Helloween: Difference between revisions

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'''Helloween''' is a German [[Power Metal|power]]/[[Speed Metal|speed metal]] band. Alongside Switzerland's [[Celtic Frost]] and Sweden's [[Bathory]], Germany's Helloween were possibly the most influential heavy metal band to come out of Europe during the 1980s. By taking the hard riffing and minor key melodies handed down from metal masters like [[Judas Priest (Music)|Judas Priest]] and [[Iron Maiden (Music)|Iron Maiden]], then infusing them with the speed and energy introduced by the burgeoning thrash metal movement, Helloween crystallized the sonic ingredients of what is now known as [[Power Metal]].

This lineup (Hansen-Weikath-Grosskopf-Schwichtenberg) collaborated in a compilation, (''Death Metal'', alongside Hellhammer, [[Running Wild (Musicband)|Running Wild]] and Dark Avenger) and released two [[E Ps]] (''[[Self-Titled Album|Helloween]]'' and ''Judas'') and a studio album (''Walls of Jericho'') before another lineup change.

Sadly, just as they were on the verge of breaking to a wider audience -- even flirting with American success -- the band's meteoric rise was rudely interrupted by internal strife and a string of bad business decisions. Hiring Kiske ultimately proved a double-edged sword -- his iconic work with the aforementioned ''Keeper'' albums was what set up said meteoric rise in the first place, but he then decided he wanted to move away from [[Power Metal]] towards a [[Lighter and Softer|lighter]] [[Hard Rock]], a decision which cost them the departure of Kai Hansen, who would later start [[Gamma Ray (Music)|Gamma Ray]], with Roland Grapow, from Rampage, replacing him. And to top it all, the band was also in a legal dispute with Noise Records about a bunch of nasty legal stuff, which resulted in them not being able to release anything for some time. Everything resulted in two disastrously mellow albums (''Pink Bubbles Go Ape'' and ''Chameleon'') which are best not discussed, [[Canon Dis ContinuityDiscontinuity|even by the band themselves]], and very nearly finished off the band. As a result of this, both Kiske and Ingo were sacked for the band, although for different reasons. Kiske was fired because Michael Weikath refused to work with him any further, while Ingo was released due to mental and drug-related issues.

However, this was not the end of the band. Michael Weikath took the control of the band and hired the singer Andreas "Andi" Deris, from the band ''[[Pink Cream 69 (Music)|Pink Cream 69]]'', as well as ex-[[Gamma Ray (Music)|Gamma Ray]] drummer Uli Kusch. This change made the band to return to their roots, and continued to prosper in the international metal arena on their own terms, with the release of the album ''Master of the Rings''. More importantly, they remained the benchmark by which most every power metal band is still measured.

2000 saw the latest release with this lineup: the [[Darker and Edgier]] ''The Dark Ride''. It was the last album with both Roland Grapow and Uli Kusch, since they both were sacked from the band. They went later to form the acclaimed ''[[Masterplan (Music)|Masterplan]]''.

Sascha Gerstner from [[Freedom Call]] replaced Grapow, but the band struggled with the position of drummer. The first drummer hired was Mark Cross from Metalium, who abandoned the band after some medical issues. Finally, Stefan Schwarzmann (formerly from [[Accept (Music)|Accept]], and [[Running Wild (Musicband)|Running Wild]], among [[Hey, It's That Guy!|plenty of other bands]]) took the role, although he wasn't hired in time for the recording sessions of ''Rabbit Don't Come Easy'', the follow-up to ''Dark'', where the drums were played by [[Motorhead (Music)|Mikkey Dee]].

== Former Members: ==

== '''Studio Albums: =='''

== {{examples|Helloween songs include: ==}}

Before adding a trope, check that it isn't subjective. Subjective tropes about the band go [[Helloween (Music)/YMMV|here]].

* [[Start My Own]]: After ''Keeper of the Seven Keys Pt. 2'', Kai Hansen left Helloween. Several years later, he formed [[Gamma Ray (Music)|Gamma Ray]]. Also, as noted above, Roland Grapow and Uli Kusch, who were fired from the band and created Masterplan.

* [[Welcome Back, Traitor]]: Kai Hansen quit the band over [[Creative Differences]] and went on to form [[Gamma Ray (Music)|Gamma Ray]]. Apparently, giving him room to have his own band and removing Michael Kiske from the equation was enough to calm both sides down, as the personnel from Helloween and Gamma Ray now get along quite amicably and even tour together, concluding their concerts by [[Fusion Dance|taking the stage simultaneously to form one big supergroup]], and as ''[[Portmanteau|Gammaween]]'', they perform [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cVRnTcEuS8 "I Want Out"]. In that video, they certainly ''look'' [[Ho Yay|friendly]]. And this is older than the 2008 joint tour, as his appearance in the Wacken Open Air 2004 can testify. And to make things better, he said in an [http://metalassault.com/Interviews/060410_Gamma_Ray.php audio interview], that he liked the Gammaween tour, and that he won't dismiss the chance of doing another tour like that.

