Canada’s The Metal Voice recently interviews Heloween singer Michael Kiske. In the chat Michael Kiske spoke about the bands upcoming tour as well as Helloween working on new music and his first strange encounter with Whitesnake’s singer David Coverdale.
Michael Kiske was asked about if Helloween was working on new music he replied, “Actually, 10 days ago, or maybe a week ago, Kai (Hansen) has sent me a demo of a song that he was (working on) that I was very happy about, because it’s not what you would expect; the song was a bit outside of the box, which I am always grateful for. I always thought that was exciting about Helloween.” Kiske continued,”I know that Andi has songs, and I know that Kai has a whole bunch of songs. He was a bit lazy last time; he only had that one great song, ‘Skyfall’, which was maybe good for three songs and that’s why it’s justified but I would have wished for even more from him. And I think this time he will be presenting a whole bunch of songs more. At least that’s my impression, the feeling that I have, there might be more coming from him this time. Andi is always in the game. Andi has this gift; he can just sit down and write 10 songs. He can just do it. I don’t know how he does it.”
Kiske was then asked if he would be contributing to the new music since he did not write on the last record he said,” I don’t know. I’m not so much of a metal songwriter. I was when I was a teenager. But these days I just don’t write metal songs; I just write songs on acoustic guitar somehow. And if I have something where I feel like the band could make a Helloween song out of it, of course I will present it to them, and then if they get a kick out of it, something’s gonna happen. But we have so many songwriters in this band now. And they’re all really capable of writing that sort of material that everybody loves, and that’s mainly Andi (Deris), Sascha (Gerstner), Weiki and Hansen. And I think that’s more than enough. If I have an idea, I sneak it in. But I don’t really push myself.”
Jimmy Kay and Alan Dixon from Canada’s The Metal Voicerecently spoke to HELLOWEEN singer Michael Kiske. During the chat Kiske spoke about the Helloween Pumpkins United reunion and the making of the new self titled album. He also told The Metal Voice about his upcoming acoustic solo album.
Tell us what was the defining moment that made you say yes to reuniting with Helloween “There wasn’t one moment with everything but there was one moment that changed my mind, in general. In the 90’s I would have rejected anything. It didn’t matter how much money you offered me I would not want to do it. I was disappointed about the band, I was disappointed about the scene and pretty much on a crusade to be honest with you. And it was good for me, it was a good time, it was important, it shaped my personality and I didn’t want to miss it. “
“My kind of opening up to this type of music started with Avantasia I think at the end of the 90’s. He (Tobias Sammet) really talked me into it, I didn’t want to do it at first but I liked him right away and he convinced me to do it and I enjoyed it. Then later on Serafino (label Owner) showed up and offered me a deal for my solo stuff and then came Place Vendome which was great and I really enjoyed it and it was getting me into that direction a lot. Then though that ( Place Vendome) I got in touch with Denis Ward and Kosta Zafiriou a few years later and was offered the idea of making a real band (Unisonic) cause they were both getting nowhere with Pink Cream 69. Then on the first tour I did with Avantasia, Kai Hansen was part of it, so I was on stage with Kai again and there was this old familiar way, this chemistry going on and we started talking we should do something together but I didn’t want to join Gamma Ray it’s not my cup of tea, so he joined Unisonic. So that was another step. Around the same time I got pissed about a quote Andi Deris (Helloween singer) said in an interview saying he is sure that in 2000 something that I would be part of the team again (Helloween) and we were going to make a big tour. I was like what is he talking about? But it shows you how long they (Helloween) planned that. Andi and Kai Hansen were like the driving force behind it. In 2013 I was on a tour with Avantasia in Europe and I ran into Michael Weikath (Helloween guitarist) backstage and he stood in front of me and said ‘what have I done that you can’t forgive me for? You can’t be more straightforward. I was holding my breath and I noticed there was no anger anymore. In my soul something had changed probably by getting older. That was the game changer when it comes to realizing that something had changed. Then like a year later we played three shows in Spain with Unisoic, great shows, the band was getting in shape and after one of those shows Kai Hansen looked at me and said, you know what Michael we just got to do something with Helloween once more before it;s too late. And that is when I said, you know what I’m open.”
