Exclusive Helloween Interview

[Japanese Version]

[Kiske:]
Well, Japan. We've been there, I think, two times now, and it's always been
a great fun playing there. I like the venues. They are sounding very good,
they look very good, and kids over there really appreciate good music and stuff.
And I think the next time we're gonna play at the Budokan, which is pretty cool.
Looking forward to it. It's gonna be fun.

[Schwichtenberg:]
Japan has been always great to play there, and will be in the future. And
Japan people are great, it's fun to play there and you feel very confident
and convinient or whatever to play there. And Japanese people are listening
very carefully, I don't know. It's great to be in Japan.

[Kiske:]
"Kids of the Century" is the first life sign of us after two and a half
years. And after all those rumours going around about this band me
leaving the band, me splitting up, or the band splitting up, and all that
stuff, which has been quite a lot. Maybe that's normal when the band's not
on the scene for a while. But after that it feels really good to have,
actually, a new album ready and a single out. So the kids know we are still
there. And with the music you can prove what you can do still even without
one guy that just left the band. I think we found the right person there,
Roland. And I think the album says everything. Yeah, I wrote "Kids of the
Century" about more than two years ago now. And remembering that time I
feel like, when I wrote that song, I was in that feel of that all the kids
today, they just feel like they haven't got anything to do with the
problems. Everything goes wrong, the nature or whatever. Just came out of
that feeling actually. And that's what the song's all about, I think. What
the kids today...Because I feel like everybody's responsible, especially
the kids. If they don't feel like they have to change anything or have to
make things better, nobody will.

[Schwichtenberg:]
I think having Roland in the band is.. we are as lucky as we have Michael
in the band by that time, we are lucky having Roland in the band. And he's
just doing great songs and great guitar work he's doing. And a good pal as
well. He's a nice fellow. And he just fits in the band very much. I think
the fans will accept him of course.

[Weikath:]
Well, the nice thing about Roland being in the band is that I saw him
like, I don't know, fifteen years ago or so on stage, and I thought that
was pretty impressing, what he did there, and I could never forget about
that. And that's why actually I called him up then when we needed
another guitarist, "Remember that guy?". And so it took me, like, four hours to
find out the number, like I had to phone up musicians I knew and suddenly
somehow I got the number, and phoned him up: "You might not know me, but I
know you. How about playing guitar in Helloween?" And he didn't even know
the band. So I had to give him some examples of our songs, like really
loud, cranked it up. And so, well, he was interested, like it quite a lot.
And then we went to rehearsing, we had to do the whole stuff within two
months. 'Cause then we had to go on an American tour and Japan meant two
hours of playing. And well, ha ha, quite a tough job I would say. After
all, I mean, we can handle that, we are pretty good, you know. And I'm
sorry about that, but well... yeah, Roland is a very nice guy. He's
doing a big part of the band with his character, and his kind of being.
And it's quite a difference too how the whole thing worked before, because
he is a completely different character. He is a lot more calm and very
critical. He's always got his own opinion and that's exactly what we need.

[Kiske:]
Yeah, we recorded the album at PUK studio in Denmark, which is a very good
studio, I think, very lovely place. It's right in the middle of nowhere
but that's actually what we wanted, to really concentrate on the album.
And working with Chris was pretty cool, because he's got a very strong
sense of humor as we like it. And we had some cool moments there and
that's all caught on the album. Yeah, the production that Chris
Tsangarides has done is right in your face. That's the best description
of the sound actually. So just check it out!

[Schwichtenberg:]
Crystal clear, or...

[Kiske:]
Crystal Tsangarides clear, ha ha!

[Weikath:]
I would say thank you to everybody who kept up the faith during all that
time, and after all, those rumours are untrue.

[Schwichtenberg:]
The best thing for the fans, for the people who like us, is just to listen
what comes from us directly, like this now, and the album of course.

[Kiske:]
Yeah, especially the album.

[Schwichtenberg:]
Don't trust any rumours or whatever.

[Kiske:]
The thing is, forget about what's been in the magazines, or what has been
said, or all the stuff. And just check out the album and you know what's
going on. Of course, the single as well.

[Schwichtenberg:]
Thanks for keeping the faith.