* [[Cover Version]]: "[[The Beatles (Musicband)|Something]]", "[[Judas Priest (Music)|The Hellion/Electric Eye]]", "[[Kiss|I Stole Your Love]]", "[[Grand Funk Railroad|I'm Your Captain (Closer To Home)]]", "[[Carl Perkins|Blue Suede Shoes]]", "[[Jean Michel Jarre|Magnetic Fields]]", "[[Status Quo (band)|Rain]]", "[[Queen|Sheer Heart Attack]]" and "[[Accept (Music)|Fast As A Shark]]". Also, during the "Master of the Rings" tour, they did a version of Pink Cream 69's "Where The Eagle Learns To Fly".<ref>Said band was Andi Deris's previous band before joining to Helloween.</ref>

** ''7 Sinners'' somehow managed to be even more [[Darker and Edgier]] than ''Gambling With The Devil''. Lesee: the two comic songs of the album ("[[Heavy Meta|Are You Metal?]]" and "[[Go Mad Fromfrom the Revelation|Who's Mr. Madman?]]") are very heavy; there're lots of [[This Is Sparta]] in the songs; even in the normal verses; Dani Loble destroys his drumset in any of the songs, even reaching [[Death Metal]] and [[Black Metal]] speeds, sometimes; "Not Yet Today", the intro to "Far In The Future" is chillingly dark... hell, even the ballad, "The Smile of the Sun" sounds pretty heavy. When the band said that this is the most heaviest and fastest album they made, they weren't joking.

* [[Go Mad Fromfrom the Revelation]]: The protagonist of "Perfect Gentleman", from ''Master of the Rings'', is bound to a mental institution in "Who's Mr. Madman?", from ''7 Sinners''.

{{quote| ''"Sixteen years have passed since he, one perfect of his kind, the Casanova of his time, crowned himself to conquer the land in craving for lust. Lust, one of the seven deadly sins. Punishment he has suffered. Look at him what did he become, who is he now?"''}}

{{quote| ''I am "le d'Artagnan de coeur"''}}

** "Long Live The King", from ''7 Sinners'', an [[Homage]] to [[Ronnie James Dio]] and [[Judas Priest (Music)|Judas Priest]].

* [[Homage]]: "Steel Tormentor", from ''The Time Of The Oath'', is dedicated to [[Judas Priest (Music)|Judas Priest]].

** In "World of Fantasy", from ''7 Sinners'', the intro sounds like the opening of ''[[King Arthur and The Knights of Justice (Animation)|King Arthur and Thethe Knights of Justice]]''.

* [[Just One More Level]]: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xo2DhNvrbA "The Game is On"], from ''Master of the Rings'', is about someone who got so absorbed into a video game that he didn't even notice his house was on fire and presumably perished. The game is heavily implied to be the [[Game Boy]] version of ''[[Tetris (Video Game)|Tetris]]'', due to some lyrical clues ("with a grey box in his hands") and the fact that the entire main riff of the song is very obviously based on the Game Boy ''Tetris''' [[Game Over]] jingle, and it even directly samples most of its sound effects.

{{quote| Bad luck if you get a stone,<br />

like the good old Charlie Brown,<br />

you think Linus could be right<br />

{{quote| [[Metallica (Music)|I'm your pain when you can't feel]]}}

{{quote| [[Judas Priest (Music)|White heat]]<br />

[[Judas Priest (Music)|Red hot]] }}

** The [[B -Side]] "Les Hamburgueois Walkways" is inspired by [[Gary Moore]]'s "Parisiennes Walkways".

** "Crazy Cat", from ''Chameleon'', is inspired by ''[[Fritz the Cat (Franchise)|Fritz the Cat]]''.

* [[Zeroth Law Rebellion]]: "Twilight Of The Gods", from ''Keeper of the Seven Keys, Pt. 1'', combines this and [[The End of the World Asas We Know It]].

{{quote| ''"(...) all troublemakers on concerts, PUMA Sportswear, (because of no cooperation) Neil Perry (Sounds): if we sound like Discharge, [[Just for Pun|discharge]] yourself! You don't have any glimpse, '''and everyone who is still spelling [[Spell My Name Withwith an "S"|HELLOWEEN with an "A"]].'''"''}}

* [[Spell My Name Withwith an "S"]]: This comes from the fourth page of the booklet of the ''Walls Of Jericho'' remaster:

{{quote| ''"WARNING! Everybody Who Will Be Writing HELLOWEEN With An "A" Or Tries To Distribute Pamphlets With An "A" Will Be Turned Into A Pumpkin!!!"''}}

[[Category:German MediaMusicians]]

[[Category:Helloween{{PAGENAME}}]]