Helloween is a band packed with Germany’s best heavy metal material. Despite being musically on-par with top shelf acts like Iron Maiden, they flew underneath the radar for lots of metal fans. After successful tours with groups like Anthrax and Exodus, they achieved an impressive worldwide status on top of their exposure from Headbanger’s Ball and 1988’s Monsters Of Rock.
The band’s catalog is enough to compete with the best and even followed the same steps as far more fortunate acts. Queensrÿche and Mötley Crüe were rewarded for turning against their superior, heavier early work in exchange for a more pop-oriented, commercially viable direction. Helloween did the exact same thing and only fell further and further down the sales charts. Luckily, one of the tracks that got widespread attention was arguably the finest song in their entire discography: Halloween.
Opening with an eerie, atmospheric intro sets the tone for a long journey that is this 13 minute powerhouse. Soon after, listeners are introduced to the monstrous riff which serves as one of the heaviest parts of the song.
As vocalist Michael Kiske describes the neighborhood activity on October 31st, he makes it clear why he’s among the greatest voices in heavy metal.
By the 4 minute mark, the song has every right to end and still hold up as the climax of the album. However, that’s what separates Helloween from most power metal bands. Everything in the middle of Halloween ranges from whispering monologues to soaring lead vocals. All of which build the suspense up to the 9 minute mark where Kiske reaches the peak of his performance.
And let’s not forget two of the most important people on this track: Kai Hansen and Michael Weikath!
Every type of solo is present from melodic to balls-out speed metal, swapping leads to the same caliber as Priest and Maiden.
But all that being said, none of it does the song justice. The best advice I can give is look up this gem with headphones equipped. Anyone who thinks Helloween is nothing more than a Iron Maiden clone need to blast Keeper Of The Seven Keys and prepare for infectious choruses and some of the best music to come out of Germany.
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