When asked about working with Andi Deris today “We got along perfectly, it was almost like I knew him which is the most beautiful part of it because every time I saw his face in the past it was not connected with a good feeling, that’s the dude that got my job. The other way around in the early years when he joined the band he got a lot of fire from the fans that did not agree with that so when he saw my face in the past it was probably not connected with the best feelings. (laughs). We were nervous, there was an element of insecurity but it was quickly gone. It was so interesting how good we got along, he is like an old mate or someone I knew in a previous life. That is when we started to go into brainstorming sessions and planning all of this. ”
What was the key to reuniting that you can share for other bands “The basis has to be on a human level, it has to be because you want to make peace. If you are just in there for an ego reason, it’s not going to work, it doesn’t have any strength, it doesn’t have any legs. “
Tell us how the band started falling apart because of money back in the 80’s “Not so much the band, it was more the people around the band trying to get the biggest piece of the cake. The band was massively sucked into a legal situation, you shouldn’t have to think about things like that. We were like so screwed you couldn’t imagine we sold millions of records, we were selling out venues and we were in debt. Typical musicians are usually naive and they should be, music needs a free mind and business is kind of trapping your mind. If you don’t free yourself from these traps and become a business man instead of a musician you are done. It is always that fight of not letting the business side destroy the artist that’s why you need managers, you need to have someone who takes care of that. We do have that now. In the 80’s we were surrounded by sharks. This time around the management is on our side, part of the team now.”
When asked why he didn’t contribute songwriting wise to the new Helloween album “I didn’t want to, I’m making a solo album right now, an acoustic album that is my creative part and role. When it comes to the songs of Helloween I have written a few songs that were successful. I know to me the rest of the band are the main songwriters that define the main sound of the band. And since we have 6 songwriters I thought it was enough. Maybe I will do something for another record. I think it has something to do with the label boss from Nuclear Blast. He is really after my solo record. He is a big fan which is always great. I told him that I am doing something like that and he is like I want to have it. “
When asked if his solo album is completed “I have all the material, it’s going to be 50-50 a few of my own songs all just acoustic but I will also record my favorite songs (covers), non metal tunes, it’s stuff from various bands that I do my own take on. Some from the 70’s, songs that I love and I can sing them in an interesting way. It’s going to be very simple acoustic everything recorded here in my place. I want to take the time but they want to release it when we start the tour (Helloween) next year which is planned March, April, May 2022. It’s going to be released next year for sure.”
Helloween released its new album on June 18 via Nuclear Blast Records
The “Pumpkins United” lineup features returning singer Kiske and guitarist/vocalist Kai Hansen alongside frontman Deris, guitarists Weikath and Sascha Gerstner, bassist Markus Grosskopf and drummer Daniel Löble.
Produced by Charlie Bauerfeind and Dennis Ward, the new Helloween Album was recorded in part at the H.O.M.E. Studios in Hamburg.
The “Pumpkins United” tour marked the first time Kiske had played live with HELLOWEEN since 1993. Hansen, who departed HELLOWEEN in 1988, had been joining the band onstage on various tours and festival appearances throughout the years.
Jimmy Kay from Canada’s The Metal Voice spoke to HELLOWEEN singer Michael Kiske as the band prepares to embark on their North America Pumpkins United tour starting on Sept 7, 2018 in Las Vegas
Watch the interview here:
Kiske goes into the details of the Pumpink reunion, the new album sets the record straight on the Iron Maiden past rumours and he also talks about the use of vocal playback on the first couple of shows on their tour.
