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Helloween (от англ. hell — «ад» и Halloween) — легендарная немецкая метал-группа. Считаются одними из основоположников жанра "пауэр-метал". Впервые под этим названием (Helloween) музыканты выступили в 1984 году. Единственные участники, оставшиеся в группе с того момента и до нынешнего времени, — Михаэль Вайкат и Маркус Гросскопф. С 1989 года состав несколько раз менялся. В связи со сменой вокалистов в истории группы обычно выделяют «эпоху Хансена» (1984—1986), «эпоху Киске» (1987—1993) и «эпоху Дериса» (с 1994 по настоящее время).
Сформированный в 1984 году в городе Гамбург, Германия на пепелище местных групп Powerfool и Ironfist, первоначальный состав группы включал в себя Кая Хансена (гитара, вокал), Майкла Вейката (гитара), Маркуса Гросскопфа (бас) и Инго Швихтенберга (ударные). После издания двух треков, включенных в сборник "Death Metal", выпущенный фирмой "Noise Records" в 1984-м, на этом же лейбле в 1985 году вышел дебютный мини-альбом Helloween. Группа получила признание с их уникальной маркой спид-пауэр-метала. Вскоре последовал первый лонгплей Walls of Jericho, а за ним EP Judas. После выхода этих альбомов Helloween решили добавить в состав фронтмэна-вокалиста, а именно Михаэля Киске, харизматичного 18-летнего парня, уведенного из Ill Prophecy.
Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part I, выпущенный в 1987 году, показал группу в новом плане, использующую намного больше мелодичный подход, и Киске оказался достойным дополнением. Успех альбома был огромен, и немецких металлистов признали даже в Штатах. После этого Helloween довольно долго гастролировали по Европе, в процессе собирая материал для нового альбома.
В 1988 году был выпущен Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part II . Его выходу сопутствовало успешное выступление на фестивале "Монстры рока" в Донингтоне. Позже был выпущен EP Dr. Stein, однако, вне сцены всё было не так уж хорошо. У Helloween появились проблемы с их компанией грамзаписи, и музыканты начали вести переговоры с несколькими известными лейблами, которые ранее проявляли интерес к команде. Чтобы заполнить пробел, группа выпустила "живой" альбом, записанный в Хаммерсмите в 1989 году. Тогда же из банды (не без внутренних интриг) ушел Кай Хансен, чтобы замутить свой собственный проект Gamma Ray. Его сменил Роланд Грапов, появившийся в команде во время тура в поддержку Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part II.
Длительное юридическое сражение со своей компанией грамзаписи привело к тому, что только в 1990 году команда смогла заняться своим любимым делом. Новый контракт был заключен с EMI Records. Дебютный альбом группы на их новом лейбле, Pink Bubbles Go Ape, выпущенный в 1991-м, явился лишь тенью прежних Helloween. Было очень заметно отсутствие Кая Хансена и его манеры исполнения , и главное - сочинения песен.
Еще более странным, чем Pink Bubbles Go Ape, был экспериментальный альбом 1993-го года Chameleon, состоявший по большому счету из заигрываний музыкантов с поп-роком, кантри, блюзом и прочим.
Этот альбом многими ортодоксальными фэнами группы до сих пор воспринимается, как худший в дискографии группы.
Вскоре после этого получил отставку Киске, а вслед за ним и Инго Швихтенберг, имевший проблемы со здоровьем и конфликтовавший с Вейкатом, кто был теперь главной руководящей силой группы. Им на замену были взяты Энди Дерис (вокал, экс-Pink Cream 69) и Ули Куш (ударные, экс-Gamma Ray), которые пришлись очень даже к месту при записи диска Master of the Rings. Этот альбом стал наиболее успешным в дискографии Helloween в течение нескольких лет, и даже возглавлял чарты в Японии некоторое время. В 1996-м вышел The Time of the Oath, на котором заметен вклад Вейката, Дериса и Куша. Тем временем Киске выпустил свой первый сольник, Instant Clarity, а на следующий год его примеру последовали Роланд Грапов с The Four Seasons of Life и Энди Дерис с Come in From the Rain.
