Helloween - SpeedyLook encyclopedia

Helloween is a group of German metal founded by Kai Hansen and Michael Weikath at the beginning of the Années 1980 which will launch the melody Speed or Power metal.

History

After a first mini-album 5 titles sobrement entitled Helloween , the group leaves off its first album Walls Jericho in 1985, where Kai Hansen ensures song and guitar. It is accompanied there by Markus Großkopf with the low guitar, Michael Weikath with the guitar and of Ingo Schwichtenberg with the battery. The energy and the promptness of the rate/rhythm allied to the parts of built guitars rhythmic ( fronts ) and to the fast solos but nevertheless melody, bring a new breath to the heavy metal and take part in the emergence of a new kind: the power metal, or melody speed.

Kai Hansen having difficulties in ensure at the same time guitar and song, the group engages a new singer, Michael Kiske, and off leaves in 1987 Keeper the seven keys: I leaves. This album will ensure a world famous to them and will be classified rather well in England. In addition to musical maturity, the graphic design takes part in the success of the albums:

a aérographiée small pocket of Uwe Karczewski (which had already signed the first two small pockets);
of the cartoons of the Belgian draftsman Frederic Moulaert (which will sign also the small pocket of the Live in the U.K. ).

Then in 1988 leaves their most known album certainly Keeper off the seven keys share II . This album finishes installing the reputation of the group. This diptych joins again with the tradition of the albums concept of the years 1970, with a certain unit of construction (a short musical introduction, a final piece from approximately 1/4 of hour) and topics (the fatal consequences of the human activity, self-destruction, the exploitation of the others) which ends in a search to deliver the world of its misfortunes in a medieval-fantastic environment , “duels” of the guitarists symbolizing the fight of the good against the evil (piece Keeper off the seven keys ).

In 1989, the group leaves an album concert, consecutive with their European round of 1988, and which is published in two forms because of a problem with their label: Live in the U.K. and I want out , the second version containing less pieces.

This situation involves a difficult passage for the group which crosses tensions with its label which lead to lawsuits between this one and groups it. The consequences for the group are disastrous: they must refund their label and are seen prohibited to leave elsewhere the discs than to Europe and in Japan. Kai Hansen leaves the group at that time to found Gamma Ray, while keeping very good relationships with his/her former colleagues, as testifies the private jokes to them exchanged, via the appropriations of the albums, on toilet paper in the hotels of the rounds…

Kai Hansen is replaced by Roland Grapow, and under these difficult conditions, to which persistent rumors of separation of the group are added, leaves in 1991 Pink Bubbles Go Ape , album which will be éreinté and which will not meet almost any success. Tensions start to appear within the group.

In 1993 leaves the album Chameleon which, far from leaving the group the crisis, plunges there a little more. The style of the album slices radically: while keeping the side melody and built pieces, the music is slower and less aggressive, which rejects certain fans. The beater Ingo Schwichtenberg is isolated group during the round because of its mental disorders (schizophrenia) and of its problems of alcohol and drug. It will sink later in the depression and will end up committing suicide while being thrown under a subway train on March 8th, 1995.

In 1994, the group signs under a new label and leaves the album Master off the boxing rings with a new singer, Andi Deris (former singer of Pink cream 69) and a new beater, Uli Kusch. It is the return of success for the group, the album receives finally criticisms positive and the group presents a true coherence between its members. In 1996 The time off follows the oath , which off consolidates the success already acquired by Master the boxing rings . The double-album concert High live will follow the same year, then another album entitled Better than raw in 1998; always with the same formation in 1999 leaves an album recoveries, Metal Jukebox . The group seems to have found its rate/rhythm of cruising.

In 2000 leaves The Dark Ride then tensions appear again. After the round, Michael Weikath, who reproaches Uli Kusch and Roland Grapow not to concentrate enough on the group but too on their solos projects, the évince of the group. The group crosses a period of undulation then. They seek new musicians; Mark Cross-country race is engaged to ensure the part of battery, but falls ill and is finally replaced by Stephan Schwarzmann then Mikkey Dee. Sascha Gerstner replaces Roland Grapow with the guitar for its part. Is thus finally published in 2003 the album Rabbit don' T as easy which gains a certain success near criticism and the public and the group leaves in round. In 2004 after having ensured the round of the album, it turns over in studio in order to record a new album, " Keeper off the Seven Keys - The Legacy" who is on the market since October 31st, 2005. In addition to the name, it is about their modern vision of the continuation of the first traditional ones of the group. One does not have to expect a copy of the two first, but rather a continuity of their current style. The album is available out of Double CD. In February 2007, the group leaves CD and a DVD Live their last round entitled " Live In Sao Paulo ". This DVD is quickly success, and, according to the Japanese magazine Burrn! , is in first position of the sales of musical DVD in the charts in May 2007.

The new album studio, Gambling With The Devil , was recorded from May in June 2007 with Tenerife and Ebermannstadt. At the time of its advertisement, the group indicated that it would fall under the continuation of Keeper but the name of its predecessors will not have: “People would show us to want to sell to us” declared the singer Andi Deris. It left at the end of October 2007. A world tour with Gamma Ray is also envisaged after this album, and will start in Europe before passing by Asia of South-west to finish with first half of 2008 in North America and of the South.

Anecdotes

the name of Helloween is in fact a word game between Halloween, hell (the Enfer in English) and hello (“hello! ” in English).

the symbol of the group is a pumpkin, which one often finds replacing the “O” of the name of the group on the small pockets of the albums. This is why the booklets of the albums are populated personified pumpkin cartoons or characters with the pumpkin heads in situations more or less mild nutters.

Helloween was characterized by the sometimes humorous contents from its texts from songs, which remained as a happy helloween tunes .

the majority of the albums of Helloween leave the October 31st, i.e. for the festival of Halloween.

Current members of the group

Andi Deris (born on August 18th 1964 with Karlsruhe, Germany): song
Michael Weikath (born on August 7th 1962 with Hamburg, Germany): guitar
Sascha Gerstner (born on April 2nd 1977 with Stuttgart, Germany): guitar
Markus Grosskopf (born on September 21st 1965 in Hamburg, Germany): low guitar
Dani Löble (No information): battery

Former members

Kai Hansen (born on January 17th 1963 in Hamburg, Germany): guitar, song
Michael Kiske (born on January 24th 1968 in Hamburg, Germany): song
Ingo Schwichtenberg (born on May 18th, 1965 in Hamburg, Germany, dead on March 8th, 1995): battery
Roland Grapow (born on August 30th, 1959 in Hamburg, Germany): guitar
Uli Kusch (born on March 11th 1967 with Aachen, Germany): battery