Helloween - London Review

Whilst I am now home, I am reflecting on what was an excellent few days away taking in a couple of excellent power metal shows. I have already discussed Finland's Sonata Arctica bringing their current album's touring cycle to a close in Manchester on Sunday, and it was good to return to somewhere that I do not get to very often, whilst on Monday I headed down to London to see the genre-defining Helloween on their latest tour. Whilst Helloween have always been a big deal on the touring circuit, since regrouping with classic-era frontman Michael Kiske and founding member Kai Hansen (vocals/guitar), the German seven-piece have become one of the biggest names in the genre again - and are teaching bands the world over how to do a reunion properly. I doubt many thought that adding two long-departed classic-era members to the band's long-standing then-current line-up would last beyond one big blow-out tour - but the leviathan that now is Helloween is still be going strong. The configuration's second album Giant & Monsters (which I reviewed here) will likely be considered one of the year's best releases by many, including me, come December - and it is the excuse for another lengthy European tour, with the band once again filling big venues. In the UK at least, Helloween have gone from playing venues like the O2 Forum in Kentish Town to the much larger O2 Academy in Brixton - but the sole UK stop on this tour was at the much more prestigious Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith. Helloween did play at the venue many years ago, but this was their first stop at perhaps the country's most famous rock venue since the 1980s. As well as promoting their excellent new album, though, this current tour also celebrates 40 years of Helloween. 1985 saw the release of both their self-titled EP and their debut album Walls of Jericho - meaning that 2025 sees Helloween looking back and celebrating that long history. With Kiske and Hansen still on board, too, this history feels like it is being celebrated properly. All of the band's living founding members are in the band at this point - and with both Kiske and long-time frontman Andi Deris in tow all of the band's eras can be properly represented. As such, fans rocked up to the Apollo expecting a career-spanning setlist - which is exactly what they got. Shows at the Apollo are always good experiences, too, as there is not a bad place in the room as far as views go - and the sound is generally good. It is legendary for a reason - and even with plenty of newer and more advanced rooms across the city there is still a prestige to playing the Apollo. Some things never really change, then, and there is always a sparkle to any show there. My trip there was largely smooth, despite a late train down from Manchester - but I had time for a bit of a rest in my hotel before heading over to the venue. Thankfully the rain had stopped by the time it was time to queue - and we were all soon inside despite the doors opening late. The door time had changed a few hours before the show, too, moving from 7pm to 6pm. Considering that the support act did not go on until nearly 7:15pm, though, I am not sure why we needed to be there so early - and this initial wait did get tedious.

Once the music got underway everyone forgot all about the long wait. In support throughout this whole European tour are Finland's Beast in Black - and the power metal five-piece took very little time to establish themselves as a vital part of this bill. It was actually my fifth time seeing them live, as I had previously seen them opening for Rhapsody, Gloryhammer, and Nightwish twice - but it had been three years since I had last seen them. Beast in Black are a pretty big band in their own right these days, so it was unsurprising that they were afforded nearly an hour to play with - and it was clear that many in the crowd were already fans. Whilst the crowd was clearly louder and more active during Helloween's set, there was certainly a strong atmosphere from the off. Beast in Black had little to do to get most onboard, then, with the epic Power of the Beast getting things underway. All three of the band's albums were represented in the set, whilst the two stand-alone singles which have dropped more recently were also included. The band's sound has somewhat shifted over the years, too, with the newer material being much more synth-driven and poppy - whilst the older songs feel heavier. Synths often filled the room, then, but there was still plenty of heaviness throughout the set thanks to the chunky guitar riffing and shredded soloing of both Anton Kabanen and Kasperi Heikkinen. Despite this, though, the synths seemed very high in the mix early on. Even the drums seemed somewhat drowned out by them during the first couple of songs - but things soon levelled out. The soloing was audible throughout, whilst the high-pitched, acrobatic vocals of frontman Yannis Papadopoulos never felt buried. He did feel a little more ragged than usual at times, perhaps suffering from a seasonal illness, but overall he still sounded strong - and Kabanen added some heavier vocals at times as he always does. The band have many good songs, so putting together a setlist must be tricky - but I think that the 12 songs played represented the Beast in Black sound nicely. Heavier moments such as the anthemic Hardcore and the old favourite Blood of a Lion sat nicely alongside AOR-tinged tracks like From Hell with Love and Sweet True Lies - with the latter in particular seeing plenty of singing from the crowd. Papadopoulos took a few opportunities to speak to the crowd, but generally he was stopped from doing so thanks to the crowd chanting the band's name - something quite rare for a support act. The band certainly did their bit in warming the crowd up, then, but this was no surprise with anthem following anthem. The band's self-titled track remains a perennial live favourite - whilst the poppy Die by the Blade always feels like it should have been on a 1980s video game soundtrack. The band's pop side was on full display throughout One Night in Tokyo, though, but the end was looming by this point. After announcing that their fourth album would drop next year and that they would be returning to London in October 2026, Papadopoulos brought things to a close with the fast-paced No Surrender - and given the cheers in the room that London show might sell out rather quickly. The setlist was:

Power of the Beast

Hardcore

From Hell with Love

Blood of a Lion

Cry Out for a Hero

Sweet True Lies

Enter the Behelit

Beast in Black

Die by the Blade

One Night in Tokyo

Blind and Frozen

No Surrender

A curtain soon came down to cover the stage - building the mood for the power metal masterclass which was to follow. Helloween's shows in recent years have been epic - but the last time I saw them in 2022 it felt somewhat more like a typical album touring cycle show as opposed to the previous huge reunion show. Given that this latest show was both an album touring cycle show as well as a 40th anniversary celebration, the band went all-out in terms of production. As such, the show felt closer to that epic reunion show in 2017 than the 2022 show - and the setlist was a real career-spanning affair. A few songs from the new album featured, but there were plenty of old favourites and deep cuts, too - some of which had not been played live for many years. Kicking off with the classic March of Time, it was clear that the band meant business. As the curtain dropped the band took to the stage as a showcase of their whole back catalogue was shown on the screen - and the fast-paced power metal anthem was a great way to start the show. Kiske and Deris shared the vocals, as they did so often throughout the show, and it was a treat hearing the track live as it was not one I had seen them do on stage before. From the off, too, the sound was excellent. All of the lead vocals, no matter who was singing, could be heard clearly throughout - whilst the balance between the three lead guitarists was generally well struck. The setlist had a nice flow to it, too, ensuring that a classic was never too far away - meaning that the casual fans would not be able to lose interest for too long during the deep cuts. One of those deeper cuts was thrown in early on, though, with the epic The King for 1000 Years getting a rare outing. The arrangement was somewhat paired down, but it was still a lengthy cut - with Deris taking the lead despite Kiske still having a strong vocal presence. It is always interesting hearing Kiske singing the Deris-era material - and The King for a 1000 Years was transformed into a true classic thanks to both of them singing. The two singers have great chemistry, too, as was evident during an interaction which followed - but it was soon time to introduce Hansen, who kicked off the bona fide classic Future World. He even sang part of the song, too, making it a vocal three-way - and the crowd was also led in a lengthy sing-a-long. The bouncy This Is Tokyo was the first of four new songs played - but as good as it was I think it was the next few songs which really saw the set take off. Not every song saw the two frontmen duetting. Deris' We Burn saw him taking the microphone alone, with the heavy track feeling powerful early on, before Kiske shone during the speedy Twilight of the Gods - a song which had not been performed live since the 1980s before this tour. There were quite a few treats in that vein throughout the night - but Ride the Sky which followed is a real classic which allowed Hansen some time in the spotlight. He sounded strong vocally during it - and the speed metal riffing allowed him, Michael Weikath (guitar/vocals), and Sascha Gerstner (guitar/vocals) to all shred.

There were so many highlights that it would be hard to name them all - but the next really defining moment was likely new number Universe (Gravity for Hearts). The lengthy epic is one of the best songs on the new album - and it came alive on stage, with Kiske shining vocally. His smooth, high-pitched voice soared - although there was a funny moment when Hansen seemed to forget that he also had a vocal part in the song, which Kiske had to remind him of. Songwriter Gerstner also shone with some impressive guitar soloing, before the chunky Hell Was Made in Heaven reintroduced Deris and led into a lengthy solo from Dani Löble (drums). The drum solo did go on a bit too long for my liking, but it did lead into an epic rendition of I Want Out - so the set was soon back on track. It was strange hearing the song in the middle of the set, but it worked well as a mid-set pick-me-up following some deeper and newer cuts. A brief acoustic interlude followed, with Kiske delivering the short Pink Bubbles Go Ape to the amusement of the crowd - before he backed Deris on the acoustic guitar for In the Middle of a Heartbeat. The guitar was then passed to Deris, who backed Kiske for A Tale That Wasn't Right - with the rest of the band joining in when Weikath launched into his flowing guitar solo. This acoustic section worked nicely and did not outstay its welcome - as it was soon back to full-tilt Helloween with the evergreen Power, which Deris owned and the crowd sang loudly. Heavy Metal (Is the Law), which followed, though, fared less well - as I thought that Hansen sounded quite rough vocally during it. He sounded strong during Ride the Sky, but Heavy Metal (Is the Law) felt quite scrappy. In truth, the song has always felt a bit thrown together in my opinion, so it was not one of the set's high points, but this did not matter too much as the epic Halloween followed. The song is a classic for a reason - and it ended the main set. It also featured one of the set's handful of spoken introductions from the Keeper character on the screen - which added a lot to the overall show. These interludes and the quality of the on-screen graphics reminded me of the 2017 reunion show - and overall the quality of the presentation was really high. As was the quality of the performance, too, and Halloween was no exception. It is a song which really works well as a duet - so both Kiske and Deris sounded great throughout. The lengthy arrangement and multiple solo spots allowed Hansen, Weikath, and Gerstner to all show off, too, and it rounded out an epic main set with ease. Following a minute or so of silence, Invitation could be heard through the venue's PA - which meant that Eagle Fly Free was the first of a three-song encore. Kiske sang the song alone, and he sounded great throughout. His voice seems to have barely aged, and he powered above the band - turning the clock back to the 1980s. A final new track in the upbeat a A Little Is a Little Too Much then reintroduced Deris, and the crowd was bouncing during it, before the whole evening was wrapped up with then anthemic Dr. Stein - which again saw plenty of singing and jumping from the crowd. A snippet of Keeper of the Seven Keys was thrown in at the very end, too, and the large Hammersmith crowd certainly went away happy. The setlist was:

March of Time

The King for 1000 Years

Future World

This Is Tokyo

We Burn

Twilight of the Gods

Ride the Sky

Into the Sun

Hey Lord!

Universe (Gravity for Hearts)

Hell Was Made in Heaven

Drum Solo

I Want Out

Pink Bubbles Go Ape

In the Middle of a Heartbeat

A Tale That Wasn't Right

Power

Heavy Metal (Is the Law)

Halloween

-

Invitation

Eagle Fly Free

A Little Is a Little Too Much

Dr. Stein/Keeper of the Seven Keys

This was my fourth Helloween show, and my third seeing the band in their current configuration. That 2017 reunion show will likely always be the best, just for how long it was and how much of a novelty it felt at the time - but this one ran it close. The new songs came across well live and the inclusion of a number of deep cuts made it a real treat for long-time fans. A large Hammersmith crowd certainly made their appreciation felt during the night, too, and the atmosphere in the room was excellent from the off. This Helloween train just keeps on rolling, and it seems the seven-piece version really is in for the long haul - which seems to be paying off. I should also note that, as I was finishing this review off, Beast in Black announced that Heikkinen has left the band, three shows into this lengthy tour - meaning that this show was his last with the band.