В 1999 году Helloween выпустили сборник каверов под названием Metal Jukebox, а свежим релизом порадовали фанов только в конце 2000-го. Турне в поддержку The Dark Ride прошло с успехом, однако сей факт не помешал Кушу и Грапову покинуть команду. Ули сменил бывший драммер Metalium Марк Кросс, но он продержался недолго и уступил место Стефану Шварцманну. Заменой Грапову стал Саша Герстнер из Freedom Call. Обновленная конфигурация в 2003 году записала довольно удачный альбом Rabbit Don't Come Easy. Его звучание сильно отличалось от первой половины дисков группы: это было нечто среднее между старым добрым рок-н-роллом, тяжёлым роком и блюзовыми мелодиями – получилось довольно интересно. В начале 2005 года из группы ушёл Шварцман, а уже в марте у группы был новый барабанщик. Им стал швейцарец Даниэль Лёбле. В музыке Helloween стало заметно влияние классических произведений, некоторые обозреватели называют стиль группы «вагнеровским металом». А творческий потенциал группы на данный момент дает все основания для самых оптимистических прогнозов. И эти прогнозы сбылись. 31 октября 2005 года (День, когда отмечают Хэллоуин) группа представила публике свой новый альбом – Keeper of the Seven Keys: The Legacy.
В 2007 году вышел новый экспериментальный альбом под названием Gambling With the Devil.
В конце 2009 года в честь своего 25-тилетия группа выпускает сборник своих старых вещей, но с новыми аранжировками под названием Unarmed. Это действительно экспериментальный альбом. В нем Helloween задействовали оркестр в 70 человек, детский хор, трубы. Металла на альбоме почти не осталось, но, тем не менее, альбом получился довольно интересным.
Новый альбом, который получил название 7 Sinners, вышел 31 октября 2010 года. 12 сентября в сеть были выложены 30 секундные семплы с альбома. 22 сентября вышел сингл "Are you metal?"[2]. На конец 2012 года группа запланировала выпуск нового студийного альбома.
Релиз следующего лонгплея группы - Straight Out Of Hell - состоялся 21 января 2013 года.
Альбомы:
1985 - Helloween
1985 - Walls of Jericho
1987 - Keeper of the Seven Keys Part I
1988 - Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II
1991 - Pink Bubbles Go Ape
1993 - Chameleon
1994 - Master of the Rings
1996 - The Time of the Oath
1998 - Better Than Raw
1999 - Metal Jukebox
2000 - The Dark Ride
2003 - Rabbit Don't Come Easy
2005 - Keeper of the Seven Keys: The Legacy
2007 - Gambling With the Devil
2009 - Unarmed
2010 - 7 Sinners
2013 - Straight Out Of Hell
Текущий состав Helloween:
Michael Weikath
Markus Großkopf
Andi Deris
Sascha Gerstner
Daniel Loeble Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
Сформированный в 1984 году в городе Гамбург, Германия на пепелище местных групп Powerfool и Ironfist, первоначальный состав группы включал в себя Кая Хансена (гитара, вокал), Майкла Вейката (гитара), Маркуса Гросскопфа (бас) и Инго Швихтенберга (ударные). После издания двух треков, включенных в сборник "Death Metal", выпущенный фирмой "Noise Records" в 1984-м, на этом же лейбле в 1985 году вышел дебютный мини-альбом Helloween. Группа получила признание с их уникальной маркой спид-пауэр-метала. Вскоре последовал первый лонгплей Walls of Jericho, а за ним EP Judas. После выхода этих альбомов Helloween решили добавить в состав фронтмэна-вокалиста, а именно Михаэля Киске, харизматичного 18-летнего парня, уведенного из Ill Prophecy.
Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part I, выпущенный в 1987 году, показал группу в новом плане, использующую намного больше мелодичный подход, и Киске оказался достойным дополнением. Успех альбома был огромен, и немецких металлистов признали даже в Штатах. После этого Helloween довольно долго гастролировали по Европе, в процессе собирая материал для нового альбома.
