{"id":26847,"date":"2025-08-16T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-16T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=26847"},"modified":"2025-08-13T12:44:18","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T11:44:18","slug":"helloween-giants-monsters-reigning-phoenix","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=26847","title":{"rendered":"Helloween -\u2018Giants & Monsters\u2019 (Reigning Phoenix)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Getting old provides some interesting context when it comes to listening to music. \u2018Keeper of the 7 Keys Part One\u2019 became my gateway into the world of Helloween almost 40 years ago. I had seen an ad for the album in Hit Parader (more specifically on the back page) and decided I needed to search out this cassette. As a young teenager, it never dawned on me that bands I loved would stop making music or that I would still be listening to them in my 50s. I worked backwards at the time and picked up \u2018Walls of Jericho.\u2019 When \u2018Keeper\u2026 Part Two\u2019 was released, I was waiting for them to put the cassettes out on release day to get the album. I had also previously picked up the cassette single for \u2018Save Us\u2019, which contained some awesome B-sides. After a mini live album, things then went pear-shaped (pumpkin shaped?) in Helloween world. Kai Hansen left the band and started Gamma Ray. Label issues would stall Helloween\u2019s next album, which would not be released in the States so I tracked down \u2018Pink Bubbles Go Ape\u2019 on import. The album didn\u2019t grab me like their first three did, which seemed to be a common consensus around the world. As Hansen released albums with Gamma Ray, Helloween struggled to find their footing with \u2018Chameleon\u2019 sounding like each of the songwriters made their own four-song EP with a focus on non-Helloween style music. I enjoy parts of \u2018Chameleon\u2019 but don\u2019t really think of it as a Helloween album. At this point, the pumpkins were starting to fester, and the future didn\u2019t look promising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Master of the Rings\u2019 reinvigorated Helloween with Andi Deris taking over on vocals. New and old fans celebrated this and subsequent releases with, of course, lots of debate if the new albums matched the excellence of the \u2018Keeper..\u2019 albums or \u2018Walls of Jericho.\u2019 For me, \u2018Better Than Raw\u2019 became a firm favourite while others were partial to \u2018The Dark Ride.\u2019 Band members continued to have some changes over the years, but there was consistency with Deris, Michael Weikath (guitar), and Markus Grosskopf (bass) forming the core of the band. Not every studio album was brilliant for me, but the band continued to release many more hits than misses. Ten years ago, the band released \u2018My God-Given Right\u2019 which I would say is an album that probably sits in the middle of their discography for me. Kiske had released some solo albums over the years and returned to the metal world with his Unisonic project. Hansen continued to release Gamma Ray albums, and I really enjoy those albums as well, even with some of them also not fully connecting with me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pumpkins United brought Kiske and Hansen back into Helloween without any members leaving. The plan at the time was a new studio song and a tour to celebrate Helloween\u2019s history and present. Four years ago, we received something I never thought I would see in my lifetime- a new Helloween album with Kiske and Hansen. Neither one of them had left the band on great terms way back when, but bridges had been mended over the years. Even better, that self-titled album contained a plethora of great songs with it appearing on many best of 2021 year-end lists, including mine. That brings us to the current with the band releasing the second album to feature the extended band line-up. I would argue this one goes beyond the previous album because they do not shy away from different members contributing to another\u2019s song. The self-titled album at times felt like there were still some lines in the sand where you could tell who wrote which song. The chemistry in the band appears to be at an all-time high right now. I have seen reports the band wrote 30 songs for this record, which makes me wonder if the sequel to this will arrive quicker than the four years between this and the self-titled album.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Giants on the Run\u2019 kicks off the album with a great example of the members blending their songwriting together. The beginning and end of the song provide a prime example of Helloween, where there is a lot of space in the verses and some tasteful guitar work. The song then segways into a section that has Hansen\u2019s touch all over it, from the musical approach to his vocals. Part of me wanted to say it has a Gamma Ray feel as it makes me think of \u2018Land of the Free\u2019, but also has hints of \u2018Walls of Jericho\u2019 to it. It doesn\u2019t feel recycled though. It fits perfectly within the song and highlights the diversity the band has in their writing while also complementing each other\u2019s different styles. One of the areas where this album diverges from its predecessors is the number of instantly catchy songs on the album. Kiske gets solo lead vocals on \u2018Saviour of the World\u2019 where the band bring an aggressive musical attack and combine it with a hugely melodic chorus that begs for audience participation. The phrasing in the chorus reminds me of the \u2019Keeper Part 2\u2019 album. I read a recent interview where a member said they did not want to just rewrite what they have done in the past, and don\u2019t think they have done it on this album. I think there are always going to be things that are just part of the band\u2019s DNA. If they were adding nu-metal or hip-hop features to their song, we would all complain that it is not who they are. Next up, \u2018A Little is a Little Too Much\u2019 showcases a commercial and catchy song with some great keyboards for added effect. The dual lead vocals from Kiske and Deris work extremely well together. This is poppier than anything off the last album and again makes a great sing-along song. My favourite moment from it though, may be the last few seconds of the keyboard being isolated at the end of the song. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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