Helloween/Tokyo,Japan 11.28.1987

1987’s HELLOWEEN invented the ideal form of melodic power metal with “Shugoshinden -Chapter 1-” featuring Michael Kiske. A vacuum-packed live album of their legendary first visit to Japan is now available. What is engraved in this work is the “November 28, 1987: Nakano Sun Plaza” performance. This is an exquisite audience recording. HELLOWEEN has toured Japan 18 times to date, but the only times they have come to Japan with Kai Hansen & Kiske are their first visit to Japan in 1987 and “PUMPKINS UNITED” in 2018. First of all, let’s look back at the schedule and check the position of the show.・November 26th: Tokyo Welfare Pension Center ・November 27th: Nakano Sunplaza ・November 28th: ​​Nakano Sunplaza ←★This work★ ・November 30th: Osaka Festival Hall A total of 4 performances. It was a very small-scale event compared to the tremendous popularity that followed, and the four days were truly legendary. This work recorded at such a valuable show is truly a masterpiece. Anyway, clear it furiously! It’s not a close sound that can be mistaken for a sound board, but the atmosphere is crystal clear and the minute details are super vivid. Furthermore, the audience noise is also strangely low. Speaking of HELLOWEEN shows, a big chorus is a given, and this is their first time in Japan. I thought that the audience would be surrounded by a huge chorus, but there were almost no audience members who came between the direct performance sounds and vocals. This clearness, the distance of the audience noise, and the fact that it is a Japanese performance…In fact, the recording artist of this work has not been disclosed, but it may be a Kinney recording. It’s so beautiful and neat that you can’t help but think so. Even if it is different, there is no doubt that it is a beautiful recording comparable to Japan’s prestigious ones. What Mion depicts is a legendary scene where the potential of the band that created “Shugoshinden” explodes. When it comes to live performances by these five, I think the official EP “I WANT OUT: LIVE” is the standard, but there are a lot of songs that can’t be heard there… or rather, a lot of them. Let’s compare and organize. 4-person era (5 songs) – Judas (★) / Ride The Sky (★) / Starlight (★) / Victim Of Fate (★) / How Many Tears 5-person era (8 songs) – Shugoshinden Chapter 1: I ‘m Alive (★) / A Little Time / Twilight Of The Gods (★) / Future World / A Tale That Wasn’t Right (★) / Halloween (★) / Follow The Sign (★) / Guardian Gods Chapter 2 : You Always Walk Alone (★) *Note: Songs marked with “★” cannot be heard on the official live EP “I WANT OUT: LIVE”. …and it looks like this. Most of the songs are marked with a ★. Although the order of the songs was different, all the songs from “Shugoshinden -Chapter 1-” were played, and “You Always Walk Alone”, which was unreleased at the time, was also performed. Even though the live performances of “Twilight Of The Gods” and “You Always Walk Alone” are enough to make you dizzy, the initial numbers are even more intense. Even in the later GAMMMA RAY and modern PUMPKINS UNITED, the early songs are usually sung by Kai himself, but here it is sung by Kisuku. “Starlight” and “Victim Of Fate”, which were remade in the studio, are also valuable, and even the super famous songs “Judas” and “Ride The Sky”, for which Kiske versions were not officially released! Of course, Kai’s singing voice from all eras is stuck in my mind, and no matter who sings it, no one else gets me as hooked as Kai does. However, a great song is a great song no matter who sings it, and Kiske’s singing voice, which sings with a high vibrato that is almost disgusting, can’t be faulted. You can enjoy “Judas” and “Ride The Sky” which have been dyed into “Shigoshinden version” with the best sound. Truly a legend. The five people who created “Shugoshinden” were welcomed in Asia for the first time, and their impact was honestly expressed in a full show. Kisku’s vocalization, which is overflowing with freshness and freshness but has a calmness that sets it apart from a newcomer, roars. A cultural heritage-class masterpiece that allows you to enjoy the precious “Chapter 1” complete set as well as the Kisku version of “Judas” and “Ride The Sky” in an ultra-clear manner. Live at Nakano Sunplaza, Tokyo, Japan 28th November 1987 TRULY PERFECT SOUND Disc 1(67:08) 1. Initiation 2. I’m Alive 3. Judas 4. A Little Time 5. Twilight Of The Gods 6. Future World 7. You Always Walk Alone 8. Ride The Sky 9. A Tale That Wasn’t Right 10. Halloween 11. Follow The Sign 12. Starlight Disc 2(17:47) 1. Victim Of Fate 2. How Many Tears Michael Kiske – Vocals Kai Hansen – Guitar Michael Weikath – Guitar Markus Grosskopf – Bass Ingo Schwichtenberg – Drums