Live Reviews : Helloween, Dark Symphonica & The Stranger @ Max Watt’s, Brisbane 17/10/2015

Words: Jake Patton

Images: Rebecca Reid

(Click here to view the full gallery)

I’ll let you in on a little secret, I’m a closet Power Metal fan. Maybe it’s the fantasy nerd in me, maybe it’s the anthemic nature of the songs,  or maybe it’s the awe inspiring speed that some of the guitarists can reach, but Power Metal is something that I love. So, on a night when Robbie Williams is playing in Brisbane, I was very surprised to see such a decent turn out for Power Metal pioneers, Helloween.

The Stranger

With doors opening at 8.30, a little later than normal, I was curious as to how long each of the support bands would get. Having three bands performing in a show starting that late generally means that the support acts will get little to no time to perform, but it didn’t seem to impact on the night so much.

First up tonight was local band The Stranger. This is a band that I have heard a lot about, yet was only catching for the first time. I could tell when  walking into the venue that they had brought in a few fans, because there were shirts emblazoned with their logo scattered amongst the crowd. My initial impressions were pretty good. They fuse a melodic rock sound, with some progressive elements that works really well and makes you join in and move to the music. For me, I would have liked for the vocals to have been up a bit more for the performance tonight, because I could hardly hear them and can’t really comment on the vocal style of the band, but musically they were a good choice of opener to get people excited for the night ahead.

Dark Symphonica

Following on, were symphonic/progressive metallers Dark Symphonica, who are probably the closest thing that I know of in Brisbane that would fit for a power metal show. They have a particular catchy sound with their female operatic vocal style which is elevated above a perfect mix of melodic keys, guitar and bass – with the drums providing a solid backing platform. Tonight the band put on probably one of the better performances of theirs that I have seen, with each member injecting their own energy into the set. Although a few more people had gathered down the front for these guys, it seemed like just as they started to hit their groove that they had to finish up.

Seeing the venue packed out now, it really had me thinking just how great it is to have people come out in droves for a power metal show like this. Especially when you consider what was on tonight, and also that over the next two week period, Brisbane will have had pioneers in not only Black metal, but also one of the Big Four of Thrash and a pioneer of the Gothenburg Melodic Death metal sound – a lot of choice for punters to buy tickets to.

Helloween

Following a brief introduction, Helloween took the stage to rapturous applause. It had been seven years since they had played in Brisbane last, and from the look of amazement on each of the band members faces at the reception that they got, I don’t think it will be that long again. Launching straight into ‘Eagle Fly Free’, vocalist Andy Deris reaffirmed exactly why I love power metal. While not able to hit some of the blistering highs that he probably could have in the past, he still manages to use his voice to take you along for the ride on each and every song.

There was a succinct type of flamboyance that came through from the three guitarists – something I can best describe as reminiscent of antics you would see from Hair Metal bands. Whether it was bassist Markus Grosskopf pointing at photographers to pose for photos, guitarists Sascha Gertsner and Michael Weikath playing alongside each other while having a laugh, it was the right level of flamboyance that never bordered on over cockiness – perfect for Helloween.

The thing about Power Metal that hooks me, especially in a live sense is what i can only describe as ‘the Cheese’; an element where the band, above all else, knows how fun that their music is, and continually plays to that strength ‑ which for Helloween, is something that they excel at. I haven’t been to a show in recent memory (except maybe for Dragonforce) where I have seen the band playing around, having fun and genuinely enjoying the moments that they are on stage until tonight. Whether it was all three guitarists dancing together in the middle of the stage, drummer Daniel ‘Dani’ Löble, coaxing the crowd to cheer for him during the intermission sections of his Drum solo, or Andi Deris ‘throwing’ attention to the guitarists during their leads and solos, it makes for a great show. I guess it goes without saying that the fun you see a band having on stage is infectious, and the crowd certainly fed off that tonight.

Helloween

Slowing down the performance during “My God Given Right” to give the crowd an opportunity to sing along to the chorus, is something which worked wonders in engaging those that still weren’t convinced with what was happening on stage . As the set progressed through tracks like “Heroes”, ‘Power”, and “Lost in America”  the crowd kept getting more and more involved, and by the time the band left the stage prior to their encore, the crowd was begging for more.

By the 12:30am finish, wrapping the show together with the perpetual closing  of “I Want Out” seemed like a brilliant masterstroke, and before the band disembarked the stage, they took some time to shake hands with their fans. As pioneers of a musical genre that has fans the world over, it is truly humbling to see that even after 30 years, that they still have a great sense of flair and humility, something which helps elevate the satisfaction that the crowd is left with at the end of the a brilliant show.

Don’t miss the remaining dates of Helloween’s Australia tour. Tickets on sale now via Metropolis Touring.

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