Author: Urban Bolta
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Venue: Boogaloo / Zagreb / Croatia
Concert date: January 25, 2011
Attendance: 600
Ticket price: 210.00 HRK
Helloween are one of the most important European metal bands. They were one of the key acts behind the heavy/power metal boom in Germany and across Europe in the late eighties. They stick to the tried-and-true formula and still put out studio albums regularly, which keeps new fans coming in while holding on to the old-timers. The latest chapter in their studio catalog is called “7th Sinners,” and to promote it Helloween hit the road for a massive European tour, their first since 2007 and the “Gambling with the Devil” run. Four years ago that tour swung wide around our neck of the woods, but this time luck was on our side and brought the Germans not only to Slovenia on Wednesday, but also to nearby Zagreb the day before. That’s where Aleš and I headed to “check out the terrain,” kicking off this year’s concert season on the international level too.
Before the “Pumpkins” took the stage, the Swedes Avatar got the room warmed up. They’re a young band, with members barely past 20, but they already have an enviable amount of musical mileage and experience under their belts, which they mostly owe to In Flames and Obituary, whom they toured with across Europe in 2007 and 2008. In a half-hour set, Avatar played songs from their three albums so far, with the emphasis on the latest one, last year’s “Avatar.” It was an energetic show of generic melodeath with detours into other corners of the metal trade, but it didn’t leave a deep impression on the power metal crowd, even though you can’t fault the guys on stage for anything as far as the performance itself goes. The variety in the sound comes mostly from the vocalist, who switches between clean singing and growls. Together with the modern song structures, that makes for an easy listen, especially for fans of the more modern (core) side of metal today. Avatar could make a name for themselves down the road, but with their more aggressive take on the old Gothenburg school, they turned out to be a slightly off-target choice as openers for a heavy/power metal show.
Second up were Stratovarius, a name far better known to the wider metal community than Avatar, and the inside of the club came alive accordingly. Behind the drum kit sat Jörg Michael, who spent the last few months fighting cancer, beat it, and has already rejoined his bandmates on tour, so this jaunt around Europe surely means that much more to the Finnish power metallers. The technically brilliant Finns entertained the long-haired crowd with a pretty static setlist, which was mostly a treat for those seeing Stratovarius for the first time. The repertoire leaned heavily on material released before the turn of the millennium, which is a big fiasco considering they’re on tour to support the new album “Elysium,” from which they played only Darkest Hour. Frontman Timo Kotipelto just didn’t have his day this time. Maybe a cold got to him, maybe the reason lies elsewhere, but the high notes were too tough a nut to crack, so he had to lean on and hide behind the crowd singing along. It was a completely different story with guitarist Matias Kupiainen, who in just under three years has managed to fill Tolkki’s shoes. His performance was much more relaxed, and his stage presence more charismatic than at Wacken Rocks South two years ago (report here). With Speed of Light, Kiss of Judas, Stratosphere and the obligatory Black Diamond, Stratovarius got through their set with confidence, though I’m sure they’re capable of showing a lot more.
Almost to the day, five years after their last Ljubljana show, Helloween returned to our little corner of Europe. As the AC/DC classic For Those About To Rock (We Salute You), which has long opened Helloween shows, rang out, Boogaloo packed out to the last corner and gave the five musicians a loud welcome as they walked on stage.
The set opened with the first single from the new album, Are You Metal?, which added fuel to the fire of an already heated room. Next came a jump back to the eighties with the classics Eagle Fly Free and March of Time, before the first breather with a short solo spot from Sascha Gerstner. Then it was back to “7th Sinners” for Where The Sinners Go and World of Fantasy, where the Weikath/Gerstner guitar duo once again proved how well they gel and know each other. The guitar parts were played with precision and true to the album originals, but it’s a shame the sound crew didn’t deliver a mix worthy of Helloween standards. In my opinion, the guitars sat a notch too far back in the overall sound compared to the other instruments, even though they were well tuned to each other, and the riffing and solo parts came through clearly without stepping on each other. Andi Deris also handled his vocal duties well. The years have taken their toll, so he’s careful with the highest vocal registers and at times hands them off to the crowd, but he still carries the Helloween colors with dignity in 2011. And Deris isn’t just a singer, he’s a frontman from head to toe. He’s constantly talking to the crowd and has a great feel for working the band-audience dynamic, though he shouldn’t overdo it.
After another ancient treat, I’m Alive, came an acoustic descent into the depths of love’s mysteries with Forever and One, in an acoustic collage with Gerstner and Deris on guitars. Deris is a crafty old stage cat and knew how to squeeze the most out of the quieter moments with a delicate touch, putting a tear or two on the faces of the more tender part of the audience. Before the finish came one of the nicest surprises in the repertoire of this tour, Hanful of Pain (“Better Than Raw,” 1988), before the show tipped into its final stretch. That’s where the German Pumpkins played their best-known tunes, but also, on the flip side, racked up the most minus points, mostly thanks to Deris’s needless chatter. The “medley” of three Keeper of the Seventh Keys classics still managed to satisfy us, but it was different with the dismal rendition of the iconic I Want Out, where Deris completely killed its epic feel with (way too) long speeches, warm-ups, crowd-baiting and pointless jokes. The final stretch belonged entirely to fans of classic Helloween (the Kai Hansen era was surprisingly well represented overall), who treated us in the encore to the charging Ride The Sky, Future World and, as the cherry on top of the Zagreb story, Dr. Stein. During the closing number, nobody stepped up to dress as the evil doctor and go wild with the band on stage in “The Stooges – Fun House” style.
Helloween left the crowd with mixed feelings. It’s always a pleasure to meet the legendary Pumpkins live, but a bitter aftertaste remains, because the hour-and-a-half program could have been a lot more intense. Gerstner’s and Löble’s solo spots are still bearable, even enjoyable, but the same can’t be said for the needless stretching out of the classics and the (over)repeated choruses. Don’t get me wrong. The seasoned stage cats get through the show like pros, they enjoy it and have fun, and that sincere love for creating and playing music, shown once again, is the main reason we can call the Zagreb dress rehearsal before the Ljubljana show a success.
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Setlist
HELLOWEEN: 1.Intro (AC/DC – For Those About to Rock / Happy Happy Halloween / Who is Mr.Madman?) 2. Are You Metal? 3. Eagle Fly Free 4. March Of Time 5. Guitar intro (Sascha) 6. Where The Sinners Go 7. World Of Fantasy 8. Drum solo 9. I’m Alive 10. Forever And One 11. Handfull Of Pain 12. MEDLEY: – Keeper Of The Seven Keys – King Of A Thousand Years – Halloween 13. I Want Out —encore I.— 14. Ride The Sky 15. Future World —encore II.— 16. Dr. Stein STRATOVARIUS: 1.Hunting High and Low 2.Speed of Light 3.The Kiss Of Judas 4.Winter Skies 5.Darkest Hours 6.Stratosphere 7.Phoenix 8.Forever 9.Black Diamond AVATAR: 1. The Great Pretender 2. Roadkill 3. Shattered Wings 4. Reload 5. Deeper Down 6. Pigfucker 7. Queen of Blades
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