By Nick Balazs

Spooky season is upon us and what better way to greet Halloween then with German power metal legends Helloween. The ‘90s were a strange decade for the pumpkin boys with lineup changes, record label stress, nearly tanking their career and then rebirth, a tragic death, and music hitting the highest of the highs and unfortunately the lowest of the lows.

Six full-lengths were issued during the ‘90s, including 1999 cover album Metal Jukebox. Plus, there were a score of original songs listed as B-sides on various single releases.

Now let’s dive into the 10 best Helloween songs of the ‘90s – listed chronologically.

“Someone’s Crying” – Pink Bubbles Go Ape (1991)

While this album was a disaster as the Pumpkin Crew moved to major label EMI and losing guitarist Kai Hansen, Pink Bubbles Go Ape! is about as goofy as an album title can get and the music within struggles to keep its head above water. 

Newcomer Roland Grapow would be an important member throughout the decade and he’s responsible for the best and most Helloween-like of the songs as “Someone’s Crying” features an odd, blues-based intro before the Helloween hallmarks come through with Michael Kiske’s soaring vocals, dueling lead guitars, gliding bass, and double-bass drums. While it doesn’t match up the greatness found on the Keeper albums, this is a strong cut in its own right and worthy of recognition.

“I Believe” – Chameleon (1993)

In the carousel of confusion that is Chameleon, “I Believe” sticks out. The Michael Kiske penned tune is lyrically religious about a man who wants to be better and looking for grace from above and musically features some of the darkest, doom metal-laden riffs Helloween has ever put out. 

The 9-minute track holds striking riff transitions and rhythmic build-ups in what is essentially a progressive doom composition. Sterling, emotive lead work ups the intensity in what is one of the most unique tracks in their catalogue. The irony of “I Believe” is while Kiske is responsible for its creation, I would be intrigued to hear Andi Deris tackle this tune.

“Perfect Gentleman” – Master Of The Rings (1994)

Helloween have always had a penchant for being cheeky with oddball humor and it’s no different with the sarcastic, whistled “Perfect Gentleman”. Andi Deris’ vibrant personality shines on this outing with its blissful, head-in-the-clouds attitude. Markus’ bass playful bass sticks out as does the brief, but brilliantly executed melodic solo.

Rightfully issued as a single, Deris nails the narcissistic tone almost too well on this fun tune that only Helloween (and perhaps early Edguy) could pull off.

Funny note: I always hear the lyric “I’m the genuine man!” as “I’m the John Wayne man!”

 

“Steel Tormentor” – The Time Of The Oath (1996)

The Time Of The Oath was the “real” comeback. Master Of The Rings saved their career, but this album is a monster and it’s punctuated by “Steel Tormentor” – Michael Weikath’s tribute to Judas Priest and an ode to the motorcycle.

Motor engines rev up before storming in thundering drums (Uli Kusch is so good behind the kit) over driving guitars and bouncing bass. It’s exactly how’d you picture German power metal merging with classic British muscled metal. Grapow and Weikath turn in searing, melodic solos to drive home a song that Deris again shines on.

In a 2016 feature with Weikath celebrating 20 years of The Time Of The Oath, he says of “Steel Tormentor”: “I wrote that because they (Judas Priest) did the Jugulator album (with new singer Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens replacing Rob Halford) and I didn’t like that direction very much so that’s my own Judas Priest track.”

“Wake Up The Mountain” – The Time Of The Oath (1996)

This follows “Steel Tormentor” and bends on an unorthodox bass line before rumbling in a tremendous chorus. The Mountain “wakes up” with its transition into breakneck soloing before returning to the attentive chorus. 

It’s slightly experimental with the trembling bass and almost talkative verses from Deris, but it’s Helloween through and through – a slice of pumpkin that doesn’t have much comparison to the rest of their catalogue.

“Mission Motherland” – The Time Of The Oath (1996)

This 9-minute affair is about aliens and the prospect of life outside Earth. Eerie sounds greet the opening seconds and scattered bass gives way to a yell from Deris before kicking into a huge, descending, sustained riff - and that drumming from Kusch using the kick drum to replicate a spaceship landing is genius (at least that’s what I think it’s going for). 

“Mission Motherland” has everything going for it, wistful chorus, piano-led hopeful vocals, spacey, sustained noted solo, funky bass progression, and especially demanding, heavy guitars. This is prog/power Helloween at its finest.

The guitars are especially heavy and contrast the yearning, wistful chorus and the riff progressions sweeping into the sustained, spacey solo and then into a funky bass rhythm is masterful. The Helloween lineup was inventive in creating thoughtful, catchy, intuitive epics. 

“Push” – Better Than Raw (1998)

After one of their best introductory openers (the absurdly titled mouthful “Deliberately Limited Preliminary Prelude Period In Z”), “Push” launches a slightly new era for the Germans. The production is beefier, modern, more in-your-face and the representation of that is the aggressive “Push” with Deris screaming the lyrics and the pulsating drumming and cymbal bashing from Uli. 

The tremolo picking is balanced by a brilliantly melodic solo that…"pushes" this song to another level in what is one of the most intense Helloween tracks.

“Revelation” – Better Than Raw (1998)

I’d like to know what Kusch was thinking when he wrote this song because musically it goes everywhere, however Helloween’s epics in this time period were simply golden.

Deris’ lyrics are Biblical and apocalyptic with Jekyll and Hyde musicality, but it all makes sense and sticks together. Like “Mission Motherland” – this song has it all – thrash influenced riffs, a quiet mid-section with strange, shuffling drums, a hopeful, melodic solo, complex verse progression, and a climax featuring a long, stretched out guitar riff, and militant drumming. 

An astounding track that continues to surprise despite its age.

“Midnight Sun” – Better Than Raw (1998)

This is a great album closer – immediate twin guitars gives way to shredding to darker oriented riffs and a blazing, wailing chorus with Deris fully taking the reins, confident in his role as the Helloween frontman. 

There’s an immense energy to “Midnight Sun” – just listen to the busy drumming and how they urge the guitars to “go” in the solo section as Deris enters with “whoa oh oh” that transitions to heavy guitars and then goes right back to twin lead guitars and a majestic solo. There’s so much to love about this song – one of the best closers to end a Helloween album.

“A Game We Shouldn’t Play” – “I Can” Single (1998)

A Japanese extra and a gem at that. “A Game We Shouldn’t Play” is found on the “I Can” Japanese single release as the “B-side” and features burgeoning guitars in this heavy number before exploding into Deris talking the verses rhythmically with the bass before sprinkling into a huge chorus riff.

This easily could have fit on Better Than Raw and is memorable in its execution. This Deris-penned tune hits hard in its 3.5 minutes and its sense of foreboding and warning exudes from Deris’ vocal delivery.

While these are the ten best – special mention also goes out to these five other selections: “The Chance”, “Step Out Of Hell”, “Still We Go”, “Kings Will Be Kings”, and “Falling Higher”.

The ‘90s are also home to the worst song they recorded – a real rotten pumpkin with the Chameleon ballad “Windmill”. 

‘90s releases:
-6 full-length albums
-1 live album
-16 singles

‘90s members:
Markus Grosskopf – bass (1984-present)
Michael Weikath – guitars (1984-present)
Michael Kiske – vocals (1986-1993, 2017-present)
Andi Deris – vocals (1994-present)
Ingo Schwichtenberg – drums (1984-1993)
Roland Grapow – guitars (1989-2001)
Uli Kusch – drums (1994-2001)