Review | Helloween – Giants & Monsters
Reigning Phoenix Records
Time flies, as it has already been four years since the best German speed masters Helloween released their so-called come back album. That awesome album called ‘Helloween’, featured the Pumpkins United line up with Kai Hansen and Michael Kiske. On this new 17th studio album, which celebrates Helloween’s 40th anniversary, the legendary line up is still present.
Having listened to ‘Giants & Monsters’ several times I can only conclude that this is probably Helloween’s most versatile album of their entire 40-year career. Although I think that ‘The Keeper Of The Seven Keys’ albums are still their best efforts. ‘Giants & Monsters’ kicks off with one of the longer tracks of the album called ,,Giants On The Run”. And it is the almost perfect opening track, featuring impressive heavy and speedy riffs and hooks and the excellent power vocals of Deris and Hansen.
OLD SCHOOL
,,Majestic”, clocking in just over eight minutes is the absolute highlight of ‘Giants & Monsters’. Here Helloween truly show what they are musically capable of. Featuring extraordinary versatile musical changes and heartfelt, emotional melodic vocals, featuring all three singers: Kiske, Deris and Hansen. ,,Universe (Gravity For Hearts)” is the other long song. This one will also become a Helloween classic live staple for sure. It is filled with addictive guitar riffs, melodic, speedy guitar solos and more than excellent vocals, making this track a wonderful old school Helloween song!
ODD ONE OUT
,,Into The Sun” is a wonderful power ballad which stands out due to the amazing vocal duet of Deris and Kiske. Especially the latter pours his heart out very emotionally in this beautiful, orchestrated track. ,,Savior Of The World’’ is composed by founder member of Helloween Michael Weikath. It is a 100% classic Helloween up tempo track, which could have well been on one of the ‘Keeper Of The Seven Keys’ albums.
,,This Is Tokyo”, obviously a tribute to the land of the rising sun, is a very melodic track. While the mainstream-like AOR song ,,A Little Is A Little Too Much” is ‘clearly” the weakest – read: odd one out – track of ‘Giants & Monsters’.
HELLOWEEN – THE CONCLUSION
This fantastic Helloween album was produced by Charlie Bauerfeind and Dennis Ward. The mix was done at the legendary Wisseloord Studios in The Netherlands. ‘Giants & Monsters’ is a MUST have album for fans of Helloween! But also for fans of amazing heavy, power metal with lots of melody and diversity; play it LOUD, of course!!
The album will be released as CD Jewel case, CD Digipak (inclusive bonus track), Earbook (inclusive bonus CD), two LP Gatefold (in various colours) and two LP Picture (inclusive bonus track) and digital.
Release date: 29 August 2025
About
HELLOWEEN is one of the most respectable German metal exports and pioneers of German melodic speed metal. On the road since 1984, HELLOWEEN performed on all important festivals globally: Rock in Rio, Wacken, Loudpark in Japan or the Polish Woodstock, thrilling more than half a million fans as the headliner. Looking back on a more than three decades lasting world career, the band toured the world countless times and delivered spectacular shows with fellow musicians such as Iron Maiden, Scorpions or Ozzy Osbourne. HELLOWEEN released 15 studio and 4 live records, achieved and was honored with 14 Gold and 6 Platinum-Awards and sold more than 10 million albums. The “Keeper“ records are counting to one of the most successful German metal records of all time and are reckoned internationally as absolute milestones of power metal.
Genre
speed, heavy, power metal
Website
https://www.helloween.org/Social
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