 1988. Hansen officially left Helloween on 1 January 1989, and the band chose Roland Grapow to replace him. 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
5040-636: The surviving members of the Keeper of the Seven Keys lineup (Hansen, Weikath, Kiske, Grosskopf), in addition to the remaining members from the Keeper of the Seven Keys: The Legacy -era (singer Andi Deris , guitarist Sascha Gerstner and drummer Daniel Loble ). Since its inception, Helloween has released 16 studio albums, four live albums, three EPs and 30 singles, was honored with 14 gold and six platinum awards and has sold more than eight million records worldwide. Helloween has been referred to as
5120-454: The technique of vocal and guitar overdubbing to create an epic atmosphere, with lyrical content strongly based on fantasy novels, myths and legends. The symphonic and neo-classical elements also found their way through power metal with bands like Rhapsody of Fire (Italy), Serenity (Austria) and Nightwish (Finland). At the same time, bands such as HammerFall simplified their power metal to bring it closer to traditional heavy metal. Over
5200-741: The works of bands, most famously Sabaton , whose lyrics extensively focus on historical wars, battles, and individuals that received notable recognition for their wartime accomplishments. Examples include World War I , World War II , Vikings , Samurai , and much more from around the world including the American , Swedish and German militaries . Serenity , an Austrian (symphonic) power metal band, focuses mainly on historical figures and events, including Sir Francis Drake , Marco Polo , Galileo , Beethoven , and Napoleon . Contrary to traditional power metal music, Powerwolf focuses on Transylvanian werewolf and vampire legends and dark myths . The lyrics of
5280-514: 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 . For "I Want Out", Hansen very publicly laid out his disillusion with life as a member of Helloween at this time, explaining: "It
5360-505: 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 committed suicide by jumping in front of
5440-486: Was a statement, yeah. It wasn't just wanting out of the band, it was a general thing relating to everything that was going on: poor management, other people telling us where to be and what to do, never-ending internal discussions… I just wanted to rock." In support of its Headbangers Ball show, MTV also presented the Headbangers Ball Tour in U.S. and invited Helloween to be a part of it in 1989. However, before
5520-597: Was called Bleed 'Em Dry and had an album's worth of material. After developing a following in the northwest and Yorkshire they caught the attention of Heavy Metal Records, who added a re-recorded version of The Reaper to their 1981 compilation Heavy Metal Heroes from the demo. A positive write-up in the Kerrang! 'Armed & Ready' section preceded a breakup of the initial lineup, with only Nick Bowcott remaining. He recruited Dave Wanklin on bass, Lee Harris on Drums, and most importantly, Steve Grimmett on vocals. This lineup won
5600-413: 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 , 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
5680-549: Was formed in 1979 in Droitwich , England, by guitarist Nick Bowcott, and there have been numerous lineup changes over the years, with frontman Steve Grimmett being the longest running member, from 1982 to 1988, then 2006 until his death in 2022. They are best known for several of their 1980s songs, including the respective title tracks from their first three albums: See You in Hell (1983), Fear No Evil (1985) and Rock You to Hell (1987); each of those songs gained notoriety in
5760-483: Was heavily influenced by Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules (the first two albums of Black Sabbath 's Dio-era ), which would also go on to influence modern power metal. The emergence of the early German power metal scene in particular was made possible by Scorpions and Accept . Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen made a significant impact on many future power metal guitarists, with his accurate and fast neo-classical style. His bandmate Jens Johansson modernized
5840-401: Was just standing still to sing better, and that showed us that the songs from "Chameleon" weren't good for shows. I understand, the album could be interesting, but on the eyes of the fans we weren't able to play it live. It was like rice for us: Sticky, but not tasty!" Meanwhile, the conflicts within the rest of the band worsened and the decision was made to fire Kiske. His last performance with
5920-543: 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 , a cover-album featuring Helloween's versions of songs from such bands as Scorpions , Jethro Tull , Faith No More , The Beatles , ABBA and Deep Purple . 2000 saw
6000-423: Was not that fixed on the guitar yet so it was getting difficult. On the other hand we thought it would be really cool to have a real front man, a real singer. We heard Queensryche, the first album that they did, and we thought wow that would be cool to have a singer like that who could be very stable on the high soaring notes and have a lot of expression." The band found an 18-year-old vocalist, Michael Kiske , from
6080-476: 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. In addition, it made Helloween a benchmark to measure power metal bands. The positive reception took Helloween across
6160-532: 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: " During that tour we played seven concerts and cancelled
6240-654: 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: "I can see why it made sense for us to get involved with MTV but I really don't think we fit this bill at all. We're playing our hardest songs every night, but we're not thrash." At the height of their success Helloween decided to sign with then-major label EMI Records after being urged to do so by their management company Sanctuary, who also managed Iron Maiden . Their former label Noise Records sued them for breach of contract which effectively put
6320-429: Was very depressed. We decided to give him professional help, 'cause we could not help him. It was too serious." Schwichtenberg could not be part of the band anymore until he recovered from drugs and alcohol abuse and took his medications against schizophrenia . 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
6400-422: Was wrong with him when we were on tour, with all that road pressure" remembers Weikath. "Ingo had a strange behavior... he did strange things and we noticed something was seriously wrong with him. We lived with him and we could see his changes". Grosskopf said 1996: "It was like he had two people in his mind: the good and the evil. He told me the evil was always talking to him. It was very strong in him, he
#913086