В 1988 году был выпущен Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part II . Его выходу сопутствовало успешное выступление на фестивале "Монстры рока" в Донингтоне. Позже был выпущен EP Dr. Stein, однако, вне сцены всё было не так уж хорошо. У Helloween появились проблемы с их компанией грамзаписи, и музыканты начали вести переговоры с несколькими известными лейблами, которые ранее проявляли интерес к команде. Чтобы заполнить пробел, группа выпустила "живой" альбом, записанный в Хаммерсмите в 1989 году. Тогда же из банды (не без внутренних интриг) ушел Кай Хансен, чтобы замутить свой собственный проект Gamma Ray. Его сменил Роланд Грапов, появившийся в команде во время тура в поддержку Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part II.
Длительное юридическое сражение со своей компанией грамзаписи привело к тому, что только в 1990 году команда смогла заняться своим любимым делом. Новый контракт был заключен с EMI Records. Дебютный альбом группы на их новом лейбле, Pink Bubbles Go Ape, выпущенный в 1991-м, явился лишь тенью прежних Helloween. Было очень заметно отсутствие Кая Хансена и его манеры исполнения , и главное - сочинения песен.
Еще более странным, чем Pink Bubbles Go Ape, был экспериментальный альбом 1993-го года Chameleon, состоявший по большому счету из заигрываний музыкантов с поп-роком, кантри, блюзом и прочим.
Этот альбом многими ортодоксальными фэнами группы до сих пор воспринимается, как худший в дискографии группы.
Вскоре после этого получил отставку Киске, а вслед за ним и Инго Швихтенберг, имевший проблемы со здоровьем и конфликтовавший с Вейкатом, кто был теперь главной руководящей силой группы. Им на замену были взяты Энди Дерис (вокал, экс-Pink Cream 69) и Ули Куш (ударные, экс-Gamma Ray), которые пришлись очень даже к месту при записи диска Master of the Rings. Этот альбом стал наиболее успешным в дискографии Helloween в течение нескольких лет, и даже возглавлял чарты в Японии некоторое время. В 1996-м вышел The Time of the Oath, на котором заметен вклад Вейката, Дериса и Куша. Тем временем Киске выпустил свой первый сольник, Instant Clarity, а на следующий год его примеру последовали Роланд Грапов с The Four Seasons of Life и Энди Дерис с Come in From the Rain.
В 1999 году Helloween выпустили сборник каверов под названием Metal Jukebox, а свежим релизом порадовали фанов только в конце 2000-го. Турне в поддержку The Dark Ride прошло с успехом, однако сей факт не помешал Кушу и Грапову покинуть команду. Ули сменил бывший драммер Metalium Марк Кросс, но он продержался недолго и уступил место Стефану Шварцманну. Заменой Грапову стал Саша Герстнер из Freedom Call. Обновленная конфигурация в 2003 году записала довольно удачный альбом Rabbit Don't Come Easy. Его звучание сильно отличалось от первой половины дисков группы: это было нечто среднее между старым добрым рок-н-роллом, тяжёлым роком и блюзовыми мелодиями – получилось довольно интересно. В начале 2005 года из группы ушёл Шварцман, а уже в марте у группы был новый барабанщик. Им стал швейцарец Даниэль Лёбле. В музыке Helloween стало заметно влияние классических произведений, некоторые обозреватели называют стиль группы «вагнеровским металом». А творческий потенциал группы на данный момент дает все основания для самых оптимистических прогнозов. И эти прогнозы сбылись. 31 октября 2005 года (День, когда отмечают Хэллоуин) группа представила публике свой новый альбом – Keeper of the Seven Keys: The Legacy.
В 2007 году вышел новый экспериментальный альбом под названием Gambling With the Devil.
В конце 2009 года в честь своего 25-тилетия группа выпускает сборник своих старых вещей, но с новыми аранжировками под названием Unarmed. Это действительно экспериментальный альбом. В нем Helloween задействовали оркестр в 70 человек, детский хор, трубы. Металла на альбоме почти не осталось, но, тем не менее, альбом получился довольно интересным.
