CD review HELLOWEEN ‘United Alive in Madrid’

(*/10) Helloween’s ‘Pumpkins United’ tour feels like a dream that became true. Instead of performing some shows in an ‘old-school setup’, Helloween decided to go for a slightly different approach. ‘Pumpkins United’ is the banner for a very special band setup that includes all the current band members with the addition of no less than Michael Kiske and Kai Hansen.

These guys went on a long and 69 shows comprising tour – the ‘Pumpkins United World tour’. One of the shows took place an Madrid, Spain, a concert that has een recorded and is now released in various formats. The base for this review is the CD version, which means that I can’t tell you a lot of the visuals. However, having witnessed one of the shows, the one in Tilburg, allows me to report that it was a jaw-dropping moment in Heavy Metal history to see this great line-up performing songs covering three decades in Metal. And not to forget the cool sequences with Seth and Doc, introducing some of the songs. Last but not least it’s the drum solo of Ingo Schwichtenberg, projected on the huge backdrop and supported by the current Helloween drummer Dani Löble.

It goes without saying that a live album of this kind comes with an excellent sound, bringing the Madrid show to your living room. Helloween, that’s pioneers when it comes to German Heavy Metal and this release underlines very well why they are idols for many metalheads.

Tracklist CD: