VICTIMS OF FATE / EARLY HELLOWEEN (1984 - 1986, AND SOMETHING ELSE)

HELLOWEEN. Who doesn't know them? They are always there. Since forever. If you're not into metal music, you do know them, because, like it or not, they are very popular. And because you're very likely to have a friend or acquaintance who is into them, one way or another, and you may have also used them to mock that friend with Helloween as throwing weapon, because, that music is so outdated or because they are ridiculous for whatever the reason (these kind of mockery applies to any traditional metal band already existing during the eighties, or even before, and it usually comes from people who mostly have no clue what they are talking about). And if you like heavy metal it goes without saying that you know them. You just have to. You may love them, you may not give a flying fuck about them or you may hate them. You might have gone through all three phases, and maybe more than once. Because there's no denying that the likeable band from Hamburg (leaving other considerations aside, they are very likeable indeed, and one can't help smiling when taking a look at both the cover and backcover of that amusing live album from 1989 which LIVE IN THE UK was, with that sea of cartoon pumpkins attending one of their shows) has everything and for everyone. In that regard, all their eras are very well known and have been properly talked about, from their humble beginnings to their current (and former) glory, going through the most unthinkable decadence, tragedy and back to square one. Helloween may be recipient of everything good and bad within the genre, and for the same reason they hoard every single cliché of it, but their perseverance, hard work and devotion to their craft can't be denied.

Having said that, I won't focus neither on their most glorious days, nor on the most disastrous ones, but on those which I think are the least documented and also their most extreme, music-wise. That era which many long like no other, and others are shocked by for being so remote and, in many cases, different: the first of them all. That one when Helloween were a badass foursome devoted to speed metal and with no idea of the phenomenon they would become in almost no time, forging a whole metal subgenre almost by themselves, the nowadays famed power metal, at least when it comes to its european branch.

As an introduction, I have to say that before becoming the idea and the name that Helloween would eventually be, at the beginning of the eighties, the four founding members of the band were part of several different acts, even sharing some of them, which, in turn, changed names as time went by.

Thus we have GENTRY, formed in 1978, where two teenagers called KAI HANSEN and PIET SIELCK (who some years later founded IRON SAVIOR) would end up recruiting drummer INGO SCHWICHTENBERG first, and bassist MARKUS GROSSKOPF after. Apparently, these years saw the birth of some songs which not only would make it onto Helloween's repertoire, but also onto Iron Savior's, or even the very much famous GAMMA RAY (which come late eighties would become the other musical monster of Hansen's career).

Gentry would give way to SECOND HELL, in 1981, and this combo would eventually change its name to IRON FIST the next year. Already in 1983 (not sure whether before or after changing the name to Iron Fist, although it seems like this happened before, because Sielck asked for Second Hell to disband, despite giving Hansen all the rights to use those first songs), Sielck would leave the band to devote himself to his career as musical engineer, and would be replaced by guitarrist MICHAEL WEIKATH, who had been in a band known as POWERFOOL (or maybe Power Fool, depending on where you look), and all four became Helloween at the beginning of 1984. It is told that soon before this, it was Weikath himself who tried to convince Hansen to join his band, impressed by the Iron Fist trio on a live setting, and because their keyboardist was gone. But the rest of the guys in Powerfool did not warm up to the idea of replacing the keys with a guitar player. That and the fact that they did not seem at all willing to rehearse on a regular basis, prompted the band to disband and Weikath to join Iron Fist.

Hansen and Weikath not only became friends on a personal level, but music-wise, their different points of view seemed to feed each other back to perfection, being the former the one most rooted in the most traditional fundamentals of the genre, while the latter was much more open-minded and versatile, completely oblivious to every cliché of metal music, also citing musical influences which were not common place within this kind of music.

I'm sure there is much more than this, during these earliest days, and that Helloween's family tree is much broader (I read names such as GLORY or KRONUS, or a neverending revolving door of musicians during the Gentry days), but I'm in the dark here and also not willing to research any further about it. Let's say that the band enters 1984 after a few years in which all four founding musicians path was, to make a long story short, as it has been told. This is just an introduction and my personal input with more accurate facts comes later. Concerning all the rest I just hope the info is as accurate as possible.

I do not know either about where they got the idea about the band's name from, and taling a look at METAL ARCHIVES I see that according to Hansen, the A was replaced by an E (Ingo's idea) because you can have All Hallows' Eve (Halloween) just once a year, but you can have Helloween all year long. Ingo also seems to be responsible for dropping the O and placing a pumpkin instead, something which not only made the pun between the final name and the feast day come full circle, but also served for that pumpkin to become Helloween's most enduring symbol. Weikath, on the other hand, was the one behind the band's logo.

When all was said and done, Helloween would be left as follows:

 - Kai Hansen (17-I-1963, Hamburg) as singer and lead guitarrist.

 - Michael Weikath (07-VIII-1962, Hamburg) as lead guitarrist.

 - Markus Grosskopf (21-IX-1965, Hamburg) as bass player.

 - Ingo Schwichtenberg (18-V-1965, Hamburg / 08-III-1995, Hamburg) on drums.

Early Helloween and their peculiar sense
of fashion. From left to right:
Weikath, Grosskopf, Hansen y Schwichtenberg

And this is when the good old days began.

Helloween were managed from the get go by LIMB SCHNOOR (also from Hamburg and related to RUNNING WILD, hailing from Hamburg themselves as well) and he connected Helloween with NOISE INTERNATIONAL, a music label from Berlin owned by KARL-ULRICH WALTERBACH, with whom he was already acquainted. But even before that, in June, they recorded an unnamed independent demo on cassette (sometimes known as DEATH METAL DEMO, because of the split album of the same name on which its songs would appear), comprised of two songs, METAL INVADERS and OERNST OF LIFE (no clue about the meaning of the word Oernst).

I'll talk about the first one later, given it will make it onto their first album, and this demo is a tad slower and longer than the final product. Concerning the second, Oernst Of Life, I have to admit it sounds pretty good for such an early demo (although the sound is likely to have been improved with regard to the first take, because of the technological progress and all that) and it represents an early look to the sound Helloween would soon display, although maybe not that fast and, in this case, with the drums a a little bit hidden in the mix, maybe because of the means available to record, I guess. Hansen's more improved and mature voice of his Gamma Ray years, once he finally devoted himself to playing the guitar and singing at the same time, is a far cry from this higher-pitched and more juvenile delivery he first showed himself to the world with. To those of us who first listened to this song, long after having listened to Helloween's debut album, his voice is, in my opinion, absolutely recognizable, if we take that first album as the cue. Apart from that, fast and hurried (not a flaw, but the first word that comes to mind to define something like the riff which begins by the fifteen second mark, after the main one) riffing, more akin to the thrash and speed metal of yore than to the power metal they would help create, those usual dual guitar parts and Grosskopf's bass, being more than just a rhythmical anchor. Good song all in all, whose lyrics are about seizing the day and doing something with one's life before it's too late (or so I believe).

I got an amp and a guitar, I'm gonna scratch the stars.

OERNST OF LIFE

As Walterbach needed another band to round up the DEATH METAL compilation (together with Running Wild, HELLHAMMER and DARK AVENGER), Helloween were chosen by way of Schnoor (re-recording, I guess, those two previous songs between Februar and March in Berlin, at CAET studios, with engineer HORST MÜLLER), and being the outcome and the response positive, the band would end up signing with Noise by the end of 1984.

With Running Wild (mid-eihgties)

Fun fact: said compilation was released in October that year, with a gruesome cover (and even more if we take both time and place into account) on which one zombie, aparently, ate a corpse in what it looked like a scary basement, while more bodies were hanging on the wall, waiting their turn. That cover (and I'm not sure whether the whole package itself, because of it) was banned in Germany, and the album would be re-released with another cover on which only the title, the bands and the word censored could be found. Both versions are valuable collecting items (how could not they?). And it wasn't until 2010 (!) when the album and its cover were removed from the list of banned media in Germany.