Новый альбом, который получил название 7 Sinners, вышел 31 октября 2010 года. 12 сентября в сеть были выложены 30 секундные семплы с альбома. 22 сентября вышел сингл "Are you metal?"[2]. На конец 2012 года группа запланировала выпуск нового студийного альбома.
Релиз следующего лонгплея группы - Straight Out Of Hell - состоялся 21 января 2013 года.
Альбомы:
1985 - Helloween
1985 - Walls of Jericho
1987 - Keeper of the Seven Keys Part I
1988 - Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II
1991 - Pink Bubbles Go Ape
1993 - Chameleon
1994 - Master of the Rings
1996 - The Time of the Oath
1998 - Better Than Raw
1999 - Metal Jukebox
2000 - The Dark Ride
2003 - Rabbit Don't Come Easy
2005 - Keeper of the Seven Keys: The Legacy
2007 - Gambling With the Devil
2009 - Unarmed
2010 - 7 Sinners
2013 - Straight Out Of Hell
Текущий состав Helloween:
Michael Weikath
Markus Großkopf
Andi Deris
Sascha Gerstner
Daniel Loeble Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
Helloween is a power/heavy/speed metal band from Germany founded in 1978 by members of Iron Fist and Powerfool, as Gentry. Helloween are known as major innovators of power metal.
Members today are:
Andi Deris – Vocals,
Michael Weikath – Guitar, Backing vocals,
Sascha Gerstner – Guitar, Backing vocals,
Markus Grosskopf – Bass, Backing vocals
and Daniel Löble – Drums
The original line-up featured:
Kai Hansen (Vocals/Guitars),
Michael Weikath (Guitars),
Markus Grosskopf (Bass)
and Ingo Schwichtenberg (Drums).
In 1984 the band had signed a deal with Noise Records and recorded two songs for a Noise compilation record called Death Metal. The two tracks were "Oernst Of Life" by Weikath, and Hansen's "Metal Invaders" which later on ended up in a faster version on the band's first full-length album.
1985 came around and Helloween then recorded their first record Helloween, a self-titled EP containing 5 tracks. The EP was successful, and during 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. (In Fact, WWE Wrestler Chris Jericho took his stage name from the album, as well as the name of his signature submission move Walls Of Jericho). However, during the following tour, it became obvious that Kai had difficulties singing and playing the guitar at the same time. Kai's last performance as the band's lead-singer came in 1986 in form of a single EP titled Judas, which contained the song "Judas" along with some live tracks. After that Helloween began the search for a new vocalist...
The first choice was to recruit former Tyran Pace vocalist Ralf Scheepers, however the band ended up finding an 18-year-old talent from the local Hamburg band Ill Prophecy, named Michael Kiske. With their new lead singer they recorded Keeper of the Seven Keys, Part 1, released in 1987, which established Helloween as one of the most successful metal bands in Europe. In 1988 Helloween recorded Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II, their best-known album featuring the classic line-up. The band achieved even more success around the world than with "Keeper 1" and things were going extremely well.
Guitarist Kai Hansen surprisingly left the band soon after the European tour for the "Keeper 2" album due to conflicts within the band as well as troubles with the record company, and a growing dissatisfaction with life on tour. He was shortly after replaced by former Rampage guitarist Roland Grapow, who finished the rest of the "Keeper 2" tour with the band.
In 1989 the band released a live album called Live In The UK, featuring live material from their 1988 European tour, entitled Keepers Live in Japan and I Want Out Live in US. The remaining members continued on, but label problems kept them from touring and releasing new material until 1991 when, after several rumours about the band breaking up, they released Pink Bubbles Go Ape. The album was an utter failure commercially and critically, and soon tensions started to build up between the band members. The pop-influenced follow-up Chameleon, released in 1993, made the band lose most of their hardcore fans. During the Chameleon-tour, drummer Ingo Schwichtenberg fell ill due to personal- and drug-related problems, and was eventually forced to take a break from the band. Meanwhile the conflicts within the rest of the band had grown even worse, and the band decided to fire singer Michael Kiske.
