Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
Giants & Monsters sees the return of one the most influential Heavy Metal bands to the front of the genre’s mass appeal, and in a year when the German group celebrate 40 years since they released their eponymous debut E.P. and later on that same year the towering Walls Of Jericho, Helloween, once again guided by the three originals of the band, Michael Weikath, Kai Hansen, and Markus Grosskopf, have placed before the masses a sense of continual cool as their new album creates certainty and an air of devilish mayhem to enjoy.
Helloween only suffer from being underrated, coming out at a time when the likes of Iron Maiden had already begun their conquest of the genre, and Metallica and Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax had started their domination of the extreme side of the genus, so the band found themselves appreciated by many, but not the wider audience as they should have been.
The thing about longevity, it actively proves you right in the end, and Helloween have been nothing but consistent, despite personnel changes and shifting times, where the abundance of interest of the music has seen groups from Finland and the Nordic countries become the prevailing force, the group that brought the majestic album Keeper Of The Seven Keys to the fore have substantially demonstrated their believe and crowning glory to all.
Giants & Monsters is no sacrifice to the gods, and in this second album by the ‘Pumpkins United’ line up, the sheer weight of established metal pulse is as strong as ever. The album is no light weight, no filler, it is the art of endurance and affection for the symmetry between lyric and powerful, unashamed musicality, and one that beats the life out of the languid and the leisurely with enthusiasm and wide-eyed spectacle.
An abundance of range is the magic that Helloween possess, Andi Deris, Michael Kiske and Kai Hansen’s vocals rip through the gossamer tightness that others call obscurity and give an extra dimension to the guitars, bass and drums, especially to long standing bass player Markus Grosskopf. This magic culminates in tracks such as the blistering opener of Giants On The Run, A Little Is A Little Too Much, the excellent pounding beat of This Is Tokyo, Under The Moonlight, Universe (Gravity For Hearts) and Majestic, the raw drama and subversive tones make Giants & Monsters an album of gigantic power ready to smash at the doors of ignorance once more.
Helloween have already given the world much to delight in, yet they continue to show their elegance and ferocity in one simple exchange; one to be absolutely impressed by.
Ian D. Hall