Death Metal

The band's relationship with Noise International as a whole (although this is going to be an ongoing subject to be dealt with as this story goes on), and more specifically with Karl-Ulrich Walterbach is something that is worth mentioning. Due to the later enormous success of the outfit during those two magical years which saw them shattering the whole metal genre (1987 and 1988), Helloween not only became the first band from mainland Europe to become big on an international level after SCORPIONS and ACCEPT, but also, without any kind of doubt, Noise's more successful band ever, something that speaks volumes of them, given the roster the label has had, which means a lot quality-wise, mostly in Europe (KREATOR, SABBAT, TANKARD, Running Wild, RAGE, Gamma Ray, SKYCLAD, VOIVOD and many others). Walterbach even had them in the highest of steems, considering them the european counterpart to METALLICA, nothing less, and ranked them above every other band within his label beause Helloween were his favourite of them all and the most technically proficient in his opinion (he came from a punk background and he missed melody, deeming the band's capability to come up with worthy melodies as something essential back in the day). To top it all off, Walterbach's (not the easiest person to get along with and someone with a clear vision of how things should be, about whom not everyone he worked and dealt with has the best of opinions) relationship with Hansen was ideal. Hansen himself, and the band by extension (despite the usual tensions when it came to steer the Helloween ship, because Walterbach was hell-bent on making sure the band's career would be on the right path), were really grateful for the chance they had been given by Walterbach, admitting that all they wanted was listening to their own music on record and, given they had no idea of the business side of things, they could trust Schnoor on the contractual affairs.

Things went south when, a few years later, the wildest of successes came along, and with it, bigger expectations, pressure and internal fighting, because the band crumbled and was on the brink of taking Noise with it in its fall, just when the both of them were peaking. Because of all this, and even if this is part of something bigger and another story which shall be told another time, quoting MICHAEL ENDE on THE NEVERENDING STORY (literary license about the novel from 1979, written by this also german author, which I pull out of the hat because I'm on fire and that is one of my favourite novels we're talking about), Helloween were responsible for Noise's success by the end of the eighties, but also for its recession during the nineties.

That guy called Karl-Ulrich 
Walterbach

Back to Schnoor, this guy was the alpha and the omega of the band during those early days: a big brother of sorts, responsible for sending demos to the press, arranging gigs, driving the bus and, more importantly, managing to provide the guys with some monthly income. He even was president of their fan club (apparently there was already one). He remembers Helloween as a funny bunch with some serious childish charm, who sometimes crossed the line with their cheeky behaviour, with not very pleasant results.

Limb Schnoor

And come Spring, 1985, and the release of the debut EP of the band, named, in an unprecedented display of originality, after the band themselves. It was recorded during the first two months of the year at MUSIC LAB studios, in Berlin, relying on HARRIS JOHNS himself, whom, as far as I know, was King Midas when it came to metal music productions (mostly extreme metal), with credits on several albums by Tankard, Voivod or PESTILENCE. We're talking about metal royalty here, and of the highest order.

Harris Johns

Before analysing the contents of this EP, there is a very unpopular opinion of mine (and who cares?) I'd like to share: this is, in my humble opinion, the most perfect single release in all the germans catalogue. As simple as that. Their first de facto release as a band turns out to be the best of them all, in a career which is close to complete its fourth decade. That is quite something, ain't it? My opinion has its nuances, of course, because there are plenty of times in which I'd rather listen to their two most popular albums instead, both brimming with amazing songs which, in some cases, I consider even better than those on this EP. After all, their long career results in them having many releases and tons of belters in every single era of the band (let's make one thing clear up front, although it's not big deal, and that is that I haven't barely listened to anything from them during the time between 1999 and 2016, for several reasons which are of zero importance), but one thing's certain: this EP is comprised of only five songs, but those songs are really close to perfection, something which makes my final score higher than that of some of their other best-regarded albums, which are awesome as well, but, given they do have more songs, they rank a little bit lower because not all those songs average the same kind of quality. This is not rocket science. On the other hand, the more extreme brand of furious and speedy metal music played by Helloween during these formative years is closer than the music they would release later on, to the stuff I enjoy the most, and that also counts. And let's not fool ourselves, for it seems I'm not the only one who thinks this way, because on the aforementioned referential web, Metal Archives, only three of their records in all their career outdo this EP's enormous score. And none of them are those you're thinking of.

In fact, two of them are from their current era, something which I deem weird but remarkable at the same time, for it seems people haven't remained stuck in the most glorious past of the band, and this also says a lot about Helloween and their career. As the umpteenth remark (and many more to follow) I must admit having listened unexpectedly a few months ago to one of the, more or less, current song of the band, called PAINT A NEW WORLD, from GAMBLING WITH THE DEVIL (2007), and is a scorcher. I have to pay more attention to all the albums I've missed these years, mostly because BETTER THAN RAW (1998) is an album I disliked when it was released and which I don't quite get today yet, and after that they kinda lost me, because their next studio effort (leaving their album of other artists covers from 1999, called METAL JUKEBOX), THE DARK RIDE, from 2000, did not do anything to win me back. Oddly enough, the first two mentioned albums are two out of three of the albums which score higher than the HELLOWEEN EP, and the third one, The Dark Ride, having the same amount of reviews (fourteen) as the EP, comes really close to its score (let's not have the reader in the dark about this, that score is an average of 8'9, nothing less). Crazy, isn't it?

It's only fair to point out that the consistency of Helloween's scores on this web is top notch, having their lowest ranked album of them all a solid 6'3 (if we leave aside that kick in the balls that UNARMED, from 2009, was, and taking into account it was only a collection of older songs re-recorded and rearranged in a dreadful way).

This thing about the scores need some explaining as well, for not only is about the final score, but also about how many people have reviewed an album. But let's say both determinants are really high when it comes to the debut EP we're talking about. I've said before and I'll say it again: fourteen reviews to this day with a final score of 8'9.

The cover, by the late artist UWE KARCZEWSKI, already shows the band's legendary logo, in green this time, and a pumpkin being smashed from the inside by the then band's mascot, called FANGFACE (the usual friendly and amusing facade of the band, very much against the conventions of the metal scene during those days, hides something much more menacing).

Helloween

The song-writing skills of the team formed by Hansen and Weikath (they share the bookending songs, while Hansen pens the other three) explode here in a perfect speed metal storm which, as much as is anchored in obvious references such as Accept, IRON MAIDEN or JUDAS PRIEST, is taken beyond in terms of speed and aggression, thanks to the band's flirting with the thrash metal of those early years (let's use as a reference that merciless cannon shot which Accept's FAST AS A SHARK, from their 1982 album, RESTLESS & WILD, was), but keeping in mind those melodies that will make the band so recognizable later on. Hansen's vocals, as stated before, are different than what they would become, but is difficult (I'll elaborate on this word later on) to imagine a much better outcome with another singer, and they lend their unmistakable charm to the final product. Hansen is told to having had a really difficult time recording his voice, being high on meds because of the flu (something which I think would happen once again with the first proper album), willing to give his best but fearful of not being able to. Be that as it may, it worked just fine.