When asked how did the Pumpkins United reunion come about
“For a long time this was totally impossible for me because I was hurt and full of anger and I didn’t want anything to do with it. For a long time I didn’t want anything to do with the Metal scene, it went very deep. But in the last couple of years before the reunion, without me noticing, things changed and I realized something is different when I ran into Michael Weikath in 2013. It was a festival in France and suddenly I was standing in front of him and he said something like, Michael what have I done that you can’t forgive me? I then said, you know what I think, I have forgiven you a long time ago. There was no anger that is how I felt, we talked a little bit and this is how it all started. ”
“I was not aware that during the years something had changed in me. I have learned so much during the years outside of Helloween being my own man without a band and not even management. All those years I learnt so much and after a while I could not be angry anymore about what happened in Helloween. I think it was kind of meant to be the reunion.”
When asked why there was such bad blood between in the past with him and the band
“When I talk to Weikath or anyone else from that was part of the past and I realized that everyone had a different view of the past situation, everyone has experienced something completely different. To me that was a clear sign that there was nothing really going on, there was no objective reason for anything, it was subjective, it was just meant to be over. ”
When asked specifically what was the starting point for the reunion
“Kai Hanson always wanted to do it, he was always saying he would love to do a reunion at least once more and I remember after talking with Weikath in France in 2013 and I realized that something had changed in me. After a Unisoinc gig in Spain we were back stage changing and Kai looked around and looked at me and said Michael if we don’t do something once more under the name of Helloween that would be so stupid and I said you know what I am open to the idea. ”
When asked about his thought on sharing the stage with Andy Deris
“When I started to bring up this idea I was not thinking about sharing the stage with Andy, I was thinking we could do a sort of a Keeper of the Seven keys reunion tour . But management was making it clear to me you can’t really do that, you can’t create another Helloween band that would be in competition with the present Helloween band, it doesn’t work, we have to do something together. I slowly realized he is right and then I started to like the idea because it sends out a nice message with both singers. I didn’t know Andy Deris, I never met him before I was his pain in the ass for a number of years getting criticized by my fans and he was my pain in the ass because he took over my job. We didn’t know each other but we had an effect in each other. We both were very nervous when we first met and it was very interesting to see how good we get along just as people, we like each other now which is so helpful. I like hanging out with him”
When asked about details on the new Helloween Pumkins United studio album set to be released 2020
“That wasn’t the original plan, it step by step. Since everything worked out on tour and we got along we said let’s make a record with two singers. Artistically its an interesting thing to do because we are different type of singers and you can work with that in terms of songwriting.”
“In regards to musical direction I am not a main songwriter, I have an opinion and I don’t even know if I will be writing any songs but there are other musicians in the band who I consider the key songwriters. The songwriters are Andy, Kai, Weikath and Sasha in the end. The musical direction will depend on what they come up with. I would love to sing some stuff in the Keeper vein. We are writing next year and we are looking at releasing the record in 2020, there is no hurry.”
To set the record straight was he ever asked to join Iron maiden when Bruce left
“No, with Maiden the situation was we had the same management and we toured with them, there was never any discussion. I was in Germany watching Music TV and the music show said there used to be rumours but now it’s a fact that Michael Kiske is the new singer of Iron Maiden. It just shows how little you can believe what is on TV. To be honest with you I love Maiden but I wouldn’t want to sing with Maiden I wouldn’t want to be in Bruce’s shoes. I want to hear Bruce in Maiden.”
