Helloween & Gamma Ray

Sail on by Masterplan was a great song....just saying, its Halloween related

And Night Prowler, I actually like Chameleon. I also loves Unarmed. I generally like whenever Halloween has gone and some something different out of the norm. Although tbh, Unarmed was really the doing of the record company and everyone who isn't he 5 members of the band. Weiki is credited on almost nothing o the album. Nonetheless I liked it.

And maybe the reason you prefer DragonForce nowadays is because youre looking for stereotypical power metal, and for a long time now Helloween hasnt just been playing standard power metal. Their albums actually have a variety of styles spread throughout.
 
Dragonforce has some cool music for sure, but I think they're a one trick pony. Although it is cool that a power metal band like them has become so popular in North America.

That popularity belongs to Helloween. The two Keepers albums made Helloween huge, they were on the brink of something big. Then the band fell apart and they release a subpar album that didn't even get released in America until years later. Pink Bubbles wasn't bad, in fact had the label actually supported it and gave it a North America release, I think there's a chance it could have been able to put them over the edge. It could have been their Black album ;p or I could be way off on that, its a thought.

But Helloween could have been huge. I honestly believe they would have ended up another Maiden or Judas Priest had they had the support of their label. Another album as strong as the Keepers, with the labels support and advertising- I'm telling you, they'd be selling out huge stadiums worldwide!
 
Night Prowler said:
This. Same can't be said for last 2 Helloween albums which have bad production, boring drums, incredibly cheesy and dumb lyrics and songtitles and lots of ripped off songs.
Click to expand...

I disagree with everything you wrote.

Helloween never rips off songs, that's BS. Now Gamma Ray, that's another story. Gamma Rays shamelessly rips of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, just to name a couple. The same cannot be said about Helloween. They're the ones who get ripped off.
 
It's been awhile since I heard King of 7 Eyes, but I can say that just based on the fact that Andi Deris wrote both Nabatea and King of 7 Eyes it really doesn't count. And I've never heard the solo you named.
 
Does anyone know what band popularized the guitar dual solos? I know Priest and Maiden were the guys who popularized twin leads and harmonies. But I have a theory that twin guitar solos and guitar duals became more popular after the two Keeper albums. At least with European metal bands.
 
What do you mean by twin solos? Like trading off solos quickly? Because Maiden and Priest were doing that too.
 
NotePad said:
Does anyone know what band popularized the guitar dual solos? I know Priest and Maiden were the guys who popularized twin leads and harmonies. But I have a theory that twin guitar solos and guitar duals became more popular after the two Keeper albums. At least with European metal bands.
Click to expand...
Priest popularized is to a certain extent but I read Steve saying that Maiden took that aspect from Wishbone Ash.
 
Im just saying it seems like it became a lot more popular to do after Priest and Maiden, and then Helloween. But its more popular of a trait for Helloween and other power metal bands. At least, that's just how things seem from my perspective.

On a related note, for awhile now, since Gambling with The Devil, I've suspected that Sascha Gerstner records most of the guitar work on the albums. On Rabbit and Legacy, the booklet says who played which lead/solo and all that. I started wondering about this because when Helloween plays live nowadays it seems as if Sascha plays like at least 70% of the leads/solos. Honestly. And listening to albums like 7Sinners and SOoH, which don't have the credits in the booklet, I can't image Weiki playing some of the more modern kinda nu-metal sounding parts and solos. And yea, Weiki has a recognizable style and I hear none of it in those parts. And if you look at the credits for Unarmed, Sascha is credited for about 80% of the guitar work, at least.

If any big Helloween fans can shed some light on this, please do. I hate seeing a talented guy like Weiki laying low.
 
Last edited:
I think you could be right to say that Helloween popularized that within the power metal genre, but they were very influential in the genre anyway. Outside of that, it seems like the influence primarily comes from Maiden and Priest.
 
Imagine you had to create a three 80min CD compilation covering three periods (1985-1993; 1994-2001; 2003-2015), what would your tracklists be? Live versions can be used...even with Richie Abdel-Nabi on the drums! PS I'm not from their label, that means you can include songs by Roland Grapow and Uli Kusch. :D
 
I would have to include everything from The Dark Ride (who says there's no dark power metal? Mr. Fucking Torture ;)
Some other songs that I would personally have to include, other than all of TDR, would be: Steel Tormentor, Before The War, Secret Alibi, The Saints, Dreambound, Heaven Tells No Lies, Final Fortune, World of War, Burning Sun......hell pretty much everything they done with Andi Deris. Everything from Master of The Rings up until now I love. Really. Not only do they experiment and progress, they also stick to a very classic Helloween sound, just evolved. Love it. I hope they never stop!!!
 
Gamma Ray have another setlist poll going on: http://www.gammaray.org/news/225-best-of-the-best-party-tour-2015-voting
And there are prizes and shit. If I win I'm going to the Budapest show :D

I voted for:
Heaven Can Wait and Heading For Tomorrow
As Time Goes By and Dream Healer
No Return and Last Before The Storm
Beyond The Black Hole and Somewhere Out In Space
Rebellion and Afterlife
Anywhere In The Galaxy and Armageddon
Dethrone Tyranny and Lake Of Tears
My Temple and Majesty
Rain and Empress
Empathy and Rise
Master and Empire (don't like them really, but only ones I know from the last album)

Favorite albums: LOTF and SOIS.
 
Night Prowler said:
Gamma Ray have another setlist poll going on: http://www.gammaray.org/news/225-best-of-the-best-party-tour-2015-voting
And there are prizes and shit. If I win I'm going to the Budapest show :D

I voted for:
Heaven Can Wait and Heading For Tomorrow
As Time Goes By and Dream Healer
No Return and Last Before The Storm
Beyond The Black Hole and Somewhere Out In Space
Rebellion and Afterlife
Anywhere In The Galaxy and Armageddon
Dethrone Tyranny and Lake Of Tears
My Temple and Majesty
Rain and Empress
Empathy and Rise
Master and Empire (don't like them really, but only ones I know from the last album)

Favorite albums: LOTF and SOIS.
Click to expand...
These are great choices... wish Maiden would do this
 
I like newer Gamma Ray, but I notice more and more how often they...... "pay homage" to other classic metal bands. Sometimes they outright rip-off Maiden and Priest. Disappointing because are they not original and enough of a classic band to just continue coming up with their own stuff?...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top