Watch out. Beware

The slow awakening after what it seems to be a long night of partying hard, together with the dial of a radio changing its stations, leads to the famous intro Happy, happy Halloween, taken from the HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH (TOMMY LEE WALLACE, 1982) movie, ending with Hansen's screaming and the beginning of the barbarity. Helloween have arrived, they do not mean well at all and they're going to prove it on STARLIGHT, which finally begins with the amazing riff starting right at the 1'35'' mark. I'm perfectly aware of the fact that when this came out I was too young and I did not begin listening to it until several years later, but who cares? Memories overflowing and nostalgia galore (this applies to all the music talked about in this entry) of good times with friends and the very much missed trading of used and abused tapes. The four kids launch themselves in a relentless race which, notwithstanding, makes perfectly clear the more melodic leanings of the band that would become one of their trademarks in the near future, mostly in the bridge before the chorus (and also in some parts of the guitar solo which are shared by both guitarrists playing in unison), which (said chorus) goes back to brute force territory with another display of heaviness and speed. Immortal. They could hardly have chosen a better calling card than this song about doing drugs and its dangers

You swallow your pill, you wanna feel free, a trip to a world made of games.

One by one (one guitar, another, bass guitar and drums), every instrument shows up in MURDERER's fast beginning, a song which, as expected, follows the frenzied and menacing trend of the previous one, but perhaps with less room for melody, barring those usual dual guitars prior to the solo, before which there is that amazing section in which Hansen recites a string of warnings over a relentless speed metal barrage. After the solo, the song goes back to its first verse and the refrain, to finish telling the story of one guy who, inadvertenly, becomes a murderer and an outlaw, and also the target of a hunting.

Wherever you are there's a killer behind you, wanting to get you for sure.

A machine gun firing and a blast precede the gallop which WARRIOR starts with, sacrificing some of the outright usual velocity for said gallop, in the vein of a beefed up Maiden, and a bleak atmosphere. I love the exchange of guitar solos, always hovering over the rhytm guitar and avoiding the dual attack this time, something which is welcome, in my opinion. Hansen shatters his voice at the end of a song which turns out to be the shortest one and as essential as the previous two. The subject at hand? War, as something in which most lose their lives and a few pull the strings.

Brainless cruel commanders, sending death and pain. Soldiers only robots, fight for their lives in vain.

Kai Hansen, playing the fool

As much as I consider the first four songs of this EP potential and almost sure owners of a spot in the top 10 of all time Helloween songs, this fourth one has to make it onto the top 5, without a doubt. VICTIM OF FATE is not only a perfect recap of everything the band was capable to do at the time, but also one of their most popular early songs. The opening lightning gives way to a story of violence and rejection whose lyrics are a close relative to those of Murderer and in which the fast double attack of Hansen and Weikath leads to even faster sections and the everlasting refrain (fly high, touch the sky). To top it all off, Victim Of Fate introduces a slow and enigmatic section halfway into the song (between the second and fourth munutes, give or take) in which Hansen's whispering is followed by a macabre burst of laughter (courtesy of Harris Johns, apparently) and that wonderful musical climax (a word as good as any to define it) which takes place at the 3'36'' mark. Back to the dual melodies and the speed before the final mayhem close to the fifth minute. Worthy of note is the punishment inflicted by Ingo to his drum kit, claiming the spotlight for himself. The production values, despite raw and a tad outdated, leaves breathing room for every instrument and the bass guitar and both bass drums are perfectly audible during the instrumental section. Legendary stuff.

Headhunters won't get me 'cause I'm not stupid, but this ain't the life I dreamt of.

Before talking about the fifth and final song, I think is worthy to make a stop to delve deeper into what I meant before when I said it was going to be difficult to get a better outcome with a singer who wasn't Hansen. Helloween would soon become a five-piece (the reasons why and the moment to be explained later on), hiring a full-time singer. The chosen one was a kid, also hailing from Hamburg, called MICHAEL KISKE, who as young as seventeen years old was already showing his stratospheric vocal skills in a local band by the name of ILL PROPHECY, and whom I have avoided to mention until now because his tenure with the band during the years in which they released both KEEPER OF THE SEVEN KEYS installments (albums I hadn't mentioned yet either for the same reasons) virtually dwarfes and makes almost invisible any other era of the band, no matter how long is been and how many musicians and albums have seen the light of day before or since, something that puzzles Kiske himself, because he also was one of those who spearheaded the most calamitous era of the band.

To make a long story short, they welcomed the kid re-recording Starlight in 1987 (and also as a way to prepare the whole metal world to what was coming), and they included the new version on the FUTURE WORLD single, from that very same year. And as much as I consider this version inferior (musically speaking) to the original one, good old Hansen cannot stand a chance as a singer against the prodigious new signing (not that he tried to either, let's be fair). And not only that, also in 1987, they did the same with Victim Of Fate (this new version to be included on one of the editions of the DR. STEIN single in 1988) and they really hit bull's eye here (always in my opinion) outdoing the original version with a very similar one (small differences here and there though, because the opening lightning was missing and Kiske does not whisper during the slow middle section, but seems to converse) which happens to have Kiske on vocals and is also longer, and I'll explain this: the final mayhem I mentioned before, happening right before the fifth minute of the original song, here takes place like thirty seconds later, and before the final soloing and all that, features around ten seconds of a display of power and brute force, by way of an uncompromising rhytmh guitar playing, with no solos whatsoever. The very own riff which is featured on both songs, underneath the guitar solos, but without those solos. In all its powerful glory.

Therefore, THIS second version of Victim Of Fate is the one which I include in my all time top 5 of their songs. In fact, I wouldn't mind at all, depending on the day, saying it is my favourite Helloween song ever.

Weiki

And last, but not least, CRY FOR FREEDOM, the song I like the least off this record but which also happens to be another monster of a track, with its slow acoustic beginning, as if mimicking a lament, and the rest of the instruments joining until it becomes something more akin to what the band has showed so far, but only a tad less aggressive. It also features some majestic backing vocals, which may be the most recognizable thing about the song and that reminds me of epic stuff in the vein of maybe MANOWAR, but which I don't quite enjoy very much and I deem more typical of the time and the young age of the musicians, at least in this case. The best thing is the spacious instrumental middle section, with guitar solos happening during one minute and a half, before the song finishes pretty much like it began. Great song anyway, about slavery, dethroning the tyrants and punishing them.

Takin' away all your gold and your money, 'cause dead men don't need it anymore.

HELLOWEEN EP

STARLIGHT / MICHAEL KISKE

VICTIM OF FATE / MICHAEL KISKE

Also in April, 1985, another Noise split compilation was released, and it was called METAL ATTACK VOL. I, counting with the band again (along with Running Wild, once again as well, CELTIC FROST, GRAVE DIGGER and more), and this time with a remixed version of Murderer. And given the EP did very well, Walterbach booked some more studio time (in September), at Music Lab again and also with Harris Johns behind the boards, for the band to record what would become their first proper album, the very notorious WALLS OF JERICHO, which I have also avoided mentioning until now and which is (as I think the reader is picturing right now) the missing studio album which improves the score of the debut EP on Metal Archives. An average score of 9'3 after the significant amount of twenty reviews. That is huge. Funny enough (or maybe not), this album does not grab my attention as much as others, although I love it, obviously, and I consider it a tresure of its time. There's no single song on it which I don't like, and I like them all a lot, as expected, but I do not find it as balanced and well-rounded as the previous EP (the best songs are much better than those that are not as good) and the least remarkable songs are not on the same enormous level as that of the songs on the EP.

Metal Attack

The front cover, also courtesy of Uwe Karczewski (who shares credits with one EDDA he shares the same surname with) is based on an idea of Weikath himself, and shows Fangface demolishing the walls the album's title talk about (it is told that this city in Palestine is one of the world's oldest inhabited cities and the one which festures the oldest protecting walls, being a usual setting in the Bible).

Walls Of Jericho

Harris Johns states the recording process was very smooth, because the band had a very good momentum in that regard, was more experienced and the guys had learnt a few lessons, being, once again, Hansen's voice the sole problem. Kai had a hard time nailing his highest pitched notes and this also gave him a few headaches, due to his piercing way of singing. Hansen, on the other hand, has very fond memories of the recording and the great guy Johns was, someone very balanced according to Kai's words, who, despite not being prone to gratuitous enthusiasm, was capable of pulling very good sonic ideas out of his sleeve, very much to the band's liking.

The songwriting duties (again by both axemen) are more balanced this time between the two of them, and both seem to challenge each other to find out who writes something a little bit better. The music follows the same speedy path and a take no prisoners attitude, without leaving melody aside. We also have a first glimpse of Helloween's sense of humour, which even made the worthy of the Happy metal tag (I know, who comes up with those things?).

Let's see what's in here:

The first pressing (and maybe some others) had nine songs, which became eight when the titular intro, WALLS OF JERICHO, merged with the album's first proper song, RIDE THE SKY. I rather have it this second way, because the intro only serves to set the listener in the proper mood and is something you wouldn't listen to on its own unless you proceed to listen to the whole album from the beginning. It is only like fifty seconds of biblical trumpets (to name them somehow) which herald the storm is coming, in the form of the famous Happy, happy Halloween from the already mentioned movie. This tune is rooted in the nursery rhyme known as LONDON BRIDGE IS FALLING DOWN. The good thing is that it doesn't last long and it flows into the thrash metal assault which Ride The Sky is, probably the most famous song of this era. Helloween are angry and have never been as extreme as in the opening riff, one of the pivotal points of the album, courtesy of Kai Hansen. Similar to Starlight, the usual Helloween hook melody shows up before the refrain (when Hansen sings set me free and send me a sign), with Grosskopf's bass bouncing in a very striking manner, and said refrain is again another display of power, with Kai punishing his throat. The instrumental section is long and has it all, with solos, shared parts and more speed/thrash riffing, and also with that epic background shown on Cry For Freedom, a song it shares the subject with, because both lyrics are similar. As far as I'm concerned, and making clear that this song is a must listen no matter what, this is a song I include in that bunch of songs so ubiquitous that nowadays I prefer to have my fix of it not very often, and specifically, that mentioned part prior to the refrain (send me a sign, wanna leave it all behind) has grown a little bit tiring on me. Hansen's over the top high-pitched vocals don't do it for me very much either, but these are just minor misses which take up much less room than all the song's unquestionable hits.

Shackled and chained, almost going insane, it's better to live on the run.

The sadly missed Ingo

Unlike the previous song, REPTILE's intro feels much friendlier, with those first seconds which seem to hint what the band would become on Keeper II for instance and during which Ingo also takes advantage to show what hell of a drummer he was, with that exceptional footwork. But it soons changes to something more menacing and grave, and this song, even if it's not by any means slow, leaves the breakneck speed aside to enable the boys to create one of those raise-your-fist refrains, and both guitarrists to weave a slightly different instrumental section in which the two of them show their bag of tricks while interchanging the solos. Concerning the bass guitar, I said it before but I'll say it again to make this statement fitting to the whole record, because is enormous and very alive in the mix, sometimes at the same level of the rhythm guitars. Helloween were already proficient with their instruments, as Walterbach had noted.

The song is about a reptile which has society defenseless, atlhough this has to be, obviously, a metaphor. Lyrics have never been my forte and they usually are, a priori, what grabs my attention the least. I love those (as I've said some other time) which are about literature or history, and show the artist will and ability to go beyond, but, as long as they are not completely pointless or offensive somehow, they are just fine with me.

The scientists got no way to fight, for they can't find any weak point to get rid of it right.

GUARDIANS (another Weikath tune, as the previous one) opens with one of those hurried riffs (and that bass!) I mentioned before, and Helloween go back to speed metal territory, but this time pulling out of their hats one of those epic refrains which have the tag power metal stamped all over it, only that tag did not exist yet. The song is much more than that because of its variety and because the instrumental part does not repeat the usual patterns. Everything goes back to the refrain, even supported later in the song by some backing vocals which are not very much of my liking but they don't detract from the overall outcome, given their shortness, the rest of the song and, why not, the time in which it was written.

Social critique this time, because the song deals with a supposedly perfect society, monitored by the guardians, but, as expected, alienated and ignorant of any other way of living.

Guardians of our lives, protect security, they turn the key and they step in, controlling you and me.

PHANTOMS OF DEATH closes A side on the original vinyl with a main riff which is kinda the anomaly of the album, in my opinion, for it doesn't sound like anything the band had done so far (this song is Hansen's), and there are also some keyboards which go with Kai's voice until the song speeds up before the refrain, and this is when the song gets much better. The refrain itself goes back to raise-your-fist territory. This song is quite long and the middle section does not repeat what was heard during the sung parts, and you can even notice the neoclassical tendencies of the axemen during the solos. Come minute fifth and everything stops, only for that peculiar main riff to start again (it even reminds me sometimes of the late EDDIE VAN HALEN, although I don't know if this comparison is very accurate).

More chanting of rebellion, defeating evil, freedom and so on, subjects all of them which Kai would go back to endlessly during his whole career, long past his Helloween days.

Infernal destruction, in fire you'll burn, then you'll be helpless but it's not too late.

I said I would not say anything else about Markus and his terrific bass sound, but I can't help myself, because he's all over the place on METAL INVADERS (watch out, STEVE HARRIS, you've got yourself some serious competition here), another Hansen penned song on which the guitarrist also channels his inner ROB HALFORD and KIM PETERSEN, to try singing falsetto during the bridge prior to the refrain, which, on the other hand, is another one tailor-made to sing along to during the shows. Tons of speed this time with Ingo hammering his double-bass drumming, as it has to be.

Lyrics? Sci-Fi and apocalypse, thanks to some warriors who, sword in hand, come from above to who knows what. I guess the song means swords and nothing else when it says these people have sworn to bring metal to us.

Metal invaders, the gods on their ride. Sworn to bring metal, mayhem tonight.

Markus

A tad slower is GORGAR, a song shared by Weikath and Hansen about the dangers of gambling, on which some monster speaks from a pinball machine named after the song (or the other way around, to be precise), to convince you to keep on losing your money on it. The machine does exist, actually, or it did, for it is from 1979, and you just have to google it. After its imposing beginning, the song has a very cool change of gears, right before Kai's vocals kick in. Helloween don't lose the reins of the music this time, speed-wise, and the refrain is another very good one for the concerts, but a little bit childish, in my opinion. Before the guitar solos there is a funny teasing section with twin guitars, which would find its place in the near future as an intro to Future World, even during Gamma Ray's career, as can be listened on the live album ALIVE '95 (1996).

A pinball speaks to you, his metal voice is knockin' in your head.

Both Hansen and Weikath share songwriting credits again on HEAVY METAL (IS THE LAW), a tune about heavy metal brotherhood which, as its name says, talks about the chosen musical genre as a way (and a mean) of life. After some prerecorded live noise (as if in a concert) Ingo destroys his kit and the song leaves nothing in its wake. The main riff is kinda similar to Ride The Sky's and both songs are alike in terms of intensity, although this one is shorter and also features the quintesential raise-your-fist-in-the-air chorus. The music (but not Ingo) has a brief break after the solo, with some dual melodies which lead to that part in which the fake audience repeats Hansi's singing and Markus takes the spotlight once again, in the absence of guitars. One of the album's best known songs. Essential.

Weikath, a somehow peculiar guy, and one very much removed in many senses from what is expected from a musician of his features, tells how he took the first idea for the song from a drunken fan he met in Hamburg and who berated him because of his looks, saying he wasn't fit in with the metal scene.

If you don't feel it you won't understand.

The album ends on the highest of notes with that scorcher that HOW MANY TEARS? is, the longest and best song off the record and, to yours truly, a consistent staple in Helloween's top 5, being one of the band's best and most enduring songs. It was brought to the fold by Weikath from his tenure with Power Fool (named SEA OF FEARS back then), and he added it to the repertoire of those pre-Helloween Iron Fist.

