Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Helloween
Label: Noise Records
Released: 1985
Running time: 26:22
Rating: 4/5
Helloween, the Hamburg fathers of power metal, started out as an obscure speed metal outfit formed when the bands Gentry, Iron Fist and Powerfool merged. Their first officially released studio recordings can be found on the 1983 compilation »Death Matel Sampler«, which features the tracks »Oernst Of Life« and a faster version of the fan favorite »Metal Invaders«. The key songwriters and visionaries of their early days, when they were still a four-piece, were guitarist/vocalist Kai Hansen and his guitar buddy Michael Weikath. They were backed by a phenomenal rhythm section, bassist Markus Grosskopf and drummer Ingo Schwichtenberg, which was one of the best and fastest in the Teutonic metal of the time.
In their early days, Helloween drew their sonic inspiration mostly from a handful of American speed and thrash metal acts, and from Iron Maiden too. It was from the latter that Hansen got the idea for their first mascot, the initially one-eyed alien Fangface, who in many ways recalled Eddie. Fangface, whom he later took along to his next band Gamma Ray, showed up together with a pumpkin on the cover of the first Helloween EP from 1985, simply titled »Helloween«, which came out as an overture to their studio debut »Walls Of Jericho« (1985).
»Halloween« admittedly has very little to do with their later power metal style, but it still packs some seriously great, mostly speed-metal-spiced tracks, which means the brutal rhythmic backbone is all venomously fast double-kick hammering on the drums, with dangerously sharp guitar passages draped over the top. Hansen’s punk-flavored singing is a chapter of its own. Compared to both of his successors, Michael Kiske and Andi Deris, it’s technically weak, but he makes up for that deficit with a furious, rebellious approach and enviably high vocal registers heavily influenced by Rob Halford (Judas Priest). Kai was having a lot of trouble playing guitar and singing at the same time, and at first he wanted Helloween to take on his buddy, singer Ralf Scheepers (Tyran’ Pace, later Gamma Ray and Primal Fear), but the latter couldn’t join them. So Hansen had to somehow make do, and his ‘vampiric’ voice gave individual songs a ton of character, which is why some of these tracks became cult favorites among European metalheads the moment »Helloween« came out.
The intro to the energetic catalyst »Starlight« features a short audio clip taken from the film ‘Halloween III’. Thanks to its silly humor, this short film overture sounds distinctly ‘Zappa-esque’, so Helloween were already big jokers back then, even though nearly all of their early lyrics carried sharp social barbs, when they weren’t just typical odes to the metal way of life. Right after the opening chaos, »Starlight« features Kai’s trademark screeching. Jagged yet melodic guitar passages are backed by rumbling drum marches and dangerously high vocal lines, while the mood stays thoroughly dark, in pretty stark contrast to most of their later ‘happy Helloween’ work. »Murderer« too, another beloved standard from the early days, where Hansen gets wonderfully into character as a dramatic crime story narrator, carries on with the gloomy atmosphere, built from a mighty combination of witty guitar variations and wildly frenzied rhythmic nuances. The guitar solo trade-offs between Hansen and Weikath flow incredibly smoothly and with real finesse, while Kai is once again a true vocal vampire.
»Warrior«, yet another sharp piece of social criticism, is riddled with stinging guitar passages and barbaric drum crashes. It’s incredible how Kai’s furious screeching injects a rebellious, fatalistic energy into individual tracks on »Helloween«. The best track on the EP, though, is the demonic maze »Victim Of Fate«. It has all the best and most recognizable ingredients of classic Teutonic metal, plus guitar phrasing similar to the Iron Maiden classic »Phantom Of the Opera« and one of the best choruses of the early Helloween phase. A special atmospheric climax arrives in the narrative-driven middle section, when Hansen briefly turns into a demonic tempter before serving up yet another high-register vocal explosion. In the finale, both guitarists show they’ve also got a firm grip on triple-guitar harmonies, which is exactly why the Iron Maiden comparisons became a given.
»Cry For Freedom«, which is slightly reminiscent of certain Judas Priest efforts, opens as a melancholic ballad until a mighty guitar phrase announces a swerve into much hard-hitting waters. Interestingly, the ‘Viking’ choir choruses are quite reminiscent of their later power metal style, and all in all it’s another splendid achievement that told the world Helloween were going to be a force to reckon with in the future.
Helloween signaled their charge to the very top of Teutonic metal already on their first EP, which had little in common with their later power metal triumphs, and it made for one hell of a warm-up before the cult debut »Walls Of Jericho« dropped. You can already hear loud and clear that the original speed metal four-piece had all the vision and ambition needed to storm the summit, and the band’s self-produced sound wasn’t bad either compared to some other early efforts from their German metal peers.
Lineup
Kai Hansen – vocals, guitar
Michael Weikath – guitar
Markus Grosskopf – bass
Ingo Schwichtenberg – drums
Production
Helloween
Track list
1. Starlight
2. Murderer
3. Warrior
4. Victim Of Fate
5. Cry For Freedom
