Helloween On Album Number Seventeen ‘GIANTS & MONSTERS’

Legendary German metal band Helloween have twenty one gold and platinum awards and over ten million records sold, will release their highly anticipated new album GIANTS & MONSTERS this August. The album follows their self-titled number one 2021 record and promises to be the most versatile and dynamic release of their career. Mixed at the legendary Wisseloord Studios in Hilversum, Netherlands (Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Def Leppard), GIANTS & MONSTERS reaffirms the band’s position at the pinnacle of the metal world. GIANTS & MONSTERS pushes the boundaries of HELLOWEEN’s sound even further with producers Charlie Bauerfeind and Dennis Ward at the helm guiding the band’s relentless pursuit of excellence. Drummer Dani Löble talks to Hi Fi Way about the album.

Congratulations on album number seventeen. Is this the most excited you’ve been about a new release?
Yeah, as always. When you release a new album, you’re already biting the bullet, you can’t wait to see how the fans react. The press is already cheering and celebrating the album, which is great. But we’re really excited to see what it means to the fans. We can’t wait.

Did you approach making this album differently compared to the last couple?
Yeah, definitely. Even the writing process was really different this time. The egos were gone, or are gone, which made a big impact. We have five songwriters in the band, and in the earlier days, if Andy wrote a song, that was the song. We’d record it as-is. But now, it’s more collaborative. For example, Chimes on the Run, the opening song, was written by Andy, and then Kai came up with this great idea, a breakdown part in the middle, that made the song even better. Andy loved it so much he practically begged Kai to sing that part.

That level of openness was totally new for Helloween. Songwriters were welcoming input from one another into their own compositions. That’s part of why this album sounds more diverse than the last. We’ve been together for eight years now, and we’ve built respect, trust, and faith in each other. With seven strong personalities, that evolution really shows, you can hear it. We’ve definitely matured. The dragons are slain, so now we can focus on the core, writing and recording Helloween music. That’s a major shift from earlier days. We’re more relaxed, and it’s not about selfish egos anymore, it’s just about the music.

I’ll tell you something from my personal perspective, the older I get, the more I enjoy what I do, playing drums and making music. I don’t know if it’s the same for you, but aging makes you appreciate your craft more. It’s no longer about showing off or conquering big dragons, it’s about passion, dedication, and love. For us, that love is music. You can feel that spirit, this new maturity on the album. It swings more emotionally and musically, because our personalities have changed so much from the early days.

With seven band members, it must be tricky agreeing on what songs make the cut. Are there differences of opinion about what stays and what doesn’t?
For sure, with five creative songwriters, we started out with something like thirty song ideas. We had to sift through and choose what worked best, and we ended up with fifteen or seventeen songs that made it onto the album. That part’s always tough, judging someone else’s “baby.” Every song has effort, work, passion, and dedication behind it. It’s hard to tell another band mate, “Sorry, this song isn’t good enough.” But again, we’ve grown more mature. If a song’s not strong enough, the ego doesn’t get in the way. We just want the fans to hear the very best songs, and that’s what ended up on the album Giants and Monsters.

Do you revisit unused ideas for future albums? Or do you start fresh every time?
We usually start fresh, but song ideas never die. There’ll definitely be times when we return to something older. If it fits a new concept or works well when blended with new material, why not? We often go back to our catalog of ideas, sift through, and see what we can use. Absolutely, we revisit the old stuff when it helps shape something new.

Do you sit down as a band and decide what kind of album you want to make, or does it just evolve once the songs are written and you start jamming?
Actually, Helloween never jams for albums, strange as that might sound. We tried it once for the previous album and it was chaotic. We’re all different personalities. I’m an early bird, Andy is a night owl, everyone works on a different schedule. Each of us has our own studio setup. I’ve got my drum booth for recording ideas. We work over the internet. When Andy finishes a song, he sends it to the rest of us. We discuss it, then each of us contributes our own ideas. When the song is demoed, we hit the studio and move into production. Personally, I always work alone with our longtime producer Charlie, have been collaborating with him for over twenty five years, even before I joined the band. This system works great for us. Everyone’s free to work on ideas when they’re ready, which helps creativity flow more naturally instead of forcing yourself to be creative in a 5 p.m. rehearsal slot, you tap into your inspiration on your own time. Then we swap and share ideas from our studios via internet. That’s the workflow we’ve found most effective over the years.

What drives you most when you record your drum parts?
I’m a metronome head, I’m a speed metal drummer. Metal riffs light a fire in me. As soon as I hear a guitar riff, it pulls me into action and drives me to do something. That’s always how it starts for me.

How do you typically approach recording your drum parts?
I just turn everything on, start the recording process, and let my ideas flow. I capture them on my hard drive, reorganise them, give them structure, and then share them with the rest of the band. That’s my passion, I’m very particular about my drum sounds and arrangements, but I love what I do.

Does the diversity in Helloween’s music influence how you build your drum arrangements?
Absolutely, some songs take more than a quick run-through. I’ll spend a day or two finding the right feeling and the perfect groove. Our style is diverse, even within a single song you might hear pop, rock, thrash, metal, ballad elements. So I constantly shift my approach. It’s challenging, but after twenty-plus years with the band, it’s second nature now. I thrive on being spontaneous and creative, and I think that’s reflected on this new album.

What was the energy like in the studio as the songs began to take shape?
It was really special. A typical drum tracking day starts with breakfast, just me and Charlie, our producer. Before recording, we’d even watch videos to get in the right mindset. For example, we watched Lars Ulrich from Metallica, and that vibe really inspired me for certain songs. Charlie would say, “Think Lars,” and it really helped focus my approach and feeling.

I heard you used different drum kits for this album. What was that like?
That was a first for Helloween. I brought three kits, a metal kit, a rock kit, and a stadium rock kit. For some songs, we recorded three separate versions: natural, rock-oriented, and stadium. The single Tokyo, we used the stadium kit, which we call Big Birda. It’s got a massive twenty-inch bass drum I had to squeeze into my setup. There wasn’t space for much else, just one pedal instead of my usual double bass setup. It took focus. We compared versions afterward and chose what felt best. It was a new process and took time, drum recordings lasted six weeks, but it was worth it. We really wanted the best sound and feeling for each song.

Can fans hear the difference on the final record?
Definitely, listen to Tokyo, it’s big and boomy, then compare it to Chimes on the Run, which is classic metal. You’ll hear the difference. That’s what makes this album unique compared to our last one, where we stuck with just one kit throughout.

What went through your mind hearing the complete album for the first time?
It was crazy, like tripping down memory lane. Each song brought back memories of its recording process. It was like flipping through a photo album, with emotional snapshots of all the effort and creativity. It’s exciting. And honestly, it’s the first Helloween album where I actually sat and listened to the whole thing. I hadn’t done that before, but this time I did. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done.

Looking forward to getting back on tour?
For sure, we’re in the middle of preparations right now. The tour starts mid-October in Europe, goes through to late November, then we head to Asia. After a two-month break, we hit North America around March or April, then back to Japan and more shows in Asia. We’re working on returning to Australia too, it’s been ten years since our last visit for the Straight Out of Hell album. We’d love to come back. I’ve got mates in Brisbane and Cairns, so we’re trying to make it happen. After that, we roll into festival season around the world, and in late 2026, we plan to tour South America as well. Who knows, we might keep going if the opportunities keep coming.

Interview By Rob Lyon

Giants & Monsters is out on August 29, pre-order HERE…