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Helloween Puts On A Power Metal Spectacle In London With Beast In Black

Hammersmith. Just the name alone evokes memories and lore of rock and heavy metal's past. It's in this West London area that we find the Apollo, formerly known as the Odeon, which has been the setting for the transformation of heavy metal bands into icons. Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Motorhead, AC/DC... They've all headlined this famous venue and everyone from Bruce Springsteen to Celtic Frost have recorded live releases here. Hell, this writer's first show was seeing Motorhead here in 2003, so it's fair to say there's some personal attachment to the Apollo, as well as the legacy it already holds. Tonight, Hammersmith was once again hosting an important name in heavy metal, as power metal pioneers Helloween were set to headline on the only British date of their 40th anniversary tour.

Entering into the small but grand lobby and heading up the stairs, excitement was in the air not just for the legends, but for tonight's support act, one of Europe's fastest rising power metal stars, Beast In Black. Formed in Finland ten years ago, Beast In Black has three studio albums to their name, with a fourth almost completed, as confirmed by vocalist Yannis Papadopoulos during the show. While they're definitely in the power metal category, the quintet also holds a strong electronic influence, forging the kind of metal which appears in the Eurovision Song Contest every so often. This all comes together to create an upbeat, animated energy that permeates every inch of the room as soon as the first notes of the opening song, "Power Of The Beast" were played.

From then on, the group unleashed a sonic whirlwind, with their sophomore album, "From Hell With Love" receiving the most attention, being represented by five songs, including "Cry Out For A Hero" and "Die By The Blade." Performing for almost an hour, Beast In Black almost treated this show like a headlining set, and one would be forgiven for thinking that they were indeed in that position, given the control they exerted over the audience, many of whom knew the material on offer and were happy to sing along to several songs, including "One Night In Tokyo," one of the two cuts from their latest album, "Dark Connection," along with "Hardcore." Papadopoulos has an absolutely stunning voice, perfectly made for this kind of music, and he uses it expertly, to belt out other anthems like "Blood Of A Lion" and "Blind And Frozen," before they eventually called time on their performance with "No Surrender." While the sound wasn't at its best for Beast In Black, they fought through it and delivered one hell of a set, which surely made fans of the few who weren't already.

While most of the shows we cover on this site have a great intimate feel, or contain smaller stage effects like dry ice or a big backdrop, the spectacle of a big heavy metal show is just as entertaining and thrilling as ever. After the huge curtain fell, Helloween made their claim to be among the metal titans with a large drum riser, complete with platforms and staircases, and a massive screen behind them, showcasing a different display for every song, which began with "March Of Time," our first of five helpings from the classic "Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part 2" album. The last ten years have been a wonderful time for old and new fans alike, as they are now co-fronted by vocalists Andri Deris and his predecessor, Michael Kiske, as well as the return of guitarist/vocalist Kai Hansen, and all three sounded magnificent.

The "Keeper Of The Seven Keys" celebration continued with the next song, "King For A 1000 Years," the epic from the 2005 release, "Keeper Of The Seven Keys: The Legacy," before the first part of the trilogy was visited with an excellent rendition of "Future World." Every so often, the Keeper himself would appear on the screen in between songs to address the audience, which was fun for everyone, but I noticed especially for the young fans attending with their parents. Of course, as famous as these albums are, there's more to Helloween than the "Keeper..." albums, and the band do have a new album, "Giants And Monsters" out, with the first taste, "This Is Tokyo," coming next. I've never been to the city but having two songs dedicated to it in one night is as good a tourism ad as any.

Other albums weren't neglected either, and "The Time Of The Oath" had two superb showings in the forms of "We Burn" and "Power," the latter of which sounding particularly good. Elsewhere, the title track from "Pink Bubbles Go Ape" kicked off a three song acoustic section which also featured "In The Middle Of A Heartbeat" and "A Tale That Wasn't Right," though this did become a more electric affair mid-way through. Helloween's longevity was demonstrated perfectly as another new song, "Universe (Gravity For Hearts)" stood alongside longtime favourites "Halloween" and "I Want Out" as one of the best showings from the band in this show, and "A Little Is A Little Too Much" taking a comfortable place in between "Eagle Fly Free" and "Dr. Stein" in the encore.

Power metal isn't for everyone. In fact, just being here evoked school memories where a friend would forcefully insist on their superiority over my preferred band, Sepultura, but attending a show like this, full of wonder and good nature, is an experience which is becoming a little rarer these days. Not just in metal music, but in the world as a whole, and for a few hours, this positive take on metal made me forget that we live in a dangerous world filled with problems. These soaring anthems embedded themselves into fans memories and hearts for four decades now and it's easy to see why, once you hear them for yourself in person. Helloween proved tonight why they really do belong in the same breath as the icons that have headlined this famous venue. Sepultura included!