Helloween  by Helloween

The self-titled EP of Helloween, which exploded like a bomb in April 1985 from Noise Records, was not just a first release; it was the "scream that started it all." At a time when metal was searching between the speed of thrash and the melody of NWOBHM, the four young men from Hamburg created something that back then didn't even have a name: Power Metal.

The recording took place in January and February 1985 at Musiclab Studios in Berlin, with the iconic Harris Johns as the producer. Even though it was a low-budget production, the sound remains classic, "raw," and authentic. If someone expects the refined sound of the Keepers, here they will find something much wilder. The EP treads the paths of Speed Metal, with Kai Hansen taking on both guitar and vocals. Hansen didn’t have Kiske's technique, but his voice was full of passion, roughness, and "crazy" high-pitched screams that fit perfectly with the energy of the songs. The lyrical theme was much darker than their later fantasy phase. Here, topics such as fear, death, and social discontent dominate (e.g., Starlight about drugs or Murderer). On the cover, the iconic pumpkin appears for the first time within the logo, although in the initial version the face within it was considered by many... somewhat ugly (!).

The Helloween EP is considered one of the most influential albums of European metal, laying the foundations for the entire German speed metal scene.