Live report HELLOWEEN & BEAST IN BLACK, Barclays Arena, Hamburg – November 1st, 2025

Usually, it is October 31^st when a commercialized scary clownery called Halloween takes place but real metalheads know that things are different. Especially fans of heavy metal from the greater Hamburg area know that Helloween is on November 1^st. This is the day when the iconic band from Germany’s north plays a show at Barclays Arena in Hamburg, the biggest indoor venue in town. With them on the road are Beast In Black, now being a four-piece outfit after guitarist Kasperi Heikkinen left the band during this tour.

Although they are formally a four-piece band, five musicians will enter the stage at 19:15. Beast In Black have found a second guitarist in Daniel Freyberg, who will join the Finns for the rest of the tour, helping the band generate some extra power.

Beast In Black start the night with one of their newer songs. The Finnish melodic metallers’ show opens with the track “Power of the Beast”, followed by the next song from their album “Dark Connection”, “Highway to Mars”. The melodic metal of the quintet fits perfectly with tonight’s metal vibe, as their music allows for sing-alongs and prepares the arena for a metal party. Songs like “One Night in Tokyo” are extremely catchy, with the synth playing an important role. Even though there are songs with titles like “Die by the Blade”, it is the pop-like melodies that create a positive vibe, and tonight it is hard to resist these sugary metal songs.

Fans obviously enjoy what they can see and hear, and the fact that a rather large group has seen the band before is revealed by the question, ‘Have you seen us before?’ I guess that a new album would be well received too. Frontman Yannis Papadopoulus is keen to mention that the band is currently working on their fourth studio album, which is scheduled for release in 2026, along with the accompanying headline tour. Tonight, with “Enter the Behelit”, we get a first taste, and we can conclude that Beast In Black stick to their trademark sound with the new material too.

Beast In Black delivered a well-received opening performance, surfing through a setlist that covered all three of their released albums. The party has certainly started, and now everyone is looking forward to Helloween’s anniversary show.

(click on pics to enlarge)

The first thing you notice is the split in the infield, with the regular ticket holders at the back and the Golden Circle ticket holders in front of the stage. The Golden Circle isn’t sold out, which feels a bit weird, especially for an anniversary party, since it was rather full towards the back.

Nevertheless, Helloween put on a great show. The stage is covered with a huge curtain displaying the word ‘Helloween’, just in case anyone is in any doubt as to what is about to happen. Robbie Williams’ “Let Me Entertain You” fills the arena, and the next 2.5 hours are pure entertainment, starting with “March of Time” from the second “Keeper-” album. Starting with such a song is a great choice, and the reaction in the arena shows that we are watching a band with home-field advantage. Helloween is based in Hamburg, and many fans from the greater Hamburg area are present tonight to celebrate 40 years of thrilling heavy metal from Germany’s north, but there are also plenty of fans from outside Hamburg to join the party.

It’s clear from early on in the set that everyone is enjoying being at Barclays Arena tonight. This applies to both, the fans and the band. Big smiles can be seen on both sides, and songs such as the melodic “This is Tokyo” and the rousing version of “Ride the Sky”, sung by Kai Hansen, are exactly what fans expected tonight.

Although the music is the main focus, Helloween have decided to go for a big show approach. A huge digital backdrop allows projections such as a view of Tokyo streets during “This is Tokyo” and the lyrics of “Universe (Gravity of Hearts)”. The latter makes it easy for fans to sing along, and they know the lyrics by heart — especially those of the early classics. A large group of fans join in with the choruses of “Twilight of the Gods” and “I Want Out”. These songs laid the foundation for Helloween’s rise to fame, and 40 years later, experiencing these timeless metal classics is still exciting.

Those who return more often to MHMB know that drum solos aren’t my thing, and we have one on the list tonight. However, what Dani Löble delivers is a drum solo show. Not only does he show his exceptional skills behind the drum kit, he also engages the fans in some clapping and ‘hey’ shouts. This makes the drum solo more than just a display of skill. It’s an integral part of the show that maintains the energy in the room.

Helloween generate infectious energy, and everyone contributes to it. The triple axe attack, Markus Grosskopf’s grooving bass and Löble’s hard-hitting drumming are the essentials of Helloween. Combined with the great vocals of Michael Kiske and Andi Deris, who harmonise perfectly, Helloween deliver a memorable metal show, which slowly transitions into a shorter acoustic segment featuring just the two singers. With a twinkle in his eye, Deris announces that this is the moment for the smokers in the band, while the two singers perform “Pink Bubbles Go Ape”, “In the Middle of a Heartbeat” and “A Tale That Wasn’t Right”. It is the latter that acts as a bridge back to the regular set, which ends with a stellar version of “Halloween”.

An encore including “Dr. Stein” and a shortened version of “Keepers of the Seven Keys” provides a great finale to a memorable show from Hamburg’s metal institution. Everyone at Barclays Arena enjoyed a real metal highlight in 2025, which demonstrated why Helloween has been at the forefront of German heavy metal for four decades. Happy Helloween!