Helloween

Germany's Helloween stand alongside Switzerland's Celtic Frost and Sweden's Bathory as perhaps the most influential heavy metal band to emerge from Europe in the 1980s. Taking the hard-riffing approach and minor-key melodies inherited from metal pioneers such as Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, the group fused these elements with the velocity and intensity brought by the rising thrash metal scene, thereby forging the core sound now recognized as power metal. Commercial success peaked for them in the late 1980s through the two-part Keeper of the Seven Keys, an achievement that established the standard against which nearly every subsequent power metal band has been judged. Internal conflicts and poor business choices disrupted their rapid ascent, yet the band absorbed those setbacks and sustained its presence in the worldwide metal circuit through the 2010s and 2020s according to its own priorities.

Helloween originated in Hamburg, Germany, with guitarists Kai Hansen and Michael Weikath, bassist Markus Grosskopf, and drummer Ingo Schwichtenberg. After initial names Second Hell and Iron Fist, the quartet became Helloween in 1982 and signed with Germany's emerging Noise International label two years later. Handling vocals himself along with most songwriting, Hansen led the recording of the self-titled debut mini-album in early 1985. The full-length Walls of Jericho and the Judas maxi-single appeared the following year, prompting media attention for the band's thrash-infused take on classic heavy metal. While fans throughout Continental Europe quickly embraced the cause, Hansen grew unhappy with his vocal capabilities and concluded that Helloween required a dedicated frontman to reach its potential. That role went to teenage singer Michael Kiske, whose soaring style echoed earlier heavy metal vocalists such as Rob Halford and Bruce Dickinson.

The updated lineup delivered immediate impact both live and in recordings, positioning Helloween for major success. Back in the studio by early 1987, the band delivered Keeper of the Seven Keys, Pt. 1 in May, a defining release widely viewed as the most pivotal power metal album ever made. Its blend of force and melody shaped an entire wave of metal bands and elevated Helloween to genuine stardom across Europe and the U.K., with initial steps into the American market. Exhaustive touring filled the remainder of 1987 and extended into 1988, including a long support slot with Iron Maiden, yet the group still completed the follow-up Keeper of the Seven Keys, Pt. 2. Issued in September 1988, that album also achieved strong results, reaching the U.K. Top 30, though uneven songwriting, particularly from Hansen, signaled emerging tensions within the group.

Helloween's headline appearance at the 1988 Donington Monsters of Rock Festival marked their highest point, but for Hansen it also signaled the end of his personal goals for the band. The guitarist abruptly declared his exit from the group he had guided to prominence, stating that Helloween had grown too large for him to manage. He soon launched Gamma Ray, whose sound unsurprisingly recalled Helloween. The remaining members refused to relinquish their momentum and recruited former Rampage guitarist Roland Grapow before resuming activity with a sold-out U.K. tour. EMI then stepped forward with an offer to move the band from the struggling Noise Records, triggering a legal battle that sidelined Helloween for nearly two years. Several live albums, including Live in the U.K. in Europe, Keepers Live in Japan, and I Want Out: Live in the U.S., appeared during the pause, while the band gained backing from the Sanctuary management roster that also handled Iron Maiden and W.A.S.P.

After the extended break, Helloween resurfaced with Pink Bubbles Go Ape in 1991. Neither EMI support nor Sanctuary resources could offset the album's disjointed songwriting. The band's attempts at humor had become so strained that listeners struggled with tracks such as the title song and "Heavy Metal Hamsters." The release failed commercially, as did the still more erratic follow-up Chameleon. Recorded in 1993 amid evident turmoil, its weak performance intensified internal friction, resulting in the removal of both Kiske, who pursued a solo path, and Schwichtenberg, whose drug-related health problems had become unmanageable. EMI and Sanctuary withdrew their backing as well, leaving the remaining members to rebuild independently. New vocalist Andi Deris and drummer Uli Kusch joined for 1994's Master of the Rings, a modest but purposeful recovery. Tragedy followed when former drummer Ingo Schwichtenberg, already diagnosed with manic depression, ended his life by stepping in front of a train near Hamburg.

Helloween dedicated 1996's The Time of the Oath to their late bandmate, and the album emerged as their strongest since the late-1980s peak, aiding a career revival. The subsequent tour yielded the double-disc High Live and reaffirmed the group's status among leading international metal acts, with particular strength in Europe and Japan. Further releases followed with 1998's Better Than Raw, 1999's Metal Jukebox covers collection, and 2000's The Dark Ride, and the exits of Grapow and Kusch failed to halt progress for long. Marking their standing as Euro-metal veterans, Helloween issued the 2002 greatest-hits compilation Treasure Chest. Rabbit Don't Come Easy arrived in 2003, introducing guitarist Sascha Gerstner and featuring Motörhead's Mikkey Dee on drums until Stefan Schwarzmann, previously of U.D.O. and Running Wild, became the permanent replacement. Schwarzmann departed in 2005 and was succeeded by Dani Löble of Rawhead Rex, who played on the well-received Keeper of the Seven Keys: The Legacy. Gambling with the Devil, regarded by many fans as one of the strongest Andi Deris-era albums, appeared in 2007, followed by 7 Sinners in 2010. Straight Out of Hell, the fourteenth studio album, surfaced on The End Records in early 2013, and My God-Given Right followed in May 2015, marking a return to Nuclear Blast. In 2016 Kai Hansen and Michael Kiske rejoined for a 2017-2018 tour in which Kiske and Deris handled their respective Helloween material. The single "Pumpkins United" appeared in 2017, succeeded in 2018 by the limited-edition box set Starlight compiling all Noise Records recordings. The 2019 live album United Alive in Madrid captured a 2017 Spanish performance showcasing the combined vocals of Kiske and Deris with Hansen's lead guitar. Two years later the band issued its sixteenth studio album, the self-titled Helloween, the first to feature Hansen since Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part II in 1988 and the first with Kiske since Chameleon in 1993.