When asked about the lip singing playback when the tour first started
“It was not all playback. I’m quite glad I did it once because I never done anything like that and I am certainly not going to do it anymore because I can’t, it just doesn’t work. The situation was I had an infected throat already before the first show. I wanted to skip the shows and the management said we cant start this tour with cancelling shows. So they talked me into it, the whole band made that decision and then management came to me and said Michael we have recordings of you from six weeks earlier, it was recording we did in some rehearsal and they said you just go out and sing and if the sound guy sees you are losing your voice he will sneak the playback track in. I didn’t want to do it but I said i will give it a try. I’m so used to singing live of course so I messed it up. I pulled the microphone to the audience when the sound guy had my voice out there. I did it cause they talked me into it. We only did a few bits here and there. I am not going to do that anymore. the next time when I don’t have a voice I will either cancel the show or I do it the way i can. “
Power metal legends HELLOWEEN have announced the sensational news that they will be embarking on an epic tour starting next year, joined by past members Michael Kiske and Kai Hansen. The band stated on their official website:
“Here comes the sensation for all HELLOWEEN fans: You believed in it for years and con-tinued to ask for it – now is the time: In fall 2017, Michael Kiske and Kai Hansen will once again mount a HELLOWEEN stage together and resurrect the band’s legendary original line-up. Yes, it’s official: Weikath, Kiske, Hansen, Grosskopf are going to play HELLOWEEN classics live and on a joint tour. Massive news. Awesome. But you might want to sit down again, because that’s not all of it! Under the flag PUMPKINS UNITED all pumpkin heads will step up – meaning Andi & Michi on vocals, Kai & Weiki & Sascha on guitars, and Markus & Dani in the rhythm section.
PUMPKINS UNITED WORLD TOUR 2017/2018: GOOD. AS. IT. GETS.“
The band go on to explain further details:
THE IDEA.
Undisputedly, HELLOWEEN are one of Germany’s most respected metal exports and considered the founders of German melodic speed metal. As godfathers of the genre, they have grown to become one of the most influential metal bands of the planet. In an unbelievable career reaching back as far as 1984, HELLOWEEN have performed at innumerable metal festivals around the globe such as Rock in Rio, Loudpark in Tokyo, Wacken, or the Woodstock in Poland, which they headlined in front of over 500,000 fans.
The band has delivered countless headliner world tours, spectacular shows with the likes of Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Dio, Slayer, or Ozzy Osbourne to name just a few, and played at exotic locations in Borneo, Indonesia, Manaus, Brazil, or, at over 10,600 ft in the world’s highest capital, La Paz, Bolivia. The band’s spectacular show at the »Monsters Of Rock« festival in Castle Donington in front of over 100,000 metal heads in 1988 was just as memorable as the massive MTV »Headbanger’s Ball« US tour with Anthrax and Exodus. Including genre masterpieces »Keeper of the Seven Keys« Part I & II, they’ve released 15 studio- and three live albums to date, selling over eight million records and earning fourteen gold and six platinum awards. For 30 years, HELLOWEEN have been delighting their fans with fantastic riffs, great songs, and haunting melodies – three decades of a global career they officially celebrated with the »Hellbook« in 2015. This is when the idea for PUMPKINS UNITED was born: The ‘Anniversary Bible’ as well as touring with Kai made them realize that this band’s story is demanding its next chapter. Or, as Michael Kiske describes it: »Playing an original HELLOWEEN track with Unisonic was quite a flashback already, but rocking with the original line-up and Andi will be something really special. The time has come!« The chemistry between Kiske, Hansen, Weikath, and Grosskopf is singular – and sees its revival not least because of you: You’ve never stopped asking for it – now the mega event is coming up live, with the complete cast, and heavily wired!
IN DETAIL.
The super tour’s first confirmed date is October 28, 2017 in Sao Paulo and takes the full PUMPKINS entourage across selected cities and venues in Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the US. An extremely big deal, which, including a few secret surprises, will present almost three hours of the biggest hits from three decades of HELLOWEEN as the band will obviously insist on performing a full-speed trip through the HELLOWEEN repertoire. »We already had an awesome time on the Hellish Rock part 1 & 2, but this time we’ll definitely double down on it« says Kai Hansen, and Markus Grosskopf adds: »There’ll for sure be songs that we haven’t played in a very long time or even ever before.« Whoever doesn’t secure tickets for this tour, probably doesn’t have all their pumpkins in a row: The original line-up wants to celebrate a global party with you, which is also going to be highly emotional because this SPECIAL WORLD TOUR is actually not a reunion and most probably won’t happen again. Andi channels our metal hearts when he says: »I’m so much looking forward to playing Michi’s and my tunes together with him live on stage. It’s going to be absolutely exceptional.«
Frontiers Music Srl has announced the release of the anticipated new album from KISKE / SOMERVILLE entitled “City of Heroes” on April 17th in Europe and April 21st in North America.
