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Chameleon (1993)

First Time
05:30 (Weikath)
When The Sinner
06:54 (Kiske) lyrics | video
I Don't Wanna Cry No More
05:11 (Grapow) lyrics
Crazy Cat
03:29 (Grapow) lyrics
Giants
06:40 (Weikath) lyrics
Windmill
05:06 (Weikath) lyrics
Revolution Now
08:04 (Weikath) lyrics
In The Night
05:38 (Kiske) lyrics
Music
07:00 (Grapow) lyrics
Step Out Of Hell
04:25 (Grapow) lyrics
I Believe
09:12 (Kiske) lyrics
Longing
04:15 (Kiske) lyrics

Chameleon: A summary by Tony Webster

Chameleon is an album that has a lot of background to it so this entry may be longer than the others. This was a dark time for the band. They were in huge debt because of their court cases with Noise records, there were severe tensions within the band about what direction to take with the music, Ingo was also getting extremely ill due to his psychological state. The band also faced adversity from their record company EMI who told many vendors not to order the album because it wouldn’t sell. Chameleon was released in 1993 and was very poorly received by fans and critics alike. The irony is that years later the album became accepted by many fans. Songs like Giants, First Time, Music, Step Out of Hell, Windmill and I Believe have become fan favorites over the years. A funny thing is that in past interviews and conversations Michael Kiske, Roland Grapow and Michael Weikath all told me that Chameleon was like a 3 man solo album because each of the songwriter’s songs were completely different from one another. This would also be the last album to feature Michael Kiske as their lead singer and Ingo Scwichtenberg as their drummer. Looking back on it Chameleon is a great album, and people tell me all the time how it shouldn’t have been a Helloween album. I tend to disagree, I think this record was important for the band in many ways and adds to Helloween’s diverse catalog of music……a catalog I would argue is more diverse than most bands let alone metal bands.

Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part I (1987)

Initation 01:21
(Hansen) lyrics
I'm Alive 03:23
(Hansen) lyrics
A Little Time 03:45
(Kiske) lyrics
Twilight Of The Gods 04:29
(Hansen) lyrics
A Tale That Wasn't Right 05:15
(Weikath) lyrics
Future World 04:02
(Hansen) lyrics
Halloween 13:18
(Hansen) lyrics | video
Follow The Sign 01:46
(Hansen/Weikath) lyrics

Helloween Keeper of The Seven Keys Part 1: A Summary by Tony Webster

The first of two classics, a new direction, a new singer in Michael Kiske, and a better production thanks to the two Tommys (Tommy Hansen and Tommy Newton). The band was taking a big risk in changing their direction as Walls of Jericho was Noise records' biggest selling album to date. However the band's risk would pay off in the end. Keeper 1 was the band’s breakthrough album and is considered one of the most influential heavy metal albums of all time and many magazines at the time hailed Keeper 1 as one of the most important Heavy Metal albums ever recorded. The band sold over 500,000 copies worldwide. Over 100,000 in Germany and they even charted at number 102 in the USA Billboard top 200. Many great things were happening for the band at this point in their career. Helloween played their first tour of the USA which was the Hell On Wheels Tour and featured Helloween, Grim Reaper and Armored Saint. The chemistry between Michael Weikath and Kai Hansen was apparent through their outstanding complex dual guitar harmonies which have since become a Helloween trademark. Michael Kiske’s presence in the band helped them expand their sound with such classics as Halloween, A Tale That Wasn’t Right and Future World. With Keeper of the 7 Keys Part 1, the band cemented their foundation of success for years to come! Also, if you want to hear some cool Michael Kiske versions of old songs. Check out the re-recorded studio versions of Starlight and Victim of Fate both now availiable again on the Keeper of The Seven Keys Part 1 expanded edition. The Kiske version of Starlight was originally a b-side on the Future World single and the Kiske version of Victim of Fate was originally a b-side on the Dr. Stein single.

Walls Of Jericho (1985)

Walls Of Jericho 00:53
(Weikath/Hansen) lyrics
Ride The Sky 05:54
(Hansen) lyrics
Reptile 03:45
(Weikath) lyrics
Guardians 04:20
(Weikath) lyrics
Phantoms Of Death 06:33
(Hansen) lyrics
Metal Invaders 04:08
(Hansen/Weikath) lyrics
Gorgar 03:57
(Hansen/Weikath) lyrics
Heavy Metal (Is The Law) 04:08
(Hansen/Weikath) lyrics
How Many Tears 07:11
(Weikath) lyrics

Walls of Jericho: A Summary by Tony Webster

Walls of Jericho is considered by many a speed metal masterpiece. It's considered one of the band's most influential albums and in the USA an underground metal classic. Songwriting wise this album leans more towards the thrash genre than the influential Power Metal the band would later create. At the time however, nobody was playing heavy metal with quite the speed and the melody that Helloween was playing. The band in a sense was ahead of it’s time. Songs like Ride The Sky, How Many Tears, Gorgar and Guardians are highly regarded Helloween songs by the fans. Over the years many fans have emailed me telling me how much they loved Heavy Metal Is the Law and it turns out that this song is also a highly regarded Helloween cult classic. Overall Walls of Jericho was a period where the band had begun to reach it’s potential. Who would have ever known that what was about to come after Walls would be two of the most influential metal records ever recorded? I can say this, Walls of Jericho was an influential album in it’s own right, but the best was yet to come…..