Helloween (EP)

This article is about the band's 1985 EP. Not to be confused with Helloween (album).

Helloween is the debut EP by German power metal band Helloween. It was released on 29 April 1985 on Noise Records.

Helloween
EP by Helloween
Released	29 April 1985
Recorded	January–February 1985
Studio	Musiclab Studio, Berlin, Germany
Genre	Speed metal
Length	26:22
Label	Noise
Producer	Helloween
Helloween chronology
Helloween (1985) Walls of Jericho (1985)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal	6/10[2]
Metal Forces	9/10[3]

Background

Although it is a speed metal rather than a power metal album, the record is significant as the first effort by the group that would redefine the power metal genre.^[4] Helloween was followed up later that same year by the band's first full-length album, Walls of Jericho.^[5]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Starlight"	Weikath/Hansen	5:17
2.	"Murderer"	Hansen	4:26
3.	"Warrior"	Hansen	4:00
4.	"Victim of Fate"	Hansen	6:37
5.	"Cry for Freedom"	Weikath/Hansen	6:02
Total length:			26:22

1986 12" Picture Disc Vinyl Bonus Tracks

No.	Title	Length
6.	"Surprise Track" (White Christmas/I'll Be Your Santa Claus)	2:08

1996 Korean Bonus Tracks

No.	Title	Length
6.	"Reptile"	3:44
7.	"Phantoms of Death"	6:34
8.	"Oernst of Life" (Taken from the 1984 Death Metal compilation)	4:46

Notes

• The "Happy Happy Halloween" intro piece from "Starlight" is taken from the 1982 film Halloween III: Season of the Witch
• The surprise track on the picture disc re-release features vocalist Michael Kiske, which is his first recording with Helloween. The EP was released in December 1986 in conjunction to his introduction in the band. The "White Christmas" piece features Kiske, Michael Weikath and Kai Hansen on vocals, while the "I'll Be Your Santa Claus" piece features only Kiske on vocals
• A 1997 unofficial cassette release by Moon Records titles the album as Judas with a different album cover, and features the songs "How Many Tears", "Perfect Gentleman" and "Steel Tormentor"
• A 1998 unofficial CD release by Agat Company contains the 1996 single Power
• A 2017 Malaysian CD release features the songs "Don't Run for Cover" and "Judas"

Personnel

• Kai Hansen – vocals, guitar
• Michael Weikath – guitar
• Markus Grosskopf – bass
• Ingo Schwichtenberg – drums

Production

• Recorded January – February 1985 at Musiclab Studio, Berlin, Germany
• Produced by Helloween
• Engineered and mixed by Harris Johns (who also contributes the devil laugh on "Victim of Fate")
• Cover design by Uwe Karczewski, Hamburg, Germany

References

1. Jeffries, Vincent. "Helloween - Helloween review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2011-12-30.
2. Popoff, Martin (1 November 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 156. ISBN 978-1-894959-31-5.
3. Doe, Bernard (1985). "Helloween - Helloween". Metal Forces. No. 11. Retrieved 2017-10-21.
4. Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Helloween Biography". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2011-12-31.
5. "Helloween - Helloween". Encyclopaedia Metallum. Retrieved 2011-12-30.