ACTIVE: 1984-
I’ve been a fan of Helloween for… honestly, I don’t even remember anymore. A long time.
Most likely since the release of their second album, Keeper of the Seven Keys I in 1987. I followed their career up until 1991–1992, around the time their 4th album, Pink Bubbles Go Ape, came out.
By then I was moving towards darker and heavier bands. At some point I read that Helloween’s singer had been fired, which to me felt like the band was done. I never stopped listening to their earlier albums — especially the two Keeper of the Seven Keys records — but I never bothered to check out their material with the new singer.
That changed when their reunion live album was released in 2019. I loved it, naturally, and finally started exploring their 1993–2019 releases. And yeah, they are good. I honestly can’t understand why I didn’t give them a chance all those years. Now I’ve got more Helloween music to dive into than ever before. On top of that, they’ve already released two studio albums featuring both the new and old singers together, which is awesome!
Back in 1992 I even painted a few pieces featuring Helloween’s pumpkin mascot — still one of the coolest in heavy metal, right up there with Iron Maiden’s Eddie and Motörhead’s Snaggletooth.
HELLOWEEN x 2 | pencil & fineliner on paper | 2022, 2024