Helloween returned in 1994 with former Pink Cream 69 singer Andi Deris as their new lead-singer, and Uli Kusch, formerly of Kai Hansen's new band Gamma Ray, on the drums, releasing their successful comeback Master of the Rings. However, in 1995 the band and its former members were badly shaken by the tragic suicide of original drummer Ingo Schwichtenberg, who never managed to recover from his illness. Dedicated to his memory, 1996's The Time Of The Oath re-established the band as one of the most popular European metal bands. Following another world tour, a double live album called High Live was released.
In 1998 Helloween released Better Than Raw, one of the band's heaviest albums since the full-length debut. A cover-album called Metal Jukebox was released in 1999. 2000 saw the release of The Dark Ride, a more experimental and darker album than their previous releases. Immediately after the following world tour, Helloween parted ways with guitarist Roland Grapow and drummer Uli Kusch who together formed Masterplan. Replacements were soon found in guitarist Sascha Gerstner (ex-Freedom Call, Neumond), and drummer Mark Cross (ex. Metalium and Kingdom Come, currently in Firewind) who was later to be replaced by Stefan Schwarzmann, former drummer of Running Wild and Accept. Another studio album titled Rabbit Don't Come Easy came in 2003 with a successful world tour following, including the bands first tour in the U.S. since 1989.
2005 saw yet another line-up change, following the "Rabbits on the Run" tour, as it became apparent that Helloween and Stefan Schwarzmann did not share the same musical vision. As further noted by the band, he had some trouble performing fast drum parts, so he was replaced by Dani Loble, the former drummer of German metal band Rawhead Rexx. A change in record company also followed as they inked a deal with German label SPV. Any fears that what had now become a revolving door of band members would affect the quality of their new album were laid to rest as Helloween's new studio album, titled Keeper of the Seven Keys - The Legacy, was released in October 28, 2005 in Germany, and November 8 in the U.S.A. to commercial and critical acclaim. The album had a pre-release single, Mrs. God, as well as a video for the track. The track Light the Universe was released as a single on November 22, featuring Candice Night of Blackmore's Night on guest vocals. She also appears in the video clip for that track.
In late 2006, Helloween filmed and recorded shows in Sao Paulo (Brazil), Sofia (Bulgaria) and Tokyo (Japan), for their live album Keeper Of The Seven Keys - The Legacy World Tour 2005/2006. The DVD also featured extra footage of the band as well as interviews and a road movie. This is the second Helloween live album to feature Andi Deris as frontman, and third overall. It enjoyed chart success in several countries: Germany: 9 (DVD) & 58 (CD), Sweden: 9 (DVD), France: 10 (DVD).
Helloween has since completed their latest studio album Gambling with the Devil, which was released on October 23, 2007. It has received many positive reviews, with most fans praising the album as being one of the best Deris era albums. Despite being one of Helloween's heaviest albums, it is noted for featuring more keyboards. "As Long As I Fall", the first single, was released in early September and available only via download (save for Japan, where it was released on CD). The video for the song is available at their official site.
Helloween teamed up with Kai Hansen's current band Gamma Ray for their 2007/2008 "Hellish Rock" world tour, that started in early November 2007. Helloween were headlining and Gamma Ray were labeled as the "very special guest" with most shows also having fellow German "guest" Axxis. The tour went through Europe, Asia, South America as well as a few dates in the US. The tour is notable for Kai Hansen stepping on stage with his former band fellows Weikath and Grosskopf to perform hits "I Want Out" and "Future World" in the last encore segment of Helloween.
On December 26, 2009, Helloween released the Unarmed – Best of 25th Anniversary album in Japan. The album was released on February 1, 2010 in Europe. The album is a compilation of 10 of the band's best songs, re-recorded in different musical styles than the original recordings and by the current lineup. It features a 17 minute "Keepers Medley", recorded by a 70 piece orchestra from Prague, mixing together "Halloween", "The Keeper of the Seven Keys", and "The King for 1000 years". There is a limited edition digipak, including a 30 minute "making of"-DVD with interviews and studio footage. The bands website states that the album will be released on April 13, 2010 in North America via SONY & THE END RECORDS labels.
