LIVE REVIEW: Helloween and HammerFall @ O2 Academy Brixton, London
Reunions are a risky game. Sometimes bands amass a much larger body of work in their post-classic lineup, yet the legacy of years gone by looms large. This was the case for German power metal stalwarts HELLOWEEN, who reunited in 2016 with former singer Michael Kiske and guitarist/vocalist Kai Hansen after many years of absence, but not at the expense of their long-established successors. A massively successful tour as a seven-piece saw HELLOWEEN rewrite the book on reunions with an approach rooted in both the present and the past, but how does a band turn toward the future from there? With their first full-length album of new material under their belt, the reformed Pumpkins returned to the UK to show why they still capture the hearts of the old-school metal fan.
Opening the show are Sweden’s HAMMERFALL who burst straight into fifth gear with Brotherhood, one of the singles off their recently released album Hammer Of Dawn. This sets the stage suitably for a performance rooted in the traditions of heavy and power metal. The stage layout is impressive, with the drum kit surrounded by a hammer and a shield, and raised on a hammer-shaped podium, all of which is later underpinned by the occasional use of a hammer-shaped guitar by Oscar Dronjak – it is hammers galore. The show plays up to, and derives a great amount of joy from some of the cliches of the genre, and they find a receptive crowd at Brixton Academy. The band are clearly delighted to be back on stage, savouring the opportunity to play in front of the UK crowd for the first time since 2017 – the high presence of HAMMERFALL shirts shows that the feeling is mutual, and it is clear that the double-bill of headliner and one high profile support act has worked well.
A comprehensive pitstop through their 25 years’ worth of albums brings up highlights like the motorcycle roar of Renegade and the band-name singalong of Let the Hammer Fall. The regular set culminates with their deserved tribute to the long line of compatriots who have left their mark on heavy music with (We Make) Sweden Rock. An encore brings just over an hour of music to a close with Hammer High and their most emblematic song Hearts On Fire, rounding off an assured display of heavy metal craftsmanship by HAMMERFALL.
Rating: 7/10
The stage is completely torn apart, and a black curtain raised so the crew can work their magic in peace, as we wait in anticipation of the headliners. When the curtain does fall, we are confronted by a gigantic pumpkin, adorned by an only slightly smaller drum-kit (containing no fewer than four bass drums). HELLOWEEN break into Skyfall, the 12-minute epic from their self-titled 2021 record, and the two frontmen in Michael Kiske and Andi Deris appear atop podiums either side of the Megapumpkin. The sound of the three guitars from Kai Hansen, Michael Weikath and Sascha Gaerstner is big and punchy, underpinned by the muscular bass of founding member Markus Grosskopf.
This is the second time that the UK public sees Kiske and Hansen back with the band, but the novelty is yet to wear off. To watch Kiske and his eventual replacement Deris sing together, with an arm around each other’s shoulder, is still a heartwarming sight for any fan of the band. The septet are all smiles and gestures of appreciation for their colleagues – it is visible that the past waters of discontent are truly under the bridge, and we are seeing old friends enjoying each other’s company and musicianship.
Kiske receives his first solo spot with genre-defining power metal classic Eagle Fly Free, and his voice is in fine form as he hits soaring heights, much like the song’s title character. Deris himself gets solo spots for new album single Mass Pollution, as well as one of the early highlights from his tenure When The Rain Grows. But by far the two frontmen are best utilised in tandem, as exemplified by a wonderful duet for the ballad Forever and One, with them exchanging verses and combining for a powerful harmony in the chorus.
With such an extensive discography it is inevitable that a lot of great songs will miss out, but the setlist leans more on depth than breadth. Almost two-thirds of the setlist draw on their first three records which feels slightly too imbalanced, as it misses the exciting opportunity of presenting a fresh spin on the Deris-era tracks with the older members back in the fold. The old-school fans in Brixton Academy don’t mind, however, and each new cut from the iconic Keeper of the Seven Keys Parts I and II is greeted with jubilation and loud singalongs. The speed metal classic Walls of Jericho is paid a long tribute as well, with a Kai Hansen-fronted medley covering many songs from the album, and a full-band rendition of How Many Tears which closes the main set.
A three-song encore concludes with the leviathan Keeper Of The Seven Keys which easily runs beyond the 15 minutes mark, closing with an extended outro to let each band member be applauded offstage one by one. While the stage does eventually empty, it is clear to everyone in the building that proceedings cannot possibly be over – no HELLOWEEN gig can finish without I Want Out, the band’s most enduring legacy, and the Pumpkins duly indulge us for one last song.
Returning with another joyous celebration of their legacy, the power metal legends HELLOWEEN showed that they are still a live force to contend with, but the next tour would benefit from dialling down the nostalgia and reaffirming the band as a current and relevant voice in the genre they helped establish.
Rating: 8/10
Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in London from Pavel Kondov here:
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