KISKE / SOMERVILLE is the musical collaboration between vocalists Michael Kiske (ex-Helloween, Unisonic, Place Vendome) and Amanda Somerville (Trillium, Avantasia) and this new recording is certainly going to be one of the highlights of the season in Rock music. Kiske’s soaring overtones seem to blend perfectly with the ethereal quality and diverse range of Amanda’s voice and this time the results are truly over the top.
This brilliant new album sees Mat Sinner (Primal Fear, Sinner) and Magnus Karlsson (Starbreaker, Primal Fear) handling most of the songwriting (with a song contribution “Breaking Neptune” from Sander Gommans formerly of After Forever and Amanda Somerville herself) and with Sinner overseeing the production in various recording studios in Europe. Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Amaranthe, Primal Fear, Pretty Maids, Doro etc.) then took care of the mix of the album ensuring a sonic quality second to none.
The first KISKE / SOMERVILLE self-titled album instantly aroused enthusiasm in the rock and metal community. The two videos off the album -“If I Had a Wish” and “Silence” – amassed a total of approximately 3,000,000 plays to date, which means that these songs can legitimately be considered as nowadays Rock classics!
Considered a Metal Diva in the European symphonic metal scene, Amanda Somerville is an American singer-songwriter from Flint, Michigan whose catalogue of projects, guest appearances and live shows garnered to date is an impressive body of work. Since 1999, she has divided her time between the US and Europe, primarily Germany and the Netherlands. She co-wrote the metal opera “AINA,” and has also been a vocalist, songwriter, producer and / or vocal coach for many bands like AVANTASIA, EPICA and KAMELOT, giving her more credibility in metal circles than she ever bargained for. Some of her most recent endeavors include working with renowned artists Alice Cooper, Bonnie Tyler, Ian Gillan (DEEP PURPLE) and many others.
Hamburg-born singer Michael Kiske is best known as the former lead vocalist for the German Metal Gods Helloween. After his departure from the band, Kiske recorded four solo albums, participated on various metal and rock related projects, such as Place Vendome and he also performed with numerous bands as a guest vocalist. In late 2009, he formed the hard rock/heavy metal band Unisonic, together with his former Helloween bandmate Kai Hansen and began touring again after 17 years.
“City of Heroes” will be released in CD, Deluxe edition with a bonus DVD and 2Lp vinyl gatefold sleeve. Tracklisting includes: City of Heroes; Walk on Water; Rising Up; Salvation; Lights Out; Breaking Neptune; Ocean of Tears; Open Your Eyes; Last Goodbye; After The Night Is Over; Run With a Dream; Right Now.
DVD includes: City of Heroes (video); Walk on Water (video); “Making of” documentary
An album trailer can be enjoyed following this link:
Musicians
Lead & Backing Vocals by Michael Kiske & Amanda Somerville
Guitars & Keyboards: Magnus Karlsson
Bass & Backing Vocals: Mat Sinner
Drums: Veronika Lukesova
UNISONIC have announced via their official Facebook page that vocalist Michael Kiske has recently suffered an injury. The band stated:
“Sadly, on the 4th of October in Kaufbeuren, Germany, Michael Kiske had an accident right before the last song of UNISONIC´s set.
After a jump, he twisted his knee and fell on the side. The result is a cruciate ligament rupture which the doctors say will take a while to recover from.
Fortunately, Michael puts his fans before his pain and will continue the current tour with EDGUY, no matter what the costs. Although he will not be able to move on stage, Michael says he’s happy that he still can sing for the fans during the next shows. So, don’t fret!
The show will go on and we, the band UNISONIC, are very glad about this!
See you all on the road – rock on!”
Get well soon Michael!
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