Helloween Interview! We talk to Kai Hansen about Giants, Monsters and 40 Years of Helloween!
What does it take to keep a band together for 40 years? Tastes change, people grow and mature, and the world spins in its own ways. Most bands, no matter how special they are, struggle to remain a cohesive unit for long enough to make their mark.
Not Helloween.
(pic: Mathias Bothor)
These German rockers have not only stayed the distance together, but are turning out fresh material filled with vitality and vibrancy. After 40 years? There aren’t too many international bands of this size who can say the same. These fathers of Power Metal have collectively sold 15 million albums - 14 gold and 6 platinum records, no less - so their enduring influence is considerable. This month sees the release of a brand new album and tour, so there are no signs of slowing down here!
A few years ago, I enjoyed an excellent conversation with guitarist Michael Weikath. This time, I had the opportunity of firing a few questions over to co-guitarist and writer Kai Hansen. Here’s what Kai has to say about 40 years on the road, coping with several writers in one band, and who his ideal collaborator would be…
Helloween Interview Exclusive with Kai Hansen
guitarguitar: 40 years as a band! Congratulations! That’s a lifetime in the business. What is Helloween’s secret to longevity in the industry?
Kai Hansen: There is no secret really. It is all about our passion for music and that we love what we are doing. A lot of luck, being at the right time and I guess our music was also to the liking of the fans and of course, the media. We never gave up, we are touring our asses off and I think a big part of it is also that we share common ground; we are using each other in a very good way to fulfill our musical dreams.
GG: Helloween started out long before the internet and streaming services. From your perspective, how is the music industry looking in 2025, compared to how things were in 1985?
KH: It´s still about the music, but not about the product anymore. Back in the day, it was almost a spiritual experience to buy a record, hold it in your hand, read the lyrics, look at the artwork and the pictures…
These days you see in Spotify that a band released an album and just put it on. Great if you like the music, but the ceremony, the magic is gone.
These days it´s all about social media. If I see younger bands showing up at festivals, they barely have a tech crew with them, but they ALL have their social media manager with them to shoot & post some stories.
GG: You must have witnessed some crazy things over the years: just for fun, is there one story you can share with us about life on the road as a rock star?
KH: Of course, a lot of crazy and unusual things happened, but in all these years it´s not only too many to tell, but I am not really the kiss and tell guy. What happens on the road stays on the road. And our touring life doesn’t differ from any other band: tour bus, hotel, venue – every day somewhere else, sometimes not knowing where you are and being close with your band members for certain. You miss your own space and freedom but on the other hand I love being on tour playing every night in front of a crazy and wonderful audience.
GG: The new album, Giants & Monsters, was recorded in Wisseloord Studios, Netherlands. Do Helloween tend to have the songs mostly written before entering the studio? And do they change much once recording begins?
KH: Yes, all songs were basically done before we entered the studio. We usually do a detailed pre- production, but we do not demo record them over and over to keep the freshness.
Our producers Charlie and Dennis receive the demos we selected, and we all start throwing in ideas and making changes, trying stuff out etc.
We actually only mixed at the Wisseloord studios, the recordings were all done by then. During the recordings, we are always open to try out a new idea and change some things. A good idea is always worth trying!
GG: Your new song This is Tokyo is great! It sounds very fresh, too. As a band, is it difficult to avoid repeating yourselves, given how much music you’ve made?
KH: This song has been written by Andi and he always wanted to write a song about Japan.
To answer your question, it is up to the songwriters to reinvent themselves. Of course, we can’t deny our roots and want to keep the classical elements in our music, but still we always try to come up with something fresh. A big advantage of this band is the fact that we have 5 gifted songwriters in the band and always many song ideas to choose from.
GG: Helloween has lots of band members. Does songwriting ever get complicated?
KH: Not at all, we have discussions in the beginning, so many tracks, so many songwriters. It is rather beneficial to have so many songwriters, either way it will turn out great. As long as all songwriters are ok to let us touch their specific song and maybe get it spiced up, no problem. We are all working on the tracks together. “Giants on the Run” is a good example. Andi wrote the song, I came up with some different ideas for the middle part. I showed him my ideas and he loved them, he even said my ideas lifted the song to the next level.
GG: Do you have any particular favourite songs from Giants & Monsters?
KH: That is a rather mean question as every songwriter likes his song(s) best! I think with the whole album our expectations (and mine for sure) were exceeded.
Maybe I favor Majestic? It is an old song from Gamma Ray which was never finished or used. I always wanted to finish it but couldn’t get any further. I put it aside and eventually stumbled over the old demo, listened to it and felt that it was the time and I had the inspiration to finish it. I transformed everything into modern files and it worked.
GG: I really enjoy how much drama and surprise you put into your guitar parts, particularly your solos! Who are your most fundamental influences? And have you come across any guitarists recently who have excited you?
KH: I grew up with all the cool & exciting metal stuff which came out back then, from Priest to Sabbath, from Maiden to Motörhead. If I had to name one guitarist who really influenced me, I have to name Michael Schenker. His feeling and his tone are still one of a kind until today!
GG: What is your all-time favourite combination of guitar, amp and effects?
KH: My Pink Randy, Engl Straight, Marshall 4x12 Cab with Celestion 75 Speakers, for solos I like a Rangemaster Treble Booster into a small Stone Phaser in front. Now I have my own designed combination pedal for this, called The Banshee, built by Lukas Krehelat Pfhuuu Laboratories.
GG: You’re a very accomplished guitarist of course, but music is an ever-learning discipline. Do you still have ambitions for certain styles or techniques you’d like to master?
KH: I am always ready to dive into something new and I am always eager to learn new stuff. If it kicks & excites me I’m in!
GG: Finally, If you could play alongside any other guitarist, living or dead, who would it be and why?
KH: Michael Schenker, I think we would match pretty well and a dream would come true.
Now that would be a dream partnership that I’d like to see! Get Schenker’s people on the phone! Helloween are impressively and irrepressibly owning 2025 like a hungry new band, not the world dominating rockers that they are. It’s inspiring to see, and the new Giants and Monsters record is sure to be essential listening when it is released on 29th August.
Helloween are touring soon, including in London on the 20th October, just in time for Halloween!
Head to the official Helloween site for tour updates, merch and release dates.
My thanks to Kai for taking the time to answer my questions, and to Dave Stewart for putting us in touch.
For more exclusive guitarguitar interviews, check out the following:
Opeth: Fredrik Akesson's Last Will & Testament
Uli Jon Roth Exclusive Interview
Steve Vai on Finding Your Guitar Voice
