In a new interview with Andrew McKaysmith of the Scars And Guitars podcast, HELLOWEEN vocalist Andi Deris spoke about how the German metallers have managed to pull off the seemingly impossible by uniting returning singer Michael Kiske and guitarist/vocalist Kai Hansen with Deris, guitarists Michael Weikath and Sascha Gerstner, bassist Markus Grosskopf and drummer Daniel Löble. Asked if having worked with the expanded seven-piece HELLOWEEN lineup for the past nine years feels like “a renewal” of sorts, Deris responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Yes and no. We still call ’em the new old guys. [Laughs] If we talk about fresh wind, again, that’s the fresh old wind, which we are very happy to have. So it works much smoother now because you can satisfy automatically all the generations of HELLOWEEN fans. Meanwhile, we are running into three generations [of HELLOWEEN fans]. There’s the first generation, which is probably the biggest part, that the was the ‘Walls Of Jericho’ / ‘Keeper Of The Seven Keys’ fans. And to completely satisfy these guys, you definitely need Michael Kiske, and Kai is definitely a great bonus to it, but I think the voice is the most important thing, that the people are listening to Michael again, which they are used since their youth, since their childhood even. So this is something the ‘new’ singer could never beat. So that’s quite clear… Well, that’s the way it is. So I have nothing to complain about it and not to even talk about. It’s the way we all feel.”
He continued: “When I listen to my old heroes — yes, I know [late IRON MAIDEN singer] Paul Di’Anno is not as good [of a vocalist] as [current IRON MAIDEN frontman] Bruce Dickinson. But nevertheless, these are the albums I more or less grew up with metal, so I always love these two albums with Paul Di’Anno — certainly I do. Still, I would say I love lots of songs with Bruce Dickinson. But when Paul was not in the band anymore, I, as a fan, back in the days, I left MAIDEN, so to say, just to re-rediscover them later on. But first I was pissed. [Laughs] Maybe that’s the right description.”
Circling back to HELLOWEEN‘s reunion with Kiske and Hansen, Deris said: “But, yeah, [it was] very important that we got the boys back in the band, definitely, because now we’ve got every right to connect with the history without being called copycats or whatever. ‘How can you with a new singer?’, blah, blah, blah. So this is off the table. And now we are allowed to kind of produce best of both worlds. And everybody’s exactly expecting that. So what I wanna say, I’m allowed now to play or to write a [song like] ‘Giants On The Run’, or [at] the same time a ballad like ‘Into The Sun’ or maybe a poppy thing like ‘A Little Is a Little Too Much’ [all three of which are included on HELLOWEEN‘s upcoming album ‘Giants & Monsters’] and perform it with Michael together and the worlds co don’t collide, but they interconnect, and this is something I really enjoy. So all ego shit besides, that’s exactly what a band should do.”
After McKaysmith noted that HELLOWEEN is the only major act which has seemingly been able to bring singers from two or more different eras of the band together on stage and in the recording studio, Deris said: “I’ll just give you an example of where my idea was born to have this ‘Pumpkins United’ thing, was actually when VAN HALEN tried to reunite with Diamond Dave and Sammy Hagar. For me, it was a dream come true, being an old VAN HALEN fan, and I was completely hooked and totally destroyed when I learned that the first show already went to hell in Las Vegas and they kicked their asses on stage. For me, the world was blowing apart. And I just thought, ‘Okay, could we do that but stick together?’ But seeing that show in Las Vegas with VAN HALEN, we told everybody, ‘Yes, we wanna do that ‘Pumpkins United’ tour. And we swear we’re gonna stick together until the end of the tour, even if we would hate ourselves and try not to kick our asses on stage,’ which fortunately never happened. But maybe that was a good warning sign with what happened with VAN HALEN, that you should actually try to keep your ego shit in the stable, hold your horse and don’t boil over just because you think you have to now because you’ve got it in the wrong. In Germany, you would say you got it in the wrong tube. So you get the point.”
