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 Gambling for success |
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By Andy Laudano |
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Part of the reason for their continued success is the addition of ex-Freedom Call guitarist Sascha Gerstner. Shortly after Helloween released The Dark Ride, it became obvious that guitarists Roland Grapow (who replaced founding member Kai Hansen in 1988) and co-founder Michael Weikath could no longer work together. Weikath, Marcus Grosskopf (co-founder/bass) and Andi Deris (vocals) fired Grapow and drummer Uli Kusch (who went on to form Masterplan). In 2002, Gerstner received a call from producer, Charlie Bauerfeind, asking if he was interested in joining Helloween. “It was Charlie’s idea,” Sascha explains. “I knew him from producing Freedom Call. He called me, said Helloween was searching for a guitar player and he thought I would fit in the band perfectly.” Bauerfeind’s instincts were correct, and Gerstner began working almost immediately on Helloween’s Rabbit Don’t Come Easy. “Everything happened so fast,” Sascha recalls. “Joining this big band, songwriting, recording the album, going on a promo tour and giving my first interviews — all in a space of four or five months. I never had to audition. There were no rehearsals. I didn’t even realize I was in the band when I was doing guitar for the album. They already knew, but nobody ever told me, ‘You’re the new guitarist for Helloween.’” Making the next album wasn’t as confusing, but it was a bit controversial. Helloween’s Keeper of the Seven Keys part I and II albums are legendary. Calling this one, Keeper of the Seven Keys — The Legacy was a big risk “Actually, we didn’t plan to make a Keeper album,” Sascha reveals. “The whole idea was based on a joke. We were on the tour bus and Michael said, “With this lineup we could make another “Keeper.” So we had this running joke all the time. The whole idea grew from there. We started writing songs and decided that if it sounds like a Keeper album when the mix was done, and we thought it’s good enough, then we could call it that. In the end, it was the song, “King For A 1,000 Years,” that was the indicator. Charlie was there at the end of the mix and felt this song was very close to the style and feel of Keeper of the Seven Keys part I and II. He made the decision that, “If I were you, I’d call it a “Keeper” album.” That turned out to be the right decision, as fans and critics agreed, Keeper of the Seven Keys — The Legacy was a great album. “We are a real band now,” Sascha states. “When I first came in, there was no band anymore. Roland and Uli had just left. Adding new members doesn’t instantly make you a band again. You have to grow together. You have to rehearse, go on tour together and make at least one or two albums to be a band again. After Dani (Loble — drums) came in, we did the album and tour, and it just felt right.” The tour was captured in the Keeper of the Seven Keys - The Legacy World Tour 2005/2006 Live In Sao Paulo CD/Live On 3 Continents DVD. Their latest release, Gambling With the Devil continues the band’s growth. Gerstner and Weikath have gelled into a formidable guitar team, Grosskopf and Loble provide a powerful rhythm section, and Deris is a fantastic vocalist. While there’s some killer music on this new disc, Gerstner adds another reason to check out Gambling With the Devil. “We wanted to have something special for the fans on this album,” Sascha relates. “We have this riddle (which you can see on their website www.helloween.org) and, if you can solve it, you can win a big prize. You can choose on which continent you would like to see a Helloween show, and we’ll pay for the travel, hotel and everything.” Good Luck! |
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