HELLOWEEN| BEAST IN BLACK

BEAST IN BLACK

The crowd packed in early, buzzing with anticipation for a night of high-energy power metal. As people milled around, ominous battle music began to swell through the speakers, signaling that Beast In Black, the Finnish band known for blending power metal with electronic, synth, and 80s influences, were about to take the stage. I had never heard them before, but friends had described them as “synth-phonic power metal,” and I was eager to see what that meant in practice. They opened with ‘Power Of The Beast’, an instant crowd-pleaser and a perfect introduction to their sound. This is power metal you physically cannot stand still to. The room erupted into joyful, mosh-dance chaos. Every element you want was there: razor-sharp guitar shredding, fist-pumping drum lines, and constant engagement with the audience. Visually, they’re a blast to watch—synchronized guitar choreography, stick-spinning theatrics from the drummer, and a frontman who commands attention and makes a point of connecting with every corner of the venue.

Although Beast In Black usually perform as a five-piece, their second guitarist stayed home to work on their upcoming fourth studio album. The crowd was thrilled by the news, and the band’s presence didn’t suffer at all. By the time they launched into ‘Born Again’, they had the entire theatre eating out of their hands (myself included). It’s the kind of song you want to belt out even if you don’t know the words. The singer introduced ‘Enter The Behelit’, their latest release and a collaboration with Blizzard (of Diablo fame) and Berserk. Here, the synth-phonic elements really came alive, and I immediately understood what my friends meant. It’s fast, fun, and powerful. At one point, when the synths took over, the bassist casually wandered over to the drum kit, smacked the cymbals with a stray drumstick, and tossed it into the crowd—a perfect snapshot of how much fun they clearly have on stage.

‘One Night In Tokyo’ kicked off with a gloriously 80s synth-pop intro, and the crowd responded with spinning, dancing, and one of the most wholesome mosh pits I’ve ever seen. Up to this point, I’d already been impressed by the guitar solos, the drum work, and the vocalist’s range, but ‘Blind And Frozen’ was the moment I realized just how unique his voice truly is. He sounds like two different singers trading lines, effortlessly shifting between tones and registers. When the vocalist asked how many people had seen them before, while they did have a dedicated following in the crowd that had, a lot of the crowd was made up of first-time viewers like me, and I have no doubt that they left with a lot of new fans. Before their final track, they asked for the house lights to come up so they could see the crowd and spoke about how surreal it is to tour with their childhood heroes, the power metal giants Helloween.

They closed with ‘No Surrender’, one of their heaviest songs, sending the pit into one last frenzy before taking a bow to roaring appreciation. I walked out a genuine fan. Beast In Black deliver a rare combination of fantasy, sci-fi, power, and synth-driven theatrics, all executed by musicians with serious talent and charisma. When a band can convert a room that has so many first-time listeners (while performing one member down), you know you’ve witnessed something special.

SETLIST
‘Power Of The Beast’, ‘Hardcore’, ‘Sweet True Lies’, ‘Born Again’, ‘From Hell With Love’, ‘Enter The Behelit’, ‘Die By The Blade’, ‘One Night In Tokyo’, ‘Blind And Frozen’, ‘No Surrender’, ‘Burning Heart (Survivor song)’

HELLOWEEN

The crowd packed in tight for Helloween, everyone pushing toward the front as the lights dimmed and ‘Let Me Entertain You’ blasted through the speakers, the unmistakable cue that the night was about to begin. The Queen Elizabeth Theatre’s lighting deserves its own praise: crisp, dynamic, and a gift not only to concert-goers but to photographers as well (Miles from All Father Metal can absolutely vouch for this). Red lights washed over the stage as the screen lit up with a cascade of album covers, and then the band emerged. This leg of their 40th-anniversary tour follows the hugely successful Giants And Monsters, and the lineup is a powerhouse: Andi Deris, Michael Kiske, Kai Hansen, Michael Weikath, Markus Grosskopf, Sascha Gerstner, and Dani Löble. Some are founding members, some returned after years away, and together they form a seven-piece juggernaut that defines power metal. They opened with ‘March Of Time’, immediately showcasing razor-sharp musicianship and igniting the crowd. A figure on the screen then reminded everyone that Helloween has been with them for 40 years, sending the room into a frenzy before the band launched into the epic ‘King For A Thousand Years’, complete with synchronized visuals that elevated the performance.

