“The ego’s gone, the dragon’s killed, there’s enough space left for making what we love doing – writing songs, playing songs,” says Dani Löble, drummer with German Power Metallers Helloween. This is good news considering there is a new album, Giants And Monsters, and a massive fortieth anniversary world tour on the horizon.
Helloween in 2025 is a seven-member strong powerhouse following the return of Kai Hansen and Michael Kiske to the fold for the Pumpkins United tour in 2017. That worked so well that they remained in the lineup, joining Andi Deris as a threefold vocal force producing sounds that enhanced their original concept and did not feel overcrowded at all.
A self-titled album followed in 2021, and it was clear that the passion and dedication of the band had not dimmed over four decades, keeping their spot at the forefront of Power Metal globally.
Now comes Giants And Monsters, which may not be as hugely bombastic as the previous one, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, as the band has produced a tight, cohesive album that contains plenty of storytelling, lots of layers and dynamic anthems. During a super interesting and lively conversation, I asked Dani to tell me how that came about, and crucially, how they managed to still sound so fresh and vibrant after all these years.
“During the last tour, we thought OK, let’s do a new album, because Andi had a couple of ideas,” Dani says. “All the boys were already floating around with ideas, so we gave in, let’s do a new album together. We’d been in this lineup for eight years. That’s a long time. We’re kind of chilled together, and that’s a little miracle. That’s the magic in this lineup, the seven of us.
“As soon as we are together, something happens, a spark ignites, and the older we get, the more we enjoy what we do. As I said, the ego has gone, and that’s the main part because it’s not about, oh, let me squeeze in my ego, I need more space.
“From my perspective, the older I get, the more I enjoy this instrument. I really like playing drums. It’s not about having to come up with crazy stuff to prove to the world I’m the best one. I’m not. But in the younger years, it was about killing the dragons, to show off what big horns I had, and now it’s about listening to music, focusing on your inner feelings and letting it flow.”
This is a tactic that has worked, and it’s not the only change in the way Helloween approached recording. With band dynamics harmonious and flowing, and spot-on chemistry, there was room for creativity to be unleashed.
“I’ve been with the boys for over twenty years,” Dani says, “and that’s the first time in Helloween that I saw the songwriters swapping ideas. Kai [Hansen], for example, jumped in a song of Andi’s or vice versa, or Sascha [Gerstner] came up for Kai’s song and so on.
“For Giants On The Run, there’s this breakdown part where all of a sudden, Kai starts singing, takes over the lead vocals. It was Kai’s idea – ‘Hey, Andi [Deris], I’ve got this wonderful harmony, I think it suits your song.’
“Andi was thinking about it. And said, ‘OK, put it in there, but you have to sing it. It’s better you sing it than me.’ And that was the first time in Helloween after twenty years. And that ignites a certain spark, a certain fire that you could feel during the entire process. Especially for me as a drummer, when I recorded the drums, I could feel this kind of new teamwork.
“So, so we killed the egos, we brought in the Helloween music, and it’s really from the bottom of our hearts, we made something very special.”
We chat about the energetic nature of the album and how there are some moments that grab you right from the first listen, such as the fading heartbeat in Universe (Gravity For Hearts).
“This song was written by Sascha, and when he sent me this song, I immediately grabbed my phone, rang him and paid him my compliments because that’s a masterpiece, a pure Helloween song. It consists of all the trademarks I think – it’s fast, it’s melodic, it’s so diverse, and recording this song was a pleasure. To me, it’s one of the favourites of this album, and this fading heartbeat makes it, its mission fulfilled, all complete.”
As well as being forty years of Helloween, this year is an anniversary for Dani Löble too, marking twenty years since he took over the drum stool and making his first recorded appearance on Keeper Of The Seven Keys – The Legacy.
He recalls the “mind-blowing” moment when he got the call, which started an incredible journey that is still throwing up surprises and highlights, including 2023’s performance at the legendary Budokan in Tokyo, made all the more special as Helloween were the first German band to record a live album there.
“There was a lot of tension and expectations for being the first German band,” Dani says. “It was something really special to us. To me, it’s a dream that came true. I always see my career through the eyes of a little Heavy Metal fan called Dani, ten years old. That’s the way I keep my career fresh, I always take the eyes of my little Dani.
“I remember a couple of days before we went to Japan, we were playing Gothenburg, Sweden and Mickey Dee [Scorpions, Motörhead] was around. He was like ‘Hey, little fart, remember my words. When you enter the stage of Budokan, you will immediately go down on your knees.’ And I said to him, ‘Listen, I’m a tall German Swiss boy. I never go on my knees.’
“And you know what? I went down on my fucking knees. I rang him and said, ‘OK, Swedish bastard, you little dwarf, you’re right! [laughs] But it was really fantastic, it’s a really standout feeling playing on this stage. I mean, the Beatles were there, the Stones, and with this knowledge, to know this magic, that sets you on fire. Tripping down memory lane of this career with this band, that’s a standout moment.”
This short trip to Japan for the Budokan date and a warm-up in Osaka has been beautifully captured in a short film, which sees Löble travelling through various locations in Japan. There is no commentary. The narrative is all visual, and the effect is stunning, giving an almost dreamlike quality to the occasion.
“There was a camera team, and they were literally glueing on whatever we did, so I was strolling around in Kyoto. I’ve been there many times, but this time having a cameraman with you was a bit strange. I didn’t like it in a sense, and you can see that in this movie, in my body posture.”
“We had a couple of days off before Tokyo,” Dani says, “so we took a train, Sascha and me with this camera team, just strolling around, having a good time. But watching this movie, you’re right. That brought us something that set us in a certain mood.
“Being in Japan always puts you in a certain mood anyway, and after this day, we were completely overwhelmed, which ignited even more of the fire to play on this stage.”
The first single released from Giants And Monsters was This Is Tokyo, which was written by Andi Deris as a tribute to Japan in reflection of all the special times spent over there. Dani agrees that it is always a very memorable visit.
“First of all, I like playing all over the world,” he says. “It’s not that this country is better than these fans or whatever, the diversity of the fans all around the world makes it so interesting. Japan’s a really standout country, though. As soon as you get there, something happens. It’s so different, and the fans are so respectful and so kind.”
Talking of respect, I mention a striking scene in the film which looks out at the packed Osaka crowd from the stage. The fact that there are no barriers whatsoever between the band and the audience, who are standing in a perfect line, is pretty breathtaking.
“Over here, or in most of the countries, no fucking way without any barriers,” Dani agrees. “That’s what I really like. Even when they’re lining up before the venue opens, there are no barriers. So if you are the first one and you have to step out to go for a piss, you can go back and you will still be the number one.
“Here, there is no way. You left your position, so fuck off, it’s your problem! That’s the way they live, so disciplined. That’s their character, and that’s what makes this country really kind of stand out. We love having fans all around the world, and to always have such kind fans like in Japan, would make it really kind of tedious going on stage.
“But I really like having the contrast. For example, you have these self-conducted fans in Japan, and then you jump over to South America, where all hell breaks loose, right? And then you go back to Germany, where it’s ‘Hey, I wanna have you sign my CD. No, not on this spot – here.’ Oh, thank you for letting me sign your CD that I recorded!
“Then I really love going to Spain. ‘Hey, Dani, it’s great to have you here.’ It’s so diverse, and the different characters are the most important spark to me that ignites this fire to tour around the world. Everyone cheers the band on, in their own way.”
There will be plenty of opportunities to experience the range of fan reactions with a global tour kicking off with the European leg this autumn, which includes Hamburg as one of the German dates and potentially added pressure as a “homecoming” show.
“It’s always pressure and expectations with this band, especially for this 40th anniversary,” Dani says. “But we don’t let this pressure work on us. We always want to come up with an unexpected thing, new songs, never played before songs, a new stage set, whatever. We want to have a big party to celebrate the anniversary, wherever it might be.
“We have already picked out a couple of songs from the new album that could work on stage and started our rehearsals a month ago. Some of them need to be a bit more refined to be able to sound great on stage. It’s always tricky as a musician to play in the studio and on stage. You have to slip into a suit that separates you in two pieces.
“On the one hand, you are an artist, recording creatively, making art. On the other hand, all of a sudden, you become an entertainer to people. To keep the balance, that’s really tricky, and that happens to songs too. In the studio, people listen to it on a sofa in their living room and enjoy this art in a different way than when they go to a concert. You have a different mood, different expectations.
“You can have a wonderful sounding song on the record, you put it in the rehearsal room, and after a couple of bars, you feel, uh, skip it. Never ever will this song work live, good enough for the fans to entertain them.”
Helloween have always been much more than good enough, and it is clear that the band are as excited as we are to see what this next phase will bring.
“We can’t wait to bring this new baby on stage,” Dani says. “We need to unleash the giants with the monsters and head back on stage and cheer this fortieth anniversary together with the fans.”
Giants And Monsters is released on 29 August 2025 via Reigning Phoenix Music. Pre-orders are available from helloween.rpm.link/giantsmonstersPR.
Helloween start their 40th Anniversary World Tour in October and play London’s Eventim Apollo on 20 October.
Helloween and Ugly Kid Joe will visit Indonesia for Jogjarockarta Festival on 6 December 2025. Jogjarockarta is one of the best rock and Heavy Metal festivals in Indonesia and will take place at Stadion Kridosono, in the city of Yogyakarta, in the middle of Java Island.
This will be the first visit of Helloween to Indonesia since the Pumpkins United reunion formation and marks the very first visit for Ugly Kid Joe and the end of a 33-year wait for fans who discovered the band in the ’90s.
The release of America’s Least Wanted saw the video for Everything About You often aired on Indonesian National Private TV and also MTV for those who used Satellite TV. At that time, many teenagers imitated Ugly Kid Joe’s fashion style, with t-shirts, knee-length shorts, baseball caps and Converse All Star sneakers.
Jogjarockarta Festival 2025 is promoted by Rajawali Indonesia, led by Anas Alimi. This year’s lineup is enlivened by several Indonesian rock-Metal bands including Jamrud, Andromeda, Banhasir Kaisar, Rolland Band and Usman & The Blackstones.
Jogjarockarta Festival is one of the most anticipated rock-Metal festivals every year in Indonesia and even other countries in Southeast Asia such as Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Timor-Leste. Many heavy music fans in Indonesia, especially in Java, make the Jogjarockarta Festival an event not only to wait for their favourite bands but also as a place to meet, reunite and vacation in the city of Yogyakarta.
MetalTalk cannot wait for December and to capture the best moments at the 2025 Jogjarockarta Festival.
