Michael Kiske has never been one to mince words, and in this new conversation with Rodrigo Altaf, he offered a candid look at Helloween’s upcoming album Giants & Monsters, the dynamics inside the seven-member lineup, and even his views on the threats facing human creativity.
When asked about the band’s creative flow in 2024 and 2025, Kiske revealed that the writing process started slowly but quickly gained momentum: “When they started to write songs, which was around summer last year or something like that, it usually starts slow. You know, they have, like, first ideas and stuff like that. And I remember that I was recording the song for Avantasia, the song that Toby did, and I really liked it. I thought that was so cool. And then I had one song idea from someone coming in that wasn’t so strong from Helloween, and I was kind of frustrated. So Toby writes the better Helloween songs now. But luckily, like, after a while, there were better songs coming in.”
The abundance of material has given the band confidence: “In the end, we had, like, over 20 great tunes. Actually, the next record is already written, too. And that makes you feel good.”
Looking back on the pressure surrounding the band’s previous self-titled record, Kiske admits that things feel easier this time: “Much easier. Because it’s like when we did the last one, everything was new. … It was much more relaxed now. … This time it was way more relaxed and everything seemed to fall into place very naturally. And I think the album is more organic. … The previous one, I personally thought, was a bit overloaded. This was much easier to listen to.”
This change, he suggests, reflects the current health of the band’s relationships: “And now you have seven very different individuals, and it creates a very interesting, very intense, but very interesting dynamic. … It feels a bit like in the early years again. Different because we’re older, but it has the same positive vibe as we used to have.”
The conversation turned to specific songs. On “A Little Is A Little Too Much”, Kiske acknowledged a distinct influence: “That’s what I said when I was trying to record the verse. Yeah. I think the verse has a bit of a Scorpions. … It sounds a bit like the Scorpions. And that’s why I put this harmony on top of the verse because it made it even more sound like the Scorpions.”
He singled out “Into the Sun” as his personal favorite: “I love that song. It’s my favorite song. … And he was working the lyrics over because he wanted it to be a duet. … He was changing it to the spiritual, which is interesting, how easy that’s possible. … Like the lower love, the animal love, you can lift it to the spiritual love. … I think it’s an amazing tune. It’s my favorite song on the album.”
Other tracks, such as “Under the Moonlight,” surprised even the band with their final impact: “We were not sure. And when the vocals were on there, it was great. … They turned out way better than we thought. And that was exciting.”
With three lead singers — Kiske, Andi Deris, and Kai Hansen — questions about balance inevitably arise. But Kiske insists that the focus remains on what serves the music best.
“We’re trying, but that’s not the key. You always have to look at what the song sounds best. … It’s always about the song. It’s always what works best for the song. … There’s no ego. At least not as far as I noticed. … We are in an age now where that doesn’t matter that much anymore. And this is why this worked. Even with the seven of us. If we had the same egos as we had in the 80s, I don’t think this would work.”
Lyrical content in Giants & Monsters touches on reincarnation, cosmic unity, and human struggle. Kiske connects this to a shared spiritual outlook among the members: “The spiritual side was always strong in me. … But believe it or not, it’s kind of in everybody in this band. … We see the darkness. It’s not that we make ourselves blind to it, but we believe in good. And we believe that you have to feed that. … And that’s why it sometimes seems almost like it’s a concept album, but it isn’t. There was no talking before. We didn’t make any plans. It just naturally fell into place.”
Kiske did not shy away from addressing the role of technology in today’s music industry, particularly his disdain for artificial intelligence: “Spotify doesn’t give a f*ck. They want to get rid of music completely now. Now they make AI musicians. It’s so ridiculous. … AI is interesting when it comes to making science fiction movies or anything where AI is an interesting tool that helps you to realize ideas. But AI is evil everywhere where it takes away your mind, your soul, and your creativity. I don’t want to read articles about computers. I want to read what humans think.”
For him, the solution lies in resistance: “You should ignore all this AI crap where it shouldn’t belong. AI is cool as a tool, but not to replace the human mind and the human soul, and creativity. … If you don’t use your mind, if you don’t use your productivity, what happens? You degenerate. And you will have millions of zombies out there pretty soon.”
He also reflected on Helloween’s unique place in metal, pointing to their willingness to inject humor into their music as far back as Keeper of the Seven Keys, Part II: “We had comedy aspects to it. Because that was the way we were. … And that was kind of unique, that sense of humor. Nobody had that. … And I think that was part of it.”
At the heart of it, Michael Kiske sounds like a man grateful to still be here, still singing, and still pushing Helloween into new territory. Giants & Monsters comes across as a record made with energy, conviction, and a rare sense of fun. The band that once smuggled humor, heart, and high notes into the world of power metal still carries that same spark, only sharper with age and experience. And with new songs already waiting in the wings, there’s no sense of winding down — only the promise of more to come.