With seven musicians of this calibre, excellence is the baseline. Gerstner’s guitar work, played on his signature VIV Guitars models, was flawlessly tight, even when he shredded so hard he knocked over his mic stand (a stage tech sprinted in to rescue it just in time for his backing vocals). Dani Löble’s drum setup is a spectacle in itself: four custom bass drums and what appeared to be a floor tom mounted at eye level. His playing was thunderous and commanding. Markus Grosskopf remains one of the most joyful performers to watch. He’s endlessly talented, constantly moving, dancing, and interacting with both the crowd and his bandmates. Decades in, he still radiates pure love for what he does. Weikath, another founding member, delivered with the same precision and mastery he’s honed over forty years. And watching Kai Hansen, the architect of so much of Helloween’s iconic sound, step up to the mic to sing the early classics he wrote in the ’80s was genuinely special. But the chemistry between vocalists Andi Deris and Michael Kiske is something that must be experienced live. Their voices are massive, unmistakable, and perfectly complementary. Their playful banter (including a moment of “you take the mic,” “no, you,” “no, I insist”) had the crowd grinning between songs.

During ‘Future World’, robotic visuals pulsed behind them as the audience belted along, with Kiske and Deris teasing that we could definitely be louder. ‘Ride The Sky’ sent the pit into a joyful frenzy, especially with Hansen taking over vocals. One of the biggest surprises of the night was how many songs hit harder live. I’ve always liked ‘Hey Lord’, but seeing it performed made me realize I actually love it. ‘Universe’ also landed differently with the lyrics displayed on screen, turning the entire venue into a choir. I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Grosskopf, and we talked about how many of his songs ended up as B-sides. So when Deris announced they were playing ‘Hell Was Made In Heaven’, his favourite of all of Grosskopf’s songs and a shining example of what a talented writer he was, it felt like a particularly meaningful moment. The crowd absolutely ate it up.

When ‘I Want Out’ began, the room erupted. It’s the song so many had been waiting for, and the band delivered it with absolute precision (though I admit Deris’s on-stage dances were my personal highlight). Then came a quieter interlude: Kiske and Deris at centre stage, Kiske on guitar, joking that many of the band members are heavy smokers and needed a break. They performed ‘In The Middle Of A Heartbeat’ before switching guitars and moving into ‘A Tale That Wasn’t Right’, their chemistry once again captivating. The rest of the band returned to finish the song with them. As the set neared its end, ‘Heavy Metal Is The Law’ gave Hansen another chance to shine on vocals, and then came the inevitable closer: ‘Halloween’. The crowd exploded, the pit widened, and the energy peaked. As the band exited, I caught Gerstner flashing a “live long and prosper” (I see you, fellow Trekkie).

Of course, the crowd wasn’t letting them go that easily. Their demand for an encore was ferocious, and Helloween rewarded them by re-emerging with ‘Eagle Fly Free’. Watching Grosskopf flap his hands in bird motions while grinning ear to ear made the moment even better. They powered through ‘Power’ and ‘Dr. Stein’, the vocalists trading lines effortlessly, before ending with the final chorus of ‘Keeper Of The Seven Keys’, the entire venue singing along. Helloween gives you your money’s worth and then some. Their set is long, polished, and relentlessly engaging. And in another point for the venue: if you need to slip out for a drink or bathroom break, the TVs everywhere ensure you never miss a moment even in a set that is longer than 2 hours. As the crowd spilled out into the night, the energy lingered. Even on the late train home, half-asleep fans were still humming ‘Eagle Fly Free’.

SETLIST
‘March Of Time’, ‘The King For A 1000 Years’, ‘Future World’, ‘This Is Tokyo’, ‘We Burn’, ‘Ride The Sky’, ‘Into The Sun’, ‘Hey Lord!’, ‘Universe (Gravity For Hearts)’, ‘Hell Was Made In Heaven’, ‘Drum Solo’, ‘I Want Out’, ‘In The Middle Of A Heartbeat’, ‘A Tale That Wasn’t Right’, ‘A Little Is A Little Too Much’, ‘Heavy Metal (Is The Law)’, ‘Halloween’, ‘Eagle Fly Free’, ‘Power’, ‘Dr. Stein’, ‘Keeper Of The Seven Keys’