Despite Helloween clearly being the headline act, HammerFall were afforded a 75 minute set - and, at least in London, had a stage set-up that looked headline-worthy. HammerFall have generally neglected the UK as part of their recent tours, and given the reception that they received throughout their set it is hard to see why. There is clearly a lot of love for the band in the UK, and there were times during HammerFall's set where you could be forgiven for assuming that they were the evening's headline act. With their latest album Hammer of Dawn only a couple of months old, the veteran Swedish band took the opportunity to promote it live by playing three songs from it - as well a number of memorable tracks from throughout their catalogue. The fast-paced Brotherhood, from the new album, got the set off to a great start. The sound mix was slightly muddy, as it was for Helloween too, but it was not bad enough to ruin the evening. There was a lack of definition in the guitars at times, particularly during some of the solos, but overall HammerFall sounded powerful - and frontman Joacim Cans sounded excellent. Brotherhood was a great early showcase for him, before the pace was slowed somewhat for the anthemic and Accept-esque Any Means Necessary that certainly saw plenty of headbanging and fist-pumping from the crowd. It was clear that the band wanted to showcase as much of their catalogue as possible, and then went right back to the start for a rare outing of The Metal Age, before racing back up to the present day to the gang vocal-led Hammer of Dawn. Guitarists Oscar Dronjak and Pontus Norgren were kept busy throughout thanks to the amount of gang vocals that they had to perform, but the crowd often helped them out. Each song was greeted warmly by the crowd, too, with, classics like Renegade eliciting just as strong a result as a the melodic Venerate Me from the new album - which is destined to become a setlist staple thanks to its excellent chorus. The band also took the opportunity to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their fourth album Crimson Thunder with a medley featuring snippets of a few of the album's songs, which then led nicely into Let the Hammer Fall - which the band used as an opportunity to really get the crowd involved. The song prompted a big sing-a-long befitting the its gang-vocal tendencies, and this energy was carried over into the epic power ballad Glory to the Brave - which also featured lots of singing from the crowd, as well as some great guitar solos. The main set then came to an end with the classic rock-inspired (We Make) Sweden Rock, which the crowd also enjoyed a very much. There was time for a couple more, however, and the encore break showcased HammerFall's status on this tour as not just a typical support act. Hammer High was first in the two-song encore, but the main highlight was a frantic Hearts on Fire - which was arguably the band's best-received song of the night. It has always been HammerFall's anthem, and it was a great way to end the 75 minute set - with one last sing-a-long before Helloween took to the stage. The setlist was:
Brotherhood
Any Means Necessary
The Metal Age
Hammer of Dawn
Blood Bound
Renegade
Venerate Me
Last Man Standing
Hero's Return/Riders of the Storm/Crimson Thunder
Let the Hammer Fall
Glory to the Brave
(We Make) Sweden Rock
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Hammer High
Hearts on Fire
Despite not playing a three-hour set this time, Helloween still played for just over two hours - and the setlist included a number of songs that were not played at the 2017 show. They hit the stage around half an hour after HammerFall finished, and they immediately launched into the epic Skyfall - the final track from last year's excellent self-titled album. Three songs from Helloween were featured throughout the set, with the rest of the evening made up of Helloween classics and a handful of rarely-played older numbers. As has been the tradition since the seven-piece Helloween line-up got together, the show was very much a spectacle. Kiske and Andi Deris often traded lead vocals throughout the songs, although there were some songs that each sang alone, whilst Hansen, Michael Weikath (guitar/vocals), and Sascha Gerstner (guitars/vocals) threw riffs and solos back and forth all night. Skyfall was a great opening song as it showcased this way of doing things from the off. Kiske and Deris' vocals work well together, whilst the spacey mid-section that features Hansen taking the lead vocally also impressed. Only around two-thirds of the song was played, however, but this fact will be returned to later. The bona fide classic Eagle Fly Free followed, which showcased Kiske's still-impressive vocal range, before the heavier Mass Pollution from the latest album really shone the spotlight on Deris. If I had to criticise the setlist at all, it was one that often seemed to relegate Deris to being something of a bit-part player - which was not the case last time. I feel like that the band sensed this too, as he did have a greater presence in some of the songs in comparison to how they were presented last time. A bit more of a vocal balance would have been preferable, but given the relative shortness of this show compared to last time it was perhaps inevitable. Mass Pollution gave him a chance to showcase his raspy talents, however, before the spotlight was turned onto Kiske for two old numbers. The anthemic Future World has always been a Helloween staple, but an early highlight for me was a rare outing for Save Us - a Hansen-penned tune that had not been played live since the late 1980s until this tour. Despite Kiske singing the song with his usual smoothness, the track actually sounds more like the Helloween sound that was cultivated on the band's 1985 debut album Walls of Jericho than the more melodic sound of 1988's Keeper of the Seven Keys - Part II - where it appeared on American CD editions of the album. Hansen sung the song's speed metal chorus to great effect, and the song was a real highlight thanks to its energy and rarity. The spotlight was then turned back onto Deris for a strong rendition of Where the Rain Grows - a creeping melodic track from 1994's excellent Master of the Rings.
