ST. PETERSBURG — German speed-metal pioneer Helloween will perform Tuesday, May 16, at Jannus Live, 200 First Ave. N., St. Petersburg.
Gates open at 7 p.m. Call 727-565-0550 or visit www.jannuslive.com. The Swedish power-metal outfit Hammerfall will open for Helloween.
On the road since 1984, the band has appeared at many key festivals globally, including Rock in Rio, Wacken, Loudpark in Japan and the Polish Woodstock, thrilling more than half a million fans as the headliner. Looking back on a a career that has spanned three decades, the band toured the world countless times and delivered spectacular shows with fellow musicians such as Iron Maiden, Scorpions and Ozzy Osbourne.
Since the band formed, it has released 16 studio and four live records. It has achieved 14 gold and six platinum certifications and sold more than 10 million albums.
Its self-titled 16 album features the “Pumpkins United” line-up, which marked the return of original member Kai Hansen on guitars and vocals and Michael Kiske on vocals. Other band members include Andi Deris, Michael Weikath, Markus Grosskopf, Sascha Gerstner and Dani Löble.
“It is the incomprehensible encounter of seven musicians who are working as friends and even family and created something that no one would have thought it could be possible,” Weikath said of the band’s new configuration. “It is like awaking from a sleep but still being in an incredible dream.”
“Being in the studio with my old companions after 30 years was very emotional for me,” Hansen said. “But at the same time it was a completely different experience with the ‘new‘ boys. The collaboration of different songwriters and strong characters made the album very special: a unique mix with reminiscences from all chapters of the band’s history.”
When Hammerfall released its debut album, “Glory to the Brave,” in 1997, the band triggered a big boom for traditional heavy metal. The band came together in Gothenburg in 1993 and was founded by former Ceremonial Oath guitarist Oscar Dronjak. “Hammer of Dawn,” the band’s 12th and most recent studio album, was released in 2022 by Napalm Records.
