Interview For Foto Show Site (06/19/01)
By Charley Gima
Translated By Marcelo Hashimoto

The great german heavy metal band Helloween arrived in Brazil for several concerts. We've got a exclusive interview with Michael Weikath and Roland Grapow, the guitarists of the band and the engine of this melodic machine called Helloween! Check the best parts of this chat on Ceasar Park Hotel hours before the extra gig in São Paulo.

Charley Gima: How people have been receiving you during the Helloween concerts in Brazil?
Roland Grapow: It's being great, this is the third time we play in Brazil and we're being very well received.
Michael Weikath: Yes, it's true, we played in São Paulo and Catanduva, it was excellent! Today we'll play here in São Paulo again.
Roland Grapow: And as a surprise for the fans, yesterday we went out to know the city and we accidentaly met André Matos, and since we're friends we asked him to share the stage with us and he accepted it! It was pure luck, nothing was planned before...

Charley Gima: You will also play in other cities in Brazil, which ones?
Roland Grapow: Porto Alegre, Curitiba and Rio De Janeiro. In Latin America we'll play 15 gigs.

Charley Gima: And where have you already played during this tour?
Michael Weikath: We played in Europe and we did a recent tour through Japan.

Charley Gima: And do you feel any diference between fans from these other countries?
Michael Weikath: They're all crazy and insane, each one with his own way! Everybody like to participate and scream, but the best audicences are in Brazil and Japan. That latin feeling, that boiling passion, the brazilians are great! Italian, spanish, polish and german are also great audicences, but they scream on a different way.

Charley Gima: And how are sales and opinions about "The Dark Ride", the new Helloween work?
Roland Grapow: I don't know exactly in numbers, but I know that both sales and opinions are in the same level of the last album, the... Michael, what's the name of that album?
Michael Weikath: I don't know which album you're talking about, you're leading.
Roland Grapow: "Better Than Raw", right! It's on the same level as "Better Than Raw".

Charley Gima: Which song of this new album would you recommend for a fan to hear first?
Roland Grapow: "Mr. Torture" would be for sure my suggestion! It's a fast and melodic song, it's pure Helloween!
Michael Weikath: I don't like giving this kind of hint because I think it's unfair to the fans and everyone who doesn't like the song. I prefer that everybody listen to the album and get their own conclusions about their favorites.

Charley Gima: Roy Z was the producer for "The Dark Ride", he already worked with great names of metal, like Bruce Dickinson. How was working with him? He's really so great as everyone says?
Roland Grapow: Yes, he's a great guy! He knows the right moment to give some hints and like to take risks, he always asks us to experiment, to put this or that. He is and excellent pro!
Michael Weikath: Agreed, the guy is very good! On pre-production, when we had to pick the producer for "The Dark Ride", we had to pick between Roy Z