Helloween
| Helloween | |
|---|---|
Helloween live in 2006 in Nuremberg
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Hamburg, Germany |
| Genres | Power metal, speed metal, heavy metal |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Labels | Noise, RCA, EMI, Castle, Sony Music, Nuclear Blast, Steamhammer/SPV |
| Associated acts | Gamma Ray, Iron Savior, Masterplan, Blind Guardian, Freedom Call, Bassinvaders, Pink Cream 69, Unisonic, HammerFall |
| Website | helloween |
| Members | |
| Past members | |
Helloween is a German power metal band founded in 1984 in Hamburg, Northern Germany. The band is a pioneering force in the power metal genre, and their second and third studio albums, Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part I and Part II, are considered masterpieces of the genre.
Helloween was formed in 1984 by members of bands Iron Fist and Gentry. Its first line-up consisted of Kai Hansen, Markus Grosskopf, singer and guitarist Piet Sielck and drummer Ingo Schwichtenberg. Sielck left in 1985 and was replaced by guitarist Michael Weikath and Kai Hansen took over vocal duties as well as guitar. After the release of a self-titled EP and a first album in 1985, it expanded into a quintet when singer Michael Kiske joined, with Hansen only acting as guitarist. Under this line-up, they released the Keeper of the Seven Keys albums (1987 and 1988), which established Helloween as a notable heavy metal band and led to the creation of the power metal subgenre. However, Hansen left the band quickly after the release of Part II and was replaced by Roland Grapow. He then created the band Gamma Ray.
Helloween's first two albums without Hansen, Pink Bubbles Go Ape (1991) and Chameleon (1993), were commercial and critical failures, which created tensions between band members and led to the firing of Schwichtenberg and Kiske. They were replaced by Uli Kusch and Andi Deris respectively. The albums released under this line-up, consisting of Master of the Rings (1994), The Time of the Oath (1996), Better Than Raw (1998) and The Dark Ride (2000), received a warm reception from both fans and critics, gradually establishing Helloween as a successful band again.
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