Helloween released their thirteenth studio album, 7 Sinners, on October 31 in Europe and November 3 in the US. Before its physical release, the band made it available worldwide for streaming via its Myspace page. The name of the album alludes to the seven deadly sins which, according to Andi Deris, it goes straight to the point "after an acoustic album, we needed definitely something that shows the people without any question that this is a metal album".The band toured to promote the new album with Stratovarius and Pink Cream 69 as their guests. On April 5th 2011, via the band's website, it was announced that 7 Sinners was awarded 'Gold status' in the Czech republic.
In mid-September 2012, Helloween announced the title of their upcoming fourteenth studio album, "Straight Out of Hell", released in 18th January 2013. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
Members today are:
Andi Deris – Vocals,
Michael Weikath – Guitar, Backing vocals,
Sascha Gerstner – Guitar, Backing vocals,
Markus Grosskopf – Bass, Backing vocals
and Daniel Löble – Drums
The original line-up featured:
Kai Hansen (Vocals/Guitars),
Michael Weikath (Guitars),
Markus Grosskopf (Bass)
and Ingo Schwichtenberg (Drums).
In 1984 the band had signed a deal with Noise Records and recorded two songs for a Noise compilation record called Death Metal. The two tracks were "Oernst Of Life" by Weikath, and Hansen's "Metal Invaders" which later on ended up in a faster version on the band's first full-length album.
1985 came around and Helloween then recorded their first record Helloween, a self-titled EP containing 5 tracks. The EP was successful, and during 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. (In Fact, WWE Wrestler Chris Jericho took his stage name from the album, as well as the name of his signature submission move Walls Of Jericho). However, during the following tour, it became obvious that Kai had difficulties singing and playing the guitar at the same time. Kai's last performance as the band's lead-singer came in 1986 in form of a single EP titled Judas, which contained the song "Judas" along with some live tracks. After that Helloween began the search for a new vocalist...
The first choice was to recruit former Tyran Pace vocalist Ralf Scheepers, however the band ended up finding an 18-year-old talent from the local Hamburg band Ill Prophecy, named Michael Kiske. With their new lead singer they recorded Keeper of the Seven Keys, Part 1, released in 1987, which established Helloween as one of the most successful metal bands in Europe. In 1988 Helloween recorded Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II, their best-known album featuring the classic line-up. The band achieved even more success around the world than with "Keeper 1" and things were going extremely well.
Guitarist Kai Hansen surprisingly left the band soon after the European tour for the "Keeper 2" album due to conflicts within the band as well as troubles with the record company, and a growing dissatisfaction with life on tour. He was shortly after replaced by former Rampage guitarist Roland Grapow, who finished the rest of the "Keeper 2" tour with the band.
In 1989 the band released a live album called Live In The UK, featuring live material from their 1988 European tour, entitled Keepers Live in Japan and I Want Out Live in US. The remaining members continued on, but label problems kept them from touring and releasing new material until 1991 when, after several rumours about the band breaking up, they released Pink Bubbles Go Ape. The album was an utter failure commercially and critically, and soon tensions started to build up between the band members. The pop-influenced follow-up Chameleon, released in 1993, made the band lose most of their hardcore fans. During the Chameleon-tour, drummer Ingo Schwichtenberg fell ill due to personal- and drug-related problems, and was eventually forced to take a break from the band. Meanwhile the conflicts within the rest of the band had grown even worse, and the band decided to fire singer Michael Kiske.
Helloween returned in 1994 with former Pink Cream 69 singer Andi Deris as their new lead-singer, and Uli Kusch, formerly of Kai Hansen's new band Gamma Ray, on the drums, releasing their successful comeback Master of the Rings. However, in 1995 the band and its former members were badly shaken by the tragic suicide of original drummer Ingo Schwichtenberg, who never managed to recover from his illness. Dedicated to his memory, 1996's The Time Of The Oath re-established the band as one of the most popular European metal bands. Following another world tour, a double live album called High Live was released.