It has been a tradition since the seven-piece Helloween got together to feature some material from Walls of Jericho and the original Helloween EP from the same year in the form of a medley. This tradition has continued into 2022, with a new medley conjured up for this tour. Hansen still has a great voice, and the Helloween material that he sung is rather different from what the band would become known for a couple of years later. It has been great having the spotlight shone on these old songs again, though, and hearing snippets of tracks like Metal Invaders, the creepy Gorgar, and the anthemic Ride the Sky was great - with much of the fast-paced and silly Heavy Metal (Is the Law) closing out Hansen's time in the spotlight. Given the speed metal of the previous 15 or so minutes, a ballad followed - with the gentle Forever and One (Neverland) prompting a large sing-a-long, with both Deris and Kiske joining forces for the song's aching melodies. The spotlight was then turned on Gerstner, who impressed with an atmospheric guitar solo which acted as the intro to the upbeat single Best Time - the final track from the new album to be showcased. There are better songs on the album, but the song came across very well live thanks to its easy chorus and energy. The vibe was then continued on through a barnstorming rendition of Dr. Stein, which was one of the songs of the evening for me thanks to its great riffing and the bouncy chorus - before the lengthy How Many Tears closed out the main set. All three singers traded vocals throughout, and the old-school song worked really well as a closing track - or at least it would have were it not for the final third of Skyfall which was added to the end of it. This addition worked well though, and it helped to properly bookend the set - as it opened and closed with the same song. This gave the set something of a completeness, and the crowd understandably gave the band a big cheer as they left the stage. There was time for more, though, and a two-part encore followed. The ballad A Tale That Wasn't Right kicked off the encore with Kiske's soulful vocal delivery, before the energy was upped with a romp through Power. The lengthy Keeper of the Seven Keys then brought the first part of the encore to a close, and like the 2017 show the epic track was another highlight of the night. It is one of the band's most progressive pieces, and hearing the complex song live is always a treat - especially with Hansen, Weikath, and Gerstner all soloing throughout. The curfew was fast approaching at this time, but there was time for one last track and I Want Out was of course the closing number. The song is one of Helloween's true anthems, and the crowd almost took the roof off the venue with their singing during the simple, foot-stomping chorus. It was a great end to a great night, and the band seemed to really appreciate the reception - especially as the London show was only their second performance since 2019. The setlist was:
Orbit
Skyfall
Eagle Fly Free
Mass Pollution
Future World
Save Us
Where the Rain Grows
Metal Invaders/Victim of Fate/Gorgar/Ride the Sky/Heavy Metal (Is the Law)
Forever and One (Neverland)
Best Time
Dr. Stein
How Many Tears/Skyfall
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A Tale That Wasn't Right
Power
Keeper of the Seven Keys
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I Want Out
Despite some nit-picks with the vocal balance between Kiske and Deris as well as a somewhat muddy sound that affected both bands, I had a great time with both Helloween and HammerFall in Brixton last night. I have now seen both bands three times, and they are always good value live - particularly Helloween who have really been pulling nuggets out of the vault since joining forces again with Kiske and Hansen. It is great that this version of Helloween seems to have legs, as the mix of singers works well - and last year's album was excellent. It was also great to see HammerFall again after 11 years - as the last time I saw them was when they opened for Saxon in Leicester in 2011, having missed their sole London headline show since in 2015. Hopefully HammerFall will make more effort again with the UK on future tours, as there was certainly a lot of love for the band in the room last night.
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