He continued: “But actually, it did not take any effort because Michael Kiske was super cool and from beginning on, he gave me the security that we could get along super nicely. The first two or three hours we talked together and the impression that I have or I had back in the days, I thought, ‘Okay, if this impression is who he really is, I would probably love that guy.’ And time just went on and I realized, ‘Okay, I miss him, actually, as a person, as a discussion partner and everything.’ So after the tour, I was in that hole — there was no Michael around me to discuss the shit outta every subject that we had. And this is something you learn to treasure. And, yeah, I don’t know how, but this could have been a friend for life, which was actually living more or less in the same world [as] I did but I never had a chance to really get to know him. Now I did. So I’m super happy. That’s good friendship, and better late than ever, I say. I’m super happy with him. I think he’s happy with me. And yeah. Unfortunately, we’re not gay. [Laughs] That would’ve been the next step… I’m saying that would be the perfect relationship. But honestly, I am just disgusted by just thinking about it. So sexually, this is not gonna happen. [Laughs]”
“Giants & Monsters” will be released on August 29 via Reigning Phoenix Music (RPM). The follow-up to HELLOWEEN‘s self-titled record was mixed at the legendary Wisseloord Studios (IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST, DEF LEPPARD) in Hilversum, Netherlands.
HELLOWEEN will celebrate four decades of metal mastery with a global 40th anniversary tour. The European leg begins in mid-October, with initial dates selling out quickly. Featuring an ultimate set list packed with surprises, the tour will showcase the band’s unparalleled legacy and ongoing creative power.
“Giants & Monsters” pushes the boundaries of HELLOWEEN‘s sound, thanks to the instincts of producers Charlie Bauerfeind and Dennis Ward, as well as the band’s relentless pursuit of excellence. Per example, Löble recorded all tracks using three different drum kits to capture the perfect vibe for each song, a testament to their attention to detail and love of experimentation.
2021’s “Helloween” was the first HELLOWEEN album to feature the band’s expanded lineup, consisting of Kiske and Hansen along with Deris, Weikath, Gerstner, Grosskopf and Löble.
Upon its release in June 2021, “Helloween” landed in the Top 10 in more than 10 countries, including Germany, Spain, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland and Austria. The cover artwork for the LP was painted by artist Eliran Kantor, who has previously worked with HATEBREED, SOULFLY, TESTAMENT, ICED EARTH and SODOM, among others.
Produced by Charlie Bauerfeind and Dennis Ward, the last HELLOWEEN LP was recorded in part at the H.O.M.E. Studios in Hamburg (where everything started in 1984). The same recording console used for such HELLOWEEN albums as “Master Of The Rings”, “Time Of The Oath” and “Better Than Raw” was utilized to record the band’s new material. The effort was mixed at the Valhalla Studios of Ronald Prent (IRON MAIDEN, DEF LEPPARD, RAMMSTEIN).
“Helloween” saw the legendary German power metallers going “back to the roots,” with the band recording fully analog and Löble playing the drum kit previously used by HELLOWEEN‘s original drummer, the late Ingo Schwichtenberg, on the legendary “Keeper Of The Seven Keys” recordings.
HELLOWEEN released a new live album, “Live At Budokan”, on December 13, 2024 via Reigning Phoenix Music (RPM). The colossal effort immortalized HELLOWEEN‘s September 16, 2023 performance at Tokyo’s legendary Nippon Budokan.
“Live At Budokan” was made available in a plethora of formats: 2CD-digipak and 3LP vinyl in trifold with the first print run of both coming as “deluxe edition” including embossed cover artwork, as well as Blu-ray, DVD and digital. Each version is meticulously crafted to suit the metal community’s diverse tastes, ensuring every fan can relive the raw, unfiltered energy of HELLOWEEN in their preferred medium.
This release celebrated the grand finale of HELLOWEEN‘s epic world tour from 2022 to 2023. Spanning over 30 countries on three continents, the tour was nothing short of a triumph, drawing massive crowds and showcasing the band’s undying appeal, the sold-out concert in Tokyo is the crowning glory of the cycle.
HELLOWEEN is:
Michael Kiske – vocals
Andi Deris – vocals
Kai Hansen – guitars, vocals
Michael Weikath – guitars
Sascha Gerstner – guitars
Markus Grosskopf – bass
Daniel Löble – drums
Photo credit: Mathias Bothor
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