In 1998 Helloween released Better Than Raw, one of the band's heaviest albums since the full-length debut. A cover-album called Metal Jukebox was released in 1999. 2000 saw the release of The Dark Ride, a more experimental and darker album than their previous releases. Immediately after the following world tour, Helloween parted ways with guitarist Roland Grapow and drummer Uli Kusch who together formed Masterplan. Replacements were soon found in guitarist Sascha Gerstner (ex-Freedom Call, Neumond), and drummer Mark Cross (ex. Metalium and Kingdom Come, currently in Firewind) who was later to be replaced by Stefan Schwarzmann, former drummer of Running Wild and Accept. Another studio album titled Rabbit Don't Come Easy came in 2003 with a successful world tour following, including the bands first tour in the U.S. since 1989.
2005 saw yet another line-up change, following the "Rabbits on the Run" tour, as it became apparent that Helloween and Stefan Schwarzmann did not share the same musical vision. As further noted by the band, he had some trouble performing fast drum parts, so he was replaced by Dani Loble, the former drummer of German metal band Rawhead Rexx. A change in record company also followed as they inked a deal with German label SPV. Any fears that what had now become a revolving door of band members would affect the quality of their new album were laid to rest as Helloween's new studio album, titled Keeper of the Seven Keys - The Legacy, was released in October 28, 2005 in Germany, and November 8 in the U.S.A. to commercial and critical acclaim. The album had a pre-release single, Mrs. God, as well as a video for the track. The track Light the Universe was released as a single on November 22, featuring Candice Night of Blackmore's Night on guest vocals. She also appears in the video clip for that track.
In late 2006, Helloween filmed and recorded shows in Sao Paulo (Brazil), Sofia (Bulgaria) and Tokyo (Japan), for their live album Keeper Of The Seven Keys - The Legacy World Tour 2005/2006. The DVD also featured extra footage of the band as well as interviews and a road movie. This is the second Helloween live album to feature Andi Deris as frontman, and third overall. It enjoyed chart success in several countries: Germany: 9 (DVD) & 58 (CD), Sweden: 9 (DVD), France: 10 (DVD).
Helloween has since completed their latest studio album Gambling with the Devil, which was released on October 23, 2007. It has received many positive reviews, with most fans praising the album as being one of the best Deris era albums. Despite being one of Helloween's heaviest albums, it is noted for featuring more keyboards. "As Long As I Fall", the first single, was released in early September and available only via download (save for Japan, where it was released on CD). The video for the song is available at their official site.
Helloween teamed up with Kai Hansen's current band Gamma Ray for their 2007/2008 "Hellish Rock" world tour, that started in early November 2007. Helloween were headlining and Gamma Ray were labeled as the "very special guest" with most shows also having fellow German "guest" Axxis. The tour went through Europe, Asia, South America as well as a few dates in the US. The tour is notable for Kai Hansen stepping on stage with his former band fellows Weikath and Grosskopf to perform hits "I Want Out" and "Future World" in the last encore segment of Helloween.
On December 26, 2009, Helloween released the Unarmed – Best of 25th Anniversary album in Japan. The album was released on February 1, 2010 in Europe. The album is a compilation of 10 of the band's best songs, re-recorded in different musical styles than the original recordings and by the current lineup. It features a 17 minute "Keepers Medley", recorded by a 70 piece orchestra from Prague, mixing together "Halloween", "The Keeper of the Seven Keys", and "The King for 1000 years". There is a limited edition digipak, including a 30 minute "making of"-DVD with interviews and studio footage. The bands website states that the album will be released on April 13, 2010 in North America via SONY & THE END RECORDS labels.
Helloween released their thirteenth studio album, 7 Sinners, on October 31 in Europe and November 3 in the US. Before its physical release, the band made it available worldwide for streaming via its Myspace page. The name of the album alludes to the seven deadly sins which, according to Andi Deris, it goes straight to the point "after an acoustic album, we needed definitely something that shows the people without any question that this is a metal album".The band toured to promote the new album with Stratovarius and Pink Cream 69 as their guests. On April 5th 2011, via the band's website, it was announced that 7 Sinners was awarded 'Gold status' in the Czech republic.
In mid-September 2012, Helloween announced the title of their upcoming fourteenth studio album, "Straight Out of Hell", released in 18th January 2013. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.