It starts similar to Murderer (only with the bass guitar and the drums joining at once), besides following the ultra speedy speed/thrash direction of the band's music during these years, but their more melodic leanings (those which separated them somehow from the thrash metal tag, and which ended up separating them even further) show up in the bridge before the refrain. Concerning that refrain, it should have a single chapter for itself, because it is, once again, golden stuff, all speed, emotion and fury. The usual varied Helloween instrumental middle section leads the proceedings to the 3'30'' mark, when the song enters a new dimension, equally glorious and which goes beyond any tag or musical style: as it happened on Victim's Of Fate and its middle part, but more melancholic and less sinister this time, another instrumental section of around seventy five seconds of running time begins, forging its way between clean and distorted guitars, to achieve what is very likely to be the most special moment of the whole album. The final guitar line, both wild and clean, is poetry. And that's when the calm ends for the song to go back to business, with Ingo battering his instrument. But still you have a couple of minutes more to listen to the refrain a second and final time, and for the grand finale, with all four musicians slaying their isntruments as if they were not to use them any longer. The lyrics are also remarkable, being a plea in support of human rights and against hatred and the misery of war.

How Many Tears? by the way, got to experience (and I'm aware this new remark does not belong in the era this story is delimited, but I do not care) an even bigger surge of popularity thanks to the outstanding live version, with Kiske already on vocals, that would be included a few years later on the already mentioned live album from 1989, Live In The UK. Said album is the only official live recording of Helloween's best known line-up (that one from 1987 and 1988, give or take) and nowadays seem to have a bigger impact because this album is, not only difficult to find, but it clearly is unable to meet the enormous demand of live stuff from that era (only seven songs). How Many Tears? is also the album's only nod to the pre-Kiske years (the ones mostly reviewed here), because, as much as the band went on playing some of these songs while touring with the first Keeper, during 1987, if the set lists of the shows from 1988 (with Keeper II already) are to be trusted, they shortened them to just this one, which is somtehing I don't understand. But it is what it is.

How many tears flow away, to become a sea of fears? How many hearts are torn apart, till another torment starts?

WALLS OF JERICHO / RIDE THE SKY

HEAVY METAL (IS THE LAW)

HOW MANY TEARS?

HOW MANY TEARS? / LIVE - MICHAEL KISKE

The album was wholeheartedly loved by the critics, and magazines agreed when saying that Walls Of Jericho was a turning point for german metal. Even UK's KERRANG!, so far oblivious to or harsh in excess with all the Noise releases, had to go with the flow, and famed journalist MALCOM DOME remarked the thrash side of their sound and the fact that, out of all those bands on the Death Metal compilation, Helloween were the only ones he got interested in at first, even attending one of their shows in London.

No comments

Helloween went back to the studio soon after to, already in 1986, release their first single, JUDAS, which turned out to be their laste release of this short era and also their last with Hansen on vocals, bridging these years and the impending stardom with the prodigious Kiske. There's something I do not know, which is that, given what little time went by between Walls Of Jericho and the first Keeper album (1987), and that this single was released in the year in between, I'm not sure if they already had in mind hiring a full-time singer when this single was released or not, although I'm afraid they did, because of what I'm about to tell, and I also suppose this scarce new material was recorded during off days while touring with Walls Of Jericho, which is when all the problems experienced by Hansen and his double task of singing and playing became evident.

Be that as it may, I'll review the single first and I'll carry on telling the story afterwards.

The cover, with that enormous yellow pumpkin to which a little flag with the name of the band is pinned, was another creation of the already known Karczewski tandem, but it was Harris Johns the one to be absent this time around and I don't really know if it was the band itself or one JAN NEMEC (most likely) who produced the single, because that person, Nemec, is shown on Metal Archives as the engineer. Everything decamped from Berlin to Hamburg and the single was recorded at HORUS studios during July.

Judas

Said single was comprised of only three songs, and two of them were two allegedly live versions of Ride The Sky and Guardians, both recorded in Gelsenkirchen on the seventh of June, 1986. Allegedly, because they're not such thing, for they are just the original versions, but with crowd noise as if in a live environment, placed before and after the tracks. Somebody tell me what's the point of such foolishness. To add insult to injury, on Ride The Sky this goes even further, for the track begins with what listens like a real live version of Starlight, but right when Kai is supposed to start singing, is Ride The Sky itself what begins, but, as explained, its studio version, being easy to tell the live part from the studio one. Preposterous.

This leaves us with the sole subject of interest on the record, which is JUDAS itself, one hell of a song which is perfectly capable to stand out on its own, because this Hansen-penned tune is even better than most songs on Walls Of Jericho. A tall order, I know, but it really is that good. Another contender for a spot in the band's top 5 ever? It's difficult, for two of the spots have already been given and on the two next Helloween albums there are at least another five contenders, but it may very well be in said top 5, depending on the day. Top 10 to say the least, no doubt.

The machine-gun-like beginning and the non-stop double bass drumming, let us know nothing has changed within Helloween's headquarters, when it comes to the music, for this is another speedy number very much in the vein of the band's most aggressive songs. Hansen's vocal line is replicated by the guitars, while the rest of the song is mostly a frenzied run which aims at politics (or politicians) and the powers that be. And of course there is no shortage of Grosskopf's lively bass guitar lines and the usual instrumental middle section. One of the most remarkable songs among the fifteen that have been talked about and a more than fitting icing on the cake to the studio work of the band during these years.

Judas, rulin' with an iron hand. Judas, sittin' in the government. Judas, I'm not a Jesus Christ. Judas, you will be the one who's crucified.

JUDAS

LIVE IN EINDHOVEN / 1986

Future editions of Walls Of Jericho would include the first EP and the song Judas, until the most recent ones, since a few years ago, which contain all the music so far reviewed (and when I say all the music I mean everything) plus one track called SURPRISE TRACK (just a little playing around in the studio which was already included on the picture disc version of the debut EP), in a double disc edition. Comfy, ain't it?

Back to the band's routine, when they were touring in support of Walls Of Jericho, it became obvious that Hansen's voice wasn't going to be something the band could rely on. To his growing disinterest to his singing duties (also bearing in mind he had to play the fast and tricky guitar parts of Helloween's repertoire at the same time) added having to cancel a few dates (his voice just wasn't there) because of all this, and all the nuisances that involved. That's why the band agreed on Kai devoting himself only to the guitar, and Helloween would find a replacement on vocals, someone akin to the singing styles of Halford, BRUCE DICKINSON or GEOFF TATE.

Following that line of work, the band carried on narrowing the search and the contest ended up being a matter of three contenders. The first one, an american singer whose name is unknown and who had to be sent bacj home because he only seemed to be interested in gambling, and because of serious cultural differences (it is told the guy stayed at Kai's for some time and he was surprised because german homes in the eighties had a microwave oven, running water and all those things). RALF SCHEEPERS, singer in Stuttgart's TYRAN' PACE, was the second one, but he refused to go on with this (later on he found fame when he crossed paths again with Hansen to become Gamma Ray's first singer, and in the second half of the nineties, when he founded PRIMAL FEAR).

Ralf Scheepers, recently, with Primal Fear

Gamma Ray with Scheepers (second from the right), during
the early nineties. Uli Kusch (first from the right),
the drummer, would end up playing in Helloween

So the time was ripe for Michael Kiske, who, as already explained, came from Ill Prophecy and turned eighteen in 1986. I'm not sure about the exact time when the singer was approached by the band, because it's said that Helloween tested the waters with Kiske when he was sixteen and that was a task assigned to Markus, who gave him a copy of Walls Of Jericho, for the singer to know what they were all about. So far, so good. I've even seen statements made by the singer himself saying that he was seventeen when he joined the band. But bearing in mind that the album was released in November, 1985, that Kai's singing problems began in 1986, while touring, and the fact that Kiske was born in January, 1968, when that first encounter took place Kiske was very likely to having come of age already. Nothing serious, anyway.

