David MoyaBack to the Power: How Giants & Monsters Rekindles Helloween’s
I hadn’t listened to a Helloween album in a long time. I’d pretty much lost interest in them back in the ’90s after they released a couple of terrible records following Kai Hansen‘s departure. The albums I’m talking about are Pink Bubbles Go Ape (1991) and the dreadful Chameleon (1993). At that point I was much more into Hansen’s work with Gamma Ray, who were putting out fantastic albums and were a blast to watch live. I can’t say the same for Helloween at the time—their shows felt depressing and lifeless, even when I saw them touring with Iron Maiden during the X Factor era with Blaze Bayley.
To be fair, Helloween released a pretty decent album that year—better than Iron Maiden’s The X Factor, actually—but their live performance just didn’t have any energy or excitement. I have no idea why.
I know they’ve put out some solid albums over the years, but after those experiences and a few other disappointing live shows, I completely lost interest. A great live performance is crucial to maintaining a connection with a band—that’s where you really celebrate the music.
But once Kai Hansen returned to the lineup, I decided to give them another chance. Their 2021 self-titled album Helloween is very, very good. It feels like they reached back through time to their roots—the era of the Helloween EP and Walls of Jericho (1985), when they had that extremely raw, speed-metal-meets-thrash sound. And then, of course, they went on to release the two power-metal masterpieces Keeper of the Seven Keys I & II. Back then they were like “warmer metal”—so much fun, a breath of fresh air compared to the hard, serious thrash scene ruled by bands like Slayer and Metallica.
Giants & Monsters
After being impressed by the 2021 Helloween album, I went into Giants & Monsters cautiously optimistic. And surprisingly—or maybe not so surprisingly anymore—they delivered again. This album feels like the band finally understands exactly what their fans want: the energy, the harmonies, the twin-lead guitar magic, and the sense of fun that used to define their best work.
What stands out on Giants & Monsters is how confidently it blends the different eras of the band. You feel the raw edge of the early speed-metal days, the grandeur of the Keeper albums, and the more polished power-metal sound of their later years. Andi Deris and Michael Kiske trading vocals is still one of the best things to happen to this band—they complement each other instead of competing, and that chemistry elevates almost every track.
The production is powerful without being overpolished. The guitars sound bright and sharp, the rhythm section actually breathes, and the choruses hit with that unmistakable Helloween uplift. This is a band that once again sounds alive—something I couldn’t say about them for decades.
Is it perfect? No. A couple of songs feel like filler, and there are moments where they lean a bit too hard into nostalgia. But overall, Giants & Monsters is strong, spirited, and genuinely enjoyable. If the lifeless performances of the ’90s pushed me away, this album is the kind of thing that pulls me right back in. It reminds me why Helloween mattered so much in the first place: they brought fun, melody, and excitement to a metal scene that often took itself far too seriously. If they keep this lineup and this level of passion, they might be entering one of the best late-career phases of any metal band.
