Helloween, 8th November 2025, Partille Arena, Gothenburg, Sweden

Archive photo: Goran www.facebook.com/UrbanMescaleroPhotography

Trying to figure out what Helloween has been through over the course of their 40-year-long career is somewhat of an overwhelming task if you haven’t been living and breathing the band the entire time. It would take quite a while to explain all the ups and downs of this legendary German power metal group, so if you are interested in that please reffer to our review of their first post-reunion album Helloween. But here, let’s sattle for saying that reunion was the first since 1989 to feature founding guitarist Kai Hansen and the first since 1993 to include vocalist Michael Kiske. If that weren’t enough, the band – alongside original members Michael Weikath and Markus Grosskopf – also features vocalist Andi Deris, who replaced Kiske in 1994, as well as guitarist Sascha Gerstner and drummer Daniel Löble, who have been part of the lineup since 2002 and 2005, respectively.

Ever since that rather unlikely partial reunion in 2017, the German power metal pioneers have been riding a wave of commercial and critical acclaim, playing some of their biggest shows since the late ’80s.

A few months ago, Helloween released their second album in this formation. Entitled Giants & Monsters, it manages to live up to both the hype and the quality of its predecessor.

Helloween’s show at Partille Arena in Gothenburg, Sweden came on the heels of a sold-out night in Helsinki and two sold-out shows in Oslo. While this show wasn’t completely sold out, the 6,000-capacity venue was definitely close to it.

There was a palpable sense of excitement in the crowd, and yours truly has rarely (if ever) seen a longer line for merchandise. It was a welcome sight, especially considering that’s where a large portion of musicians’ income comes from these days.

“Let Me Entertain You” by Robbie Williams might have seemed misplaced stylistically as an intro, but it actually fit quite well with what was about to unfold.

There’s always a massive dose of positivity at Helloween’s live shows, and the Swedish stop was no exception. The band did, however, tone down the goofiness that sometimes dominates their performances – a welcome choice.

They opened gloriously and visually majestically with “March of Time” from Keeper of the Seven Keys, Part II. While the sound was a somewhat muddy, the chorus still inspired a massive sing-along.

They followed it unexpectedly with the nearly 15-minute epic “The King for a 1000 Years” from 2005’s Keeper of the Seven Keys: The Legacy. While it makes sense to highlight that album due to its 20-year anniversary, placing this song second in the set didn’t quite work.

The band quickly regained momentum with “Future World,” one of the biggest crowd-pleasers of the evening. By then, the sound had improved – though never to the point of being great, likely due to the weak acoustics at Partille Arena.

Throughout the evening, lead vocalists Michael Kiske and Andi Deris did a fine job alternating between duets and solo performances. Kai Hansen also had his time in the spotlight, which felt perfectly appropriate on a tour celebrating 40 years since the release of the band’s first EP and debut album. He delivered a strong version of “Ride the Sky,” while his other feature, the misplaced “Heavy Metal (Is the Law),” fell flat.

Overall, the vocalists performed well, with Kiske sounding fresher and more controlled than on the Live at Budokan album. He particularly shone on “Universe (Gravity for Hearts)” from the new album, as well as on “Halloween” and a magnificent version of “A Tale That Wasn’t Right.” Deris was good as well, though some of his solo-era song choices – like “We Burn” and “Hell Was Made in Heaven” – felt weaker than just about any alternatives from their respective albums.

There’s a real likability to the band on stage and in their general demeanor. Sure, Weikath remains his typically stone-faced self, but the rest of the band are basically big smiley faces.

Drummer Daniel Löble continues to impress, though his style is less compatible with the late, great Ingo Schwichtenberg or the phenomenal Uli Kusch. His drum solo was, like most drum solos, unnecessary – but it did give the others a breather. Cleverly, the band followed it with “I Want Out.” After that, Löble took a well-earned break while Kiske and Deris stepped to the catwalk for an acoustic jam, starting with “Pink Bubbles Go Ape,” which Kiske amusingly botched a few times on guitar. “This must’ve been the worst performance of that song I’ve ever done,” he joked. His playing improved on the short acoustic version of “In the Middle of a Heartbeat,” featuring Deris on vocals. Deris then took over guitar duties for a magical acoustic version “A Tale That Wasn’t Right,” joined halfway through by the rest of the band.

They closed the main set with the epic “Halloween,” returning for an encore straight from any Helloween fan’s dream setlist – except that they only played the final chorus of “Keeper of the Seven Keys.” Still, considering the show had already run over two hours and fifteen minutes, that made perfect sense.

Throughout the night, crowd enthusiasm clearly peaked during the older material, but the band made the right call in representing all eras of their career while still throwing in a few surprises.

Celebrating four decades of prolific music inevitably means not every album can be represented, but swapping one of the four Giants & Monsters songs for a track from the 2021 Helloween album would have made sense. After all, that record stands as a true milestone in the band’s career – if only for the fact that it happened at all.

Forty years into their career, it’s clear that one of power metal’s most significant bands still delivers – both in the studio and on stage. There’s room for improvement in both, sure, but it’s remarkable how vital Helloween remain, continuing to draw audiences of all ages.

SETLIST

1. March of Time
2. The King for a 1000 Years
3. Future World
4. This Is Tokyo
5. We Burn
6. Twilight of the Gods
7. Ride the Sky
8. Into the Sun
9. Hey Lord!
10. Universe (Gravity for Hearts)
11. Hell Was Made in Heaven
12. I Want Out
13. Pink Bubbles Go Ape
14. In the Middle of a Heartbeat (excerpt)
15. A Tale That Wasn’t Right
16. A Little Is a Little Too Much
17. Heavy Metal (Is the Law)
18. Halloween
    ———————
19. Eagle Fly Free
20. Power
21. Dr. Stein
22. Keeper of the Seven Keys (excerpt)