LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Helloween
built 253 days ago
The story of Helloween's return was tempered... by tragedy in 1995, as the band, its members and fans were saddened by the suicide of original drummer Ingo Schwichtenberg. In the years since his departure from Helloween, Schwichtenberg had spiraled deeper into drug-use and depression; additionally, he was never able to recover emotionally after being fired from the only band he had ever known. The former drummer committed suicide by jumping in front of a train. Dedicated to his memory, 1996's The Time Of The Oath re-established the band as one of the most popular European metal bands (see 1996 in music). Following another world tour, a double live album called High Live was released.
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Clearly Helloween is doing well in Brazil and Japan. From the start of the show, it's evident that Helloween fans are deliriously enthusiastic. "Eagle Fly Free," performed in Sao Paolo, gets the kind of reaction that Judas Priest usually draws with "Breakin' The Law." It's very impressive and a little jarring; casual fans and first-time listeners/viewers will wonder out loud, "Who the hell are these guys? (Seriously, who knew the they were so popular? Check out the band run-down in the middle of "Future World.")
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After well over a dozen albums, Helloween still has an impressive knack for grafting memorably anthemic choruses over full-throttle power metal. What's more, their quieter, more melodic moments never dissolve into schmaltzy sentimentality (a mistake made too often by the band's many followers); the ballad "Don't Stop Being Crazy" has a certain pathos without being corny. The group's chops are in top form on Rabbit Don't Come Easy (aided by moonlighting Mot÷rhead skinsman Mikkey Dee), b...[ read more ]
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The original Helloween line-up featured Kai Hansen (Vocals/Guitars), Michael Weikath (Guitars), Markus Grosskopf (Bass) and Ingo Schwichtenberg (Drums). In 1984 the band signed a deal with Noise Records. 1985 came around and Helloween recorded their first record ‘Helloween’, a self-titled EP containing 5 tracks. The EP was successful, and in that same year they recorded and released their first full-length album titled ´Walls of Jericho´ which became a critical smash, with its innovative mixture of speed and melodies redefining heavy metal. However, during the following tour, it became obvious that Kai had difficulties singing and playing the guitar at the same time. Helloween began the search for a new vocalist, and ended up finding an 18-year-old talent from the local Hamburg band Ill Prophecy, named Michael Kiske.
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In 1998 Helloween released Better Than Raw, one of the band's heaviest albums since the full-length debut. The subsequent supporting tour was par for the course, with the usual shows in Europe, Japan and Brazil, except for one surprise: On December 20, 1998, the band visited New York and played a show in Coney Island, the first show for Helloween in the United States in nearly a decade. Despite almost zero hype, attendance at the show was respectable, planting the seeds for a future return to the States. The band would follow Better Than Raw with a 1999 release entitled Metal Jukebox, a cover-album featuring Helloween's versions of songs from bands as diverse as Jethro Tull, Faith No More, The Beatles, ABBA and Deep Purple. The year 2000 saw the release of The Dark Ride, a more experimental and darker album than their previous releases, complete with downtuned guitars and a gruffer singing style from Deris.
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In late 1993 Andi Deris, former Pink Cream 69 singer, joins the band along with former Holy Moses and Gamma Ray Drummer Uli Kusch, a new lineup for Helloween is born. The band signs to Castle records in 1994. Their next album “Master of the Rings” was released and became what many people called a great comeback album! The band went on a successful tour and new singer Andi Deris surprised many fans with his versatile and powerful voice. The album was released a year later in North America with a second disc containing all 7 b-sides from the album. Tragedy ... struck the band as former drummer Ingo Schwichtenberg committed suicide in 1995.
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Helloween