Helloween
Giants & Monsters
(Reigning Phoenix Music)
When Teutonic Power Metal pioneers Helloween ousted vocalist Michael Kiske circa 1993, I initially found myself less-than-enthused. Although the drastic stylistic changes and subsequent poor commercial performances of Pink Bubbles Go Ape (1991) and Chameleon (1993) and other label-related ‘turmoil’ undoubtedly left the group with few options, the end of their origin story left me disillusioned. Even the inescapable presence of the mighty Andi Deris era (Master Of The Rings remains a bona fide Power Metal classic) failed to consistently piqué my interest. Accordingly, when the group announced their arguably long-overdue intention to reunite with Kiske and founding guitarist/vocalist Kai Hansen in 2016, they quickly found themselves at the epicenter of intense renewed interest (including a brief mention of the Keeper Of The Seven Keys series in the Ready Player Two). Now, with the highly-anticipated release of Giants & Monsters, they’ve ‘unleashed’ what we’ve been waiting for.
On the brilliant Giants & Monsters (2025), an expertly assembled ten song collection of delightfully airtight Power Metal, each track, beginning with the relentlessly pummeling “Giants On The Run” and the maddeningly infectious gem “A Little Is A Little Too Much”, immediately commands the undivided attention of all parties involved. Wisely re-capturing the quasi-playful spirit of their proverbial glory days (perhaps most notably Keeper Of The Seven Keys: Part II), the group’s trademark display of soaring vocals and blistering fretwork is once again in fine form. As razor-sharp as ever, the earliest excursions resonate with a bouncy sense of nostalgia that reeks of cigarettes, damp denim and leather. Effortlessly distancing themselves from their few remaining contemporaries (1985 was, after all, quite some time ago), they deliver the classic Helloween tonalities of yore with the refreshing twist that made both United Alive In Madrid (2019) and Helloween (2021) much-welcomed returns to form.
Continuing with the fist-pumping, mosh-inducing first single “This Is Tokyo” and the emotionally-overwrought–albeit thought-provoking–“Universe (Gravity For Hearts)”, the combination of lead vocalists Andi Deris and Michael Kiske, vocalist/guitarist Kai Hansen (Gamma Ray), guitarists Michael Weikath and Sascha Gerstner, bassist Markus Grosskopf and drummer Daniel ‘Dani’ Löble (Blaze Bayley) steamrolls ahead efficiently. Firing on all cylinders, the group reminds us all of their oft-documented lyrical and compositional tendencies as they surge ahead with a well-deserved air of self-confidence. Delivering a distillation of exactly what one would expect from the group, they boldly surge ahead without imploding under the weight of their own legacies. Wasting little–if any–time obliterating the few misguided souls still doubtful of their ability to persevere in this particular configuration, the initial results are a multi-layered myriad of distinct auditory landscapes eager to please.
Recorded and Mixed by the acclaimed Dennis Ward (Place Vendôme, Sunstorm, Unisonic) at the legendary Wisseloord Studios (Def Leppard, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest), other standouts, including the impossibly hook and harmony-laden “Under The Moonlight” and the exhaustive, equally impressive closer “Majestic” further highlight the group’s more than considerable efforts. Although undeniably reminiscent of their prototypical past (frankly, it would be a crime if it weren’t), the group also remains entirely focused on their future, four decades into their career, a much-welcomed characteristic that distinguishes them from their peers. With Gods & Monsters effectively serving as a successful ‘second chapter’ amid one of the genre’s most unlikely comebacks, it succeeds by transporting the listener (in this case, yours truly) to a far simpler time when Heavy Metal, Horror movies and melting into daydreams were all that mattered. Love it or loathe it, this is quite possibly as good as it can get.
Is this perhaps the definitive modern-day Helloween release? Ultimately, that will depend on your particular point of view. An absolute must-have for anyone with a fondness for both the Keeper Of The Seven Keys and the Master Of The Rings eras, the majority–if not all–of the adrenaline-laden wares contained herein are nothing short of extraordinary and deserve to be treated accordingly. Easily one of the most highly-anticipated Power Metal releases of the year, even if you somehow still find yourself less than enthralled with the group’s revamped configurations, one must, at the very least, sincerely admire the energy and enthusiasm intertwined within each composition. As a result, if you’ve once again found yourself in search of a refreshingly fist-pumping and/or mosh-inducing alternative to the puréed, Pop and Hip Hop-addled excrement that is so often force-fed en mass, then this, my friends, might just be the high-octane salve for what ails you. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.
Select Discography
Gods & Monsters (2025)
Live At Budokan (2024)
Helloween (2021)
United Alive In Madrid (Blu-Ray/CD/DVD) (2019)
Ride The Sky – The Very Best Of The Noise Years 1985 -1998 (2016)
My God-Given Right (2015)
Straight Out Of Hell (2013)
7 Sinners (2010)
Gambling With The Devil (2007)
Keeper Of The Seven Keys: The Legacy (2005)
Rabbit Don’t Come Easy (2003)
The Dark Ride (2000)
Metal Jukebox (1999)
Better Than Raw (1998)
High Live (1996)
The Time Of The Oath (1996)
Master Of The Rings (1994)
Chameleon (1993)
The Best, The Rest, The Rare (1991)
Pink Bubbles Go Ape (1991)
I Want Out: Live (EP) (1989)
Keeper Of The Seven Keys: Part II (1988)
Keeper Of The Seven Keys: Part I (1987)
Walls Of Jericho (1985)
Helloween (EP) (1985)