The founding fathers of German melodic speed metal, Helloween, will return to North America to play select dates in 2016. The band will be supporting the release of their 15th studio album, My God-Given Right, which has cemented the band as one of the most influential and successful acts of the global metal scene. Confirmed dates are as follows:
02/28/16 Corona Theatre – Montreal, QUE
02/29/16 Imperial de Quebec – Quebec City, QUE
03/01/16 Best Buy Theater – New York, NY
03/03/16 Agora Theater – Cleveland, OH
03/04/16 Concorde Music Hall – Chicago, IL
03/06/16 Showbox at the Market – Seattle, WA
03/07/16 The Avalon – Hollywood, CA
Tickets are available now on EnterTheVault.com and at all other outlets.
My God-Given Right was recorded between October 2014 and February 2015 at the bands very own MiSueno Studio in Tenerife.
Helloween recently wrapped up their tour in Europe where they recorded an official bootleg live video for the song, Heroes. Watch it below.
Visit Helloween online at:
helloween.org
facebook.com/helloween
13 Responses
I still play the Keeper of the Seven Keys Pts. I and II to this day. Classic power metal albums.
I do to! You’re right, both of those are classics.
To this day, I’ve never understood why power metal is largely ignored in North America.
Completely agree! Part of it is that metal was never as big here as it was in other countries, even at it’s height, so power metal never really gained a foothold. Rap and Bro-country took over, such a shame.
The early Helloween albums are some off my favorite albums of all time.
As far as newer power metal, I like the new Evergrey album, Hymns for the Broken. Good stuff.
I’d also add Hammerfall and if you like makeup and a little silliness, Powerwolf.
Yes, I love Hammerfall. Crimson Thunder a great album.
I saw Helloween back in 2008. They put on a great show. It was a double bill with Gamma Ray, and Kai Hansen came out for the I Want Out / Future World encore.
To my mind, power metal IS heavy metal from the 80s carried on, without the LA glam elements. It’s as if the metal scene in North America was invaded by the body snatchers, and everyone either escaped to Germany and Sweden, or got gobbled up by a thrash guy who morphed into modern death metal with a cookie monster voice and a tattoo-covered body.
I think it was touched upon in the Sam Dunn Metal Evolution episode about Power Metal, but Power Metal is basically the most pure form of heavy metal that exists.
The only possible explanation for it not being more popular in the states is some of the D&D type imagery often associated with it.
I also think there’s an element of fun in power metal, and unfortunately, many US metal fans (especially younger ones) tend to take their metal far too seriously.
At least in the English-speaking world, there seems to be a line within fantastic esthetics which Iron Maiden understood and never crossed, and Dio didn’t get and doomed his solo career. Continentals and the Japanese are more connected to their history I think, and so don’t mind that imagery. English speakers, not so much. When I check out Canadian tour dates for a power metal group, time and time again I see them stopping in Quebec only before moving on.
And given the amount of ridicule I see against those fantastic esthetics, I wonder how the Tolkien films ever made any money on this side of the Atlantic.
Yep, I agree. Power Metal is so fun, but I get the D&D imagery isn’t for everyone, but Dio didn’t have an issue with it.
I think your point about metal fans in the US being far to serious is spot on. It can be serious if you want to, but to me Power Metal is far superior to the cookie monster vocals.
It’s why I like Ghost. It’s fun, and theatrical, and American metal and hard rock, today is so serious.
Now that I’ve said that, I do like a few new songs by Amon Amarth, regardless of the cookie monster vocals. Father of the Wolf is an awesome song.
Tyr is another great Power Metal band, especially if you’re into Vikings. Just a couple listens to their songs will grow your Viking beard a few inches.
Remember when Dio tried to get away from the D&D stuff in the 1990s? Those were his worst albums.
I LOVE Ghost. Great songs and a fun band.
Why aren’t there any power metal bands about pirates?
Yes! While I do like some of the LA metal bands, Crue, Ratt, etc… I can draw a direct line from early 80’s metal, to Power Metal. Much more pure, and direct. It’s melodic, some of it is even on the progressive side, with amazing musicianship.
That is NOT a “tour”.