The only problem was that Kiske wasn't a fan of speed metal and he wasn't sold on the album either. He was into Maiden, Priest or QUEENSRYCHE, and given the band's sound was too unchanging for his taste, he did not call Markus back. It was Weikath who contacted him once again to, very carefully, tempt him saying that Helloween were writing stuff with him in mind (early blueprints for Future World and HALLOWEEN). Soon afterwards, Kiske found himself rehearsing and singing with them and overall he was pleased. He stated that the new songs were different from that on the previous album and that even the fast stuff sounded great. So, welcome to Helloween, Michael.

Weikath partially denied that they were writing solely with Kiske in mind, saying the new songs were just a natural progression of something more extreme. No experimenting whatsoever. Hansen, on his part, wasn't too sure about the newcomer, whose vocal range found too high-pitched and, apparently, listening to him singing Ride The Sky or Victim Of Fate did not help him to stop being doubtful either. Everything would be ok though, once the kid began singing the new stuff, and he began to take some inspiration from him, to write songs with more melodic lines.

The young and somehow naive Kiske became Helloween's singer, and thus giving way to the most famous and succesful era of the band, but he was also caught between the crossfire of the shared leadership between Hansen and Weikath and the pivotal role as musicians of Ingo and Markus. Kiske soon found his rhythm though, and formed his own opinion about the other guys as well. Walterbach was more than happy with the idea of Kiske joining Helloween, considering him the missing link within the band. What they needed. The entrepeneur was also happy with Kai being relieved by him not having to sing any longer, and because he was handing over the baton to such amazing talent.

With the new singer already a part of the band, Helloween chose to aim high with a double album, something that was uncharted territory when it comes to the eighties and heavy metal music. Helloween were more than capable of writing what was needed to release something like that, because the songwriting team of Weikath and Hansen was joined by Kiske, who also brought with him three songs from his former band (two of them, A LITTLE TIME and YOU ALWAYS WALK ALONE, would end up making it onto the albums), but in November, 1986 (when they entered Horus studios again) they were short of material and there also was Walterbach, who was bent on being involved in the decision-making process of the recording, and he vetoed the double album thing with an idea in mind, for according to his reasoning, two separated albums would outsell a double one.

So, Helloween would release Keeper Of The Seven Keys I (perhaps a darker and gloomier effort, overall) in April, 1987, and its merrier and more optimistic sequel the next year, but both records don't make a conceptual work, mistake which has gone hand in hand with both albums for a very long time, because there is no storyline conceived by the band. The two of them would signify a meaningful departure from their early years, not only because there is another singer, but also because  the speed metal of yore becomes the exception and not the rule, with the band favoring melody and a certain accessibility. Both Keeper albums would become the template according to which a myriad bands modelled and shaped their careers after, and metal's debt with them is priceless, although Kai Hansen himself rejects the power metal tag, preferring the simpler term heavy metal, because in his opinion, there are speed, double bass drumming and aggression (features all of them inherent to power metal), of course, but the power metal tag is also linked to cheesy subjects, something he does not like.

And the rest is history.

The future: a very young Michael Kiske

And I can't deny it would be nice to tell it, but the task would become endless and I'm pretty sure I'm missing tons of facts and details. That's why I'll write a short (maybe not that much) recap and I'll consider some of the most important things which took place after 1986, even if that means stretching the years this entry is supposed to deal with. Let's think of this as an extra, to come full circle.

RISE AND UNTIMELY FALL OF CLASSIC HELLOWEEN

As I said, success also brought added pressure and arguments, and it seems the first chink in the armor came when Walterbach, in his search for the best possible tunes, favored (according to him, unbeknownst of whose song was which) Hansen's ones (whose songs ended up dominating the first installment while Weikath's sole contribution was A TALE THAT WASN'T RIGHT) over Weikath's, who wasn't happy with the idea. Apparently, Hansen's were faster and catchier, while Weikath's were a remarkable departure from what was heard on Walls Of Jericho. Kai asked Weiki if they could work together but the latter refused, saying he was willing to do some solos if asked to, but apart from that he just wanted to be left alone. He admitted later on that that was really rude and unfair of him.

Weikath had his revenge on the next album, but difficulties persisted, because he had a nervous breakdown after going under the knife to have one testicle removed, leaving him in awful conditions to record. On the other hand, it was clear Hansen was Walterbach's favourite, allowing him a big chunk of decision-making (choice of songs included), which, together with the entrepeneur's weird sense of humor (if any), led the guitarrist to not bear his presence.

Walterbach himself got rid of  Harris Johns this time, keeping in mind someone with a better ear for melody to produce the album, and along came the team formed by TOMMY NEWTON (guitarrist in VICTORY) and danish engineery TOMMY HANSEN. One way or another, Hansen soon bonded with Newton (understanding between fellow guitar players, among other things), while Weiki and Michi (Kiske) did the same with Hansen (the danish one), according to whom that duality came naturally. As also natural was the jolly nature of the band, whose members did not refuse to smile on stage or in photos, separating themselves from the usual attitudes of the genre during those years. Lyrics-wise they were different too.

Tommy Newton

Tommy Hansen in 2022

The band was flying high, visiting the States for the first time (becoming the only Noise band with distribution over there, thanks to monster label RCA), touring with ARMORED SAINT and GRIM REAPER, on the HELL ON WHEELS tour, selling tickets galore. Helloween stopped touring in November, 1987, to have some rest, having sold a lot of records and being the critic's darling. They could not ask for more.

LIVE IN MINNEAPOLIS / 1987

But besides the aforementioned stuff, problems began piling up: Hansen had not only been very homesick being away from Hamburg, but he was also not very much excited about the sheer amount of work ahead (tours included) concerning the second Keeper album. He also spent the whole Christmas of 1987 in hospital due to something hepathic and he began to think if everything he was devoted to was worthy. He became doubtful about his future in the band as well, because he did not want to find himself  drained in the short term. And there was also the issue of renewing the band's contract with Noise, something which, as usual, was headed to a one-way direction (favoring the label, of course, despite the efforts from Schnoor's new signing for the management team, HARRIE SMITS, who shyly tried to talk the band into talking with some other labels, getting interest back only from Weikath, as expected), and because of which the band, in spite of its relentless work schedule, wasn't making enough money.

Walterbach began fearing, by the end of 1987, that a big record company tried to take Helloween, given their inmense success. SANCTUARY MANAGEMENT (pretty much synonymous with Iron Maiden) had set its eyes on the germans and, according to Weikath, aiming to stop the rocket that Helloween were back then, because that was what they always did (in his opinion) with every band which could make a name for themselves at the expense of Maiden's success. Something like if this is going the way is going, and after this they release another bomb and they get even bigger, what is going to happen with Maiden?

This subject led to Schnoor and Smits relationship going sour and eventually breaking it, because they disagreed completely on the path the band should follow concerning this. The latter championed Sanctuary and the former was supportive of the idea of choosing another german label, but a bigger one. Walterbach was fond of Schnoor, because he thought he was humble and he knew his limitations, but he also though of him as someone incapable of thinking big and looking at the bigger picture. Regarding Smits, he didn't even trust him, as neither trusted him the people at Sanctuary, who, in his opinion, embodied everything he despised about the music industry. Nonetheless, he advanced half a million marks for the production and promotion of Keeper II, by far the biggest amount he had devoted to one of his Noise bands.

Managerial difficulties got even worse, because the guys in the band did not what to do. But they took sides once again, anyway, with Kiske and Weiki favoring Smits and Sanctuary, and Hansen on Schnoor's side. Ingo and Markus were caught in the middle. The whole situation was taken advantage of by Sanctuary to sow discord: neither Schnoor, nor Smits.

