Markus Grosskopf, bassist and original member, says that new album is “Heavy Rock with Pop Rock Attitude”, shares memories and decks shows in the country “Between March and April”
The second album of the septeto formation of the Helloween Arrives this Friday, 29. Giants & Monsters (Pre-Save here) brings a combination of three vocalists again (Michael Kiske, Andi deris and Kai Hansen) and three guitarists (Michael Weikath, SASCHA GERSTNER and Hansen himself), besides Markus Grosskopf (low) and Daniel Löble (battery).
For context: The German Power Metal Band, seminal in the development of the subgenched subgenre, has seven members because Kiske and Hansen returned to the band in 2016 after decades of removal, but the remnants did not fire Deris and Gerstner, who occupied their vacancies. Thus, a “megazord” of heavy music-something unusual, was created, because when such reconciliations occur, the “substitutes” tend to be dismissed.
Grosskopf, the only musician alongside Weikath to participate in all Helloween formations, feels done with the new album, seventh of the German Power Metal Group career. “Listening to these songs makes me a happy man, I’m happy to have done it”reflects Rolling Stone Brazil. “We always need a lot of time to compose, but everything is worth it.”
It really needed a long time. Still in March 2023, Kiske said the work around the new album had begun. Markus calculates approximately one and a half of efforts between composition and recording. The result is a record that has the face of HelloWeen, but it sounds slightly diverse: there are less typically Power accelerated compositions and more cadenced tracks, such as melodic aor “A Little is a little too much”the balladaça “Into The Sun” (entitled to piano use) and almost pop “Hand of God”. Three compositions reach more than six minutes – “Giants on The Run”, “UNIVERSE (Gravity for Gods) and “Majestic” – But the others are shorter, spinning around three and four minutes.
Grosskopf defines Giants & Monsters Like “a great heavy rock album”, with some fear of using the term “metal”. “It’s very open and has a lot of variety: heavy rock, but it has a pop rock attitude and some long, epic or progressive songs.”elaborates.
Your favorite is precisely the longest: “UNIVERSE (Gravity for Gods)with almost eight and a half minutes. “When I record the bass, I never know who of the three will sing, because they decide when the instrumental is done”explains, before you amend: “But when I heard this song, from the first moment they started singing, I got goose bumps immediately. I almost cried.”
According to the bassist, there was no discussion about the sound of Giants & Monsters. The first album of the septeto formation, namedly and released in 2021, did not excite a portion of the audience that expected a more varied sound palette: it is an accelerated, loaded and dense disc. The successor work has another approach, but Grosskopf guarantees: it was all natural. “We just put together the ideas and discuss which we will keep. We have five or six composers, so it’s very material”highlights.
There are seven members, however. Michael Kiske continues without offering compositions? Markus confirms. “We said that if he had some ideas, he could present them, but he didn’t have them. He said he preferred to focus on the performance of the songs that already exist. A great gesture on his part.”the bassist explained, perhaps aware that at the time of his departure in 1993, Kiske had strong creative disagreements with his colleagues.
Eat to brazil? Sore
There are bands that make mystery about when they will return to Brazil. With helloween, it doesn’t exist. As it is true that every tour will pass by, the Germans have already advanced, still in November last year, that the next visit would take place in 2026.
Markus Grosskopf says he cannot reveal the cities, because “Entrepreneurs will define where they will put me to drink beer with you”. But at least guarantees that it will happen between March and April. The rehearsals for the tour have already begun and the repertoire should be approximately two hours and 15 minutes.
It will be the 13th national excursion of Helloween, which continues to have a strong demand here – no wonder, our country is the fifth that received the most shows, behind only the homeland Germany, the United States, Japan and Spain. “Brazilians know how to show their emotions”reflects the bassist. “Sometimes fans sing our songs all together at the show site even before we were on stage! We goose bumps behind the scenes. When we entered the stage, some on the audience even cry. So if you have so much energy, you give a lot of energy back, of course.”
