HELLOWEEN + BEAST IN BLACK @ EVENTIM APOLLO, 23RD OCTOBER 2025
Tonight saw us witness the only UK date on Helloween’s European tour, and unsurprisingly, the Eventim Apollo was as close to sold out as possible for this 40th-anniversary celebration of all things Helloween. Quite simply, this was an event like no other, with the band showing why they are still very much top of the power metal pile. These Teutonic veterans show no sign of easing up, and tonight’s performance was absolutely top-drawer.
HELLOWEEN
With a set drawn from across their wide and varied output, there was something for everyone. A futuristic stage design and impressive imagery spread across a large screen backdrop helped expand the show’s sensations — this wasn’t just a concert, it was a full-blown rock and roll experience.
From the start, the band knew exactly what the audience wanted and over the next two hours and twenty minutes they more than delivered. Quite honestly, plenty of up-and-coming bands could take note of how to give the audience a proper show — don’t just leave it to the older guys!
Opening with March of Time from Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II, they launched into a spectacular and monumental display of rock perfection. With three guitarists and three singers — primarily Andi Deris and Michael Kiske, occasionally joined by Kai Hansen — the vocal interplay provided an enigmatic production that showcased everything great and good about this band.
Yes, there was the familiar posturing à la Scorpions, with aligned and synchronised guitars, but it only added to the fun of the spectacle. Both Deris and Kiske remain in fine vocal fettle, more than adept at delivering storming high-pitched screams and vocal gymnastics as required.
Songs such as Future World, We Burn, and Twilight of the Gods had an already excited audience screaming for more. This Is Tokyo, from their latest album Giants and Monsters, paid homage to Japan’s capital with an impressive visual display. Quite simply, the energy exuded by the audience was more than matched by the band as they worked every inch of the stage.
After eighty minutes, there was a brief respite from the metal blitzkrieg as Deris and Kiske pulled stools onto the stage and, sharing an acoustic guitar, eased proceedings down with gentle stripped-back versions of Pink Bubbles Go Ape and In the Middle of a Heartbeat. The rest of the band returned for A Tale That Wasn’t Right, putting the power back into power ballad.
With twenty-two songs played and ending with a bombastic Helloween, this was a show comprising phenomenal aural and visual sensations alike. But not done yet, they further expanded their back catalogue with long-time favourites Eagle Fly Free and Dr. Stein, which also incorporated a snippet of Keeper of the Seven Keys.
Quite simply, this was one of those shows that will remain long in the memory. Here’s hoping they return to the UK for a longer visit next time — so we can do it all over again.
Setlist highlights:
March of Time, Future World, This Is Tokyo, We Burn, Twilight of the Gods, Ride the Sky, Hey Lord!, I Want Out, Pink Bubbles Go Ape, A Tale That Wasn’t Right, Power, Halloween, Eagle Fly Free, Dr. Stein.
BEAST IN BLACK
Support came from those fine Finnish fellows Beast In Black, who were celebrating their own tenth anniversary. If Helloween are the godfathers of power metal, then Beast In Black are their natural heirs, and in an hour-long set they delivered a tremendous show that saw the Hammersmith bars empty early as fans flocked to the front.
Though they currently have only three albums under their belts — with a fourth due next year — their catalogue is packed with melodic, hard-rocking power tunes. Like the headliners, they know exactly how to put on a show, cramming their set with the best from their discography. This was as close to a greatest-hits set as you could get, and with an audience already au fait with the material, they were perfectly primed to seriously rip the roof off the Apollo.
Opening with Power of the Beast, their standalone single from last year, they threw down the gauntlet to both the crowd and Helloween. Tonight was one of those nights to remember. Both bands delivered electrifying performances, and Beast In Black proved they’re more than ready to step up to headline status — indeed, a headline show was announced for next October to celebrate their next album release.
The set comprised twelve hard-driving rock songs with no holding back. Tracks like Hardcore struck the perfect balance of good-time power metal, showcasing the band’s musicality and songwriting prowess. With Yannis Papadopoulos’s tremendous voice leading the charge — those screams are nothing short of spectacular — and all the classic rock theatrics on display, the crowd was completely won over.
Beast In Black are a band worth catching live. They’re on the cusp of something bigger — be there next year, or miss out on something special.
Setlist highlights:
Power of the Beast, Hardcore, From Hell With Love, Blood of a Lion, Cry Out for a Hero, Sweet True Lies, Beast in Black, Die by the Blade, One Night in Tokyo, Blind and Frozen, No Surrender.