The Newton-Hansen team reassumed the production duties, but the other duo of Kai and Weiki was broken, choosing to not working at the studio at the same time, which increased the overall tension during those three months the recording lasted. Arguing and more arguing, also between the two producers, because of the mixing, something Hansen and Weikath were in charge of at first (Newton had to take some off days) and which led to a widespread anger. This ended up with Newton being told by Hansen (the producer) to do it himself, and they never saw each other again, because Walterbach fired the dane. In spite of that, as already explained, Weiki and his ironic sense of humor were the major driving force behind the album this time around, with the guitarrist achieving his peak as songwriter with the legendary EAGLE FLY FREE, which opened every show of the subsequent tour. Hansen, on his part, contributed (among other things) the most popular song on the record, the famed I WANT OUT, whose purpose was to serve as an unspoken resignation letter regarding the rest of the band, having told Newton (his only confidant back then) during the recording that he wanted, in fact, out, because despite the success, he could not bear the pressure and working with Weiki and Kiske. Weikath did not stand Hansen either so he was more than happy to let him go.

In barely a year everything had gone south. Each of them has their own point of view and their own opinion, but truth is, the troubles concerning the management, the infighting because of their egos, the musical direction, etc, soured the relationship among the members of the band, something which Walterbach had already seen coming, seeing what things were like during the recording.

Keeper II was released by the end of August to a thundering success, also relying on Walterbach's pinpoint accuracy when promoting Dr. Stein as a single (the single format, I mean, for he did not like the song at all), a daring move which the band could afford due to Noise's good economic health at the moment and which was typical of the UK market, but not of the continental Europe one, let alone in metal. Thus, five different versions of said single were released, and Dr. Stein took Helloween to number 10 in Germany's singles charts (let's bear in mind that the best Metallica did singles-wise, outside the States, was their number 13 in the UK, with ONE). Helloween toured and they opened the famous english festival of CASTLE DONINGTON that year, besides opening for Maiden during their SEVENTH SON OF A SEVENTH SON tour, also in 1988, but things within the band were getting worse and Kai played live with them for the last time in Birmingham, England, on the 8th of November.

Iron Maiden, back in 1988

LIVE AT DONINGTON / 1988

Meanwhile, Smits and Sanctuary managed to dump Schnoor (taking advantage of his poor handling of the english language, so he could not be aware of many things that were going on, which is surreal, and also he was accused of stuff for which, Smits was to blame, according to him), setting their sights on taking Helloween out of Noise, and taking them to EMI, something which enraged Walterbach, who saw the manager as the only remaining link between the guys in the band and their early days. This left Walterbach with no one to trust within the band, now that Hansen was gone for good. Schnoor would have his revenge years later when he discovered soon to be very popular bands, such as ANGRA, from Brazil, and Italy's RHAPSODY.

Sanctuary was left in charge, seemingly at least, and entered the band ROLAND GRAPOW as the new axeman, also from Hamburg, who had been in a band called RAMPAGE. On the 3rd of June, 1989, in Tokyo, Helloween gave their last show in almost two years (reasons why in the next paragraph), but that leg of the tour was very succesful and Grapow proved himself as a more than fitting replacement on guitar, although the band forgot almost entirely their early songs when it came to play them live.

Roland Grapow

Weikath and Kiske were now in charge, and none of them wanted to stay with Noise, because they felt the label was not big enough for them at this stage. So the next move was to reach the next level, and in order to achieve that they needed a big company, being EMI the obvious choice. The relationship with Noise became really bitter and the band did not feel rewarded given its amount of success. Walterbach secured himself the best way he could, after Sanctuary and the band negotiated with EMI behind his back and sent a letter of contract's termination to Noise's headquarters in Berlin by the end of 1989 (something is not clear to me here, chronology-wise, because Live In The UK was released by EMI on the 6th of April, 1989). This led Noise to sue them and several endless lawsuits ensued (I don't feel like talking about them, and what's the point anyway?), striking a fatal blow for Helloween, because in January, 1991, the german authorities banned Helloween from playing live or doing promotional stuff, something which harmed the band's next record, PINK BUBBLES GO APE. Sanctuary and EMI tried to make amends with Walterbach, but he asked for a lot of money to let Helloween go, given their success and the even bigger expectations, and besides, the band owed Noise two albums (out of an original deal of five). All the situation killed the band's momentum on all fronts, let alone the huge amount of money wasted in several things, like changing the producer and so on, and the different musical direction. If all that wasn't enough, Kiske and Weiki began having more ego problems concerning said musical direction.

* I'd like to say (and this is why I used the word seemingly before) that I'm not sure about the extent of Sanctuary's relevance (given Helloween were under contract with Noise, prior to the lawsuits, etc) when making decisions, or whether there previous agreements with Noise concerning this or not, because, once again, Helloween were with Noise and these people should have been the ones behind all the decision-making. This, and what I've just said about the different dates provided by different sources regarding some stuff, is the weak spot of the story, because this is all I can reach. Apologies.

The album was released in March, 1991, and it sold nowhere near close as many copies as the previous albums. It wasn't well received by the critic either, taking what had come before it into account, although is an album I enjoy, to be honest, with many enjoyable moments and two or three gems (mostly the unforgettable SOMEONE'S CRYING). But the fans made perfectly clear their opinion about Helloween's new musical direction, and in 1991 the boys had lost the status they had enjoyed a couple of years ago, to Walterbach's solace, who would blame Smallwood for Helloween's demise. Also in 1991, the compilation called THE BEST, THE REST, THE RARE would see the light of day, being the last release of the band with Noise. Until then at least, because I don't know what contractual shenanigans there may be, given that a few years ago a few compilations of Noise bands were released (sold as The Best Of The Noise Years), and Helloween's spanned from the beginnings until 1998, with Better Than Raw. And I also think the reissues of all their albums, until said album from 1998, have the Noise stamp somehow.

Everything could be worse, and that was what happened with the release of CHAMELEON, which left the fans even more baffled (for the worse), with a set of songs, mostly Kiske's, even more confusing and divisive. At this point in time , any resemblance between the Helloween of old and the band which released Chameleon, was completely remote, not to say nonexistent. The album, still, has some redeeming moments, in my opinion, like the amazing GIANTS, about their relationship with Noise. I recall borrowing the tape from my friend GUSTAVO RODRÍGUEZ, at the beginning of that summer of 1993, and he told me about some friends of his, Helloween's diehards according to him, cursing when they realized what they had bought. The innocent 1993 me, a heavy metal rookie, enjoyed (still do) the mentioned Giants, the opening FIRST TIME or MUSIC, while at the same time found weird that the band responsible of something like How Many Tears?, for instance, could be almost the same bunch of people behind WINDMILL, just to name one. As expected, the album and tickets sales reached a new high in lows. Helloween were back then a boring band, bored of themselves as the boys were, which carried under its arms an album which was pretty much the same.

I find curious (and this is another completely personal opinion) how the subsequent reissues of these two albums, which included all the B sides off the singles, show that not only there is stuff which I enjoy (nothing which could play in the same league as the three first albums, that goes without saying), but which is also better in some cases (with Chameleon mostly) than the vast majority of the songs which finally made the cut, even if they are just easy listening and sometimes plain and simply enjoyable rock & roll. And it's also funny the fact that, in hindsight, I realize that on some of the latter-day albums I've listened to, with the current singer already, there are tunes which are completely mainstream, accesible, silly and to a certain extent, forgettable (a few, to be honest), inferior to the good stuff on Chameleon and entirely below par than anything on Pink Bubbles Go Ape (and to make matters worse, without the mighty Kiske to sing them), and which, had they seen the light of day in the early nineties, I think they would have been rejected. I'm talking about songs like I CAN, HEY LORD! or IF I COULD FLY. In fact, I dare say that something like ANYTHING MY MAMA DON'T LIKE could also go to the same category (the title itself says a lot about its nonsense) even if this one is much better than the others and Helloween have always been prone to, let's say, dopey songs (in the good sense), such as Dr. Stein or the wonderful RISE & FALL. However, none of the aforementioned songs have received any rejection, as far as I know. Furthermore, almost all of them are on albums like Better Than Raw or The Dark Ride, which are unanimously praised. In a nutshell, things I'm amazed by.

I don't know what was going on in someone like Grosskopf's mind during those difficult times, but it was Ingo who got hit the hardest by all this, being someone in whom the worst circumstances and determinants gathered. The drummer, a shy person who did not seem to be interested in much more apart from Helloween, began taking the worst of habits during that unexpected hiatus, something which made him turn into someone little reliable when it came to the music, and also into an untrusting person not willing to admit he had a problem or to let anybody help him. All this led to him not being capable of completing the Chameleon's tour, even collapsing during a show in Japan. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia and admitted into a hospital, which, together with his intake of drugs and alcohol rendered him unfit to play the drums with the band, hence he was fired from it by the end of the year. Later on, in March, 1995, unable to overcome his problems and addictions, he took his own life when he was a few months shy of turning thirty.

Too sad to think how all this could, and should, have been avoided with more talking and with less inside and outside bullshit, something Michael Kiske himself agrees on.

Ingo

Before Ingo's sad and untimely passing, Kiske would leave Helloween, who found themselves cancelling dates, drummer-less and label-less, because EMI terminated their contract because of the poor figures the two last albums had produced. This almost finished Helloween, but they mustered up their strength and came back early in 1994, recruiting singer ANDI DERIS and drummer ULI KUSCH, releasing the very consistent MASTER OF THE RINGS in June, and the rest is, once again, history: Deris is still in the fold, and so are Weiki and Markus, and they have released a lot of albums ever since, with several guitarrists and drummers coming and going, but overall with a very good health; Kiske has released some solo albums, has stepped down from heavy metal, has come back to it contributing to some projects, and he even joined Hansen in UNISONIC, something which was like a dream come true for many, because of seeing the two of them back together. Hansen became very succesful with Gamma Ray too, with tons of albums, and Grapow formed MASTERPLAN together with Kusch. But everything pales in comparison when compared to the ultimate reunion of Helloween, many years later and as a seven-piece, which took place in 2017, with Hansen and Kiske back in band, plus the five current members of it. A triumphant tour ensued and it has been followed by the release of their last album, simply titled like the band, in 2021, also to critical acclaim. Life is wonderful again, with them flying high, touring and recording with, aparently, no infighting, and sharing what seems to be, long after the problems of yesteryear, a true friendship (or that is at least what it looks like, for you never know), and, last but not least, paying homage to Ingo in every show.

What could have been of the band had they overcome their problems back in the day and had Hansen stayed, we'll never know, but truth is that, no matter what, nowadays their impact on both european and global metal is enormous and undeniable.

Andi Deris

Uli Kusch

HELLOWEEN AND I

1º

My first contact with Helloween was in Autumn, 1992, when a friend of mine from school (IGNACIO VARELA, most likely, or maybe the aforementioned Gustavo) lent me the compilation The Best, The Rest, The Rare (which I have already talked about before), on cassette (an original one). I, back then an aspiring metalhead with everything to discover, had spent the rest of the year poking my nose in the heavy metal world, and I knew there was a band called Helloween, but I had never listened to them before. I remember being pleasantly surprised when I Want Out opened the first side. More of the same with Dr. Stein and Future World. Heavy, aye, but accesible. And after that along came Judas and the trumpets which announced Ride The Sky and it took me longer to come to terms with the sonic mayhem they meant, not very much used as I was, to anything heavier than hard rock. Anecdote aside, I have to praise said compilation, not only because I believe it has to be out of print nowadays and it has to be difficult to lay hands on, but also because is far from being your run of the mill compilation, and for all the good reasons. Great value for money here, because you have the hits (I know, Eagle Fly Free, How Many Tears? or I'm Alive are missing, but there are only twelve songs, or thirteen if we count Walls Of Jericho, being separated as it was from Ride The Sky), each Keeper album long song (Which I find awesome), and above all, you have Judas and every B side from the singles of both Keeper albums (but Starlight's second version), each of them better than the previous one (unmissable SAVAGE, LIVIN' AIN'T NO CRIME or SAVE US) and not easy to find back then, I presume.

Seventy seven minutes of unforgettable music in total, and a myriad of memories

2º

I've seen Helloween live three times.

The first one, on the 17th of December, 1994, with the then new singer Deris and touring to present Master Of The Rings in Melgar De Fernamental, Burgos, was my first heavy metal show. I was a little bit scared at first, beacuse the opening SOLE SURVIVOR, was followed by Ride The Sky, and the place went nuts, with people crowdsurfing over my head and I losing mt friends for good. And everything because I wanted to be on front row, which I also lost, to eventually see the rest of the show on my own and further away (which I did not mind at all), and go back home amazed and with good old Markus' autograph.

The second one was in 1998 (23rd of May), in Valladolid (Plaza De Toros de Laguna De Duero, if memory serves). Helloween opened for Iron Maiden, who were presenting their controversial VIRTUAL XI, from their short tenure with BLAZE BAILEY, and I remember a short set, not very good in terms of sound, and from far away, in the stands. It is my worst memory because apart from that, they had just released Better Than Raw, which, as I've said, is not my cup of tea. I'd also like to say, in passing, that I think Andi Deris is a great guy. And I mean it. I think he's a funny and likeable guy and I'm fond of him, because he also may be the main reason why Helloween are still alive. But he's not my kind of singer. Not that I dislike him either, but that's it. And as much as I don't mind listening to him singing their own songs, Hansen's or Kiske's are another matter. I remember having that feeling on that very day.

And the last one has been just a few years ago, on the 9th of December, 2017, at the Wizink Center in Madrid, during their reunion with Kiske and Hansen tour, surrounded by friends and in an almost crowded arena, with both musicians back with the band and with a very long set list, fit for the fans of every era of the band. A day to remember.

3º

I was going to elaborate a top 10 of the band's songs, but that's almost impossible, and that's why I'll do something similar, with songs which have to make it there, no matter what, and with a few others (fifteen in total) which are amazing and which would go in or out of said top depending on the days. All of them from the classic Helloween era, because despite having tons of scorchers here and there, there are albums I haven't listened to yet and besides, nothing tops, in my opinion, the quality of the oldies and the charm of the time they were written in. I think I've said it before: nostalgia is always a factor.

In no particular order:

- Victim Of Fate (1987 version)

- How Many Tears?

- Judas

- I'm Alive

- Halloween

- Eagle Fly Free

- Keeper Of The Seven Keys

I think those seven would be their best songs, joined by the next eight:

- Starlight

- Murderer

- You Always Walk Alone

- Savage

- Save Us

- Livin' Ain't No Crime

- Heavy Metal (Is The Law)

- Rise & Fall

One last spot for Ride The Sky and the original version ofVictim Of Fate (of course), for this is too difficult, because I think that absolutely everything they released up until 1988 was almost gold (what the hell, even Future World and Dr. Stein are listened to, decades after, with a smile on your face).

And this is all that there is. Never done it before and the time is right now, so I'd like to show my gratitude for the neverending source of information which the already mentioned web Metal Archives is. And above all, I'd like to thank the book DAMN THE MACHINE (THE STORY OF NOISE RECORDS), by DAVID E. GEHLKE, published in 2017, for providing essential information and for allowing me to achieve a decent chronology.

Damm The Machine

In loving memory of Ingo Schwichtenberg (1965-1995), wherever you are.

INGO

See you soon.