The most recent visit occurred two years ago, during the festival Monsters of Rockin São Paulo. They also played in Ribeirão Preto (for the first time in their career) and Curitiba, but the most vivid memories are from the São Paulo event, which also had Kiss, Scorpions, Deep Purplebetween others. Markus remembers an event of that April 22, 2023:
“Roger Glover [baixista do Deep Purple] It was on the side of the stage watching me play low. I was impressed. I thought, ‘My God, don’t put a wrong grade in my bass, because the master is watching!’ The time of Deep Purple, I stayed on the side of the stage. During the keyboard ground Don AireyRoger came to me. I said that watching them was the essence of rock music. And we had some similarities. Like me, he leaves an ice box with beer. He offered me a beer and of course I accepted. After all these years watching him, suddenly the guy brings me a cold beer. ”
Excluded from the party?
Good party is that where one always fits one more. Therefore, since the announcements of the laps of Michael Kiske and Kai Hansen, a portion of Helloween fans also calls for the reconciliation and reintegration of another former member: Roland Grapowguitarist between 1989 and 2001 and an important member of the reconstruction after the exits of Kai Hansen (whom he replaced) and Michael Kiske.
The relationship between Grapow and the former colleagues, however, has not been shown in the best in recent years. He even came to the point that Andi deris accused the guitarist of betrayal and financial theft before the breakdown at the turn of the century. In 2023, Roland directly countered the statements by refusing to have committed any illegal or immoral act.
At the beginning of this August, the situation had a turnaround. Out of nowhere, Helloween’s official Instagram page published a statement says:
“Roland Grapow recently was mentioned in some interviews in an incorrect context. We would like to clarify: The Helloween band has no accusation against Roland. Roland was fired from the band in 2001 due to musical and personal differences, although the separation was friendly.”
See this photo on InstagramA publication shared by Helloween (@hellooweenofficial)
The interviews in question were not cited in the post. Asked about it, Markus Grosskopf said he had no idea what it was, but recognized the existence of “some misunderstanding here and there.”
“I’ve been talking to Roland and he talked to the businessmen. I hope it’s all clear now. We don’t want to hurt him or anyone else. I think it’s going to be all right. We clarify this misunderstanding just talking to each other. We didn’t meet personally because we were rehearsing, but talk to him.
If it’s all good, now there is chances of at least one roland participation in the studio or show, right? Markus UnpreETVER:
“There is nothing planned like that, but I don’t know what the future brings. Whatever it is, I don’t know yet. There are no plans now, but the future is in front and anything can happen.”
HELLOWEEN, 40 years old
At this time, the HelloWeen celebrates four decades of history. The band was founded in 1984 in the German city of Hamburg and launched his first work, Walls of Jericho, in 1985. “I never thought that would rule my life until I was in the coffin”admits Markus Grosskopf. “But it has become my life, my mind, my soul. And that’s great. We are privileged and grateful for the fans.”
It was undoubtedly a trajectory of ups and downs. And the worst time, according to the bassist, was to find that the original drummer, INGO SCHWICHTENBERGhe had taken his own life on March 8, 1995, two years after his resignation from the group and a month after losing his father. Ingo suffered from schizophrenia and faced chemical dependence. Grosskopf regrets:
“It was really heavy, because we were very young and we never had it before. We didn’t know how to react, whether we would do things right or not. We went to psychologists and brought them to doctors and all this because he needed professional help. Listening to his death was the hardest time to this day.”
And the best moment? In a career of several assets, it is difficult to highlight only a prominent period. If the bassist does not choose, the journalist indicates: the returns of Michael Kiske and Kai Hansen – without dismissing Andi Deris and Sascha Gerstner -, sacrament for almost 10 years. About this, Markus comments:
“I think the circle closed with their laps, you know? That’s where it all started. But you have Helloween’s progression without both of them, with Sascha and Andi. We had the idea of bringing the old faces back, but why change such a good team? Two amazing people? We think: Why not keep all the stars and create a large circle of Helloween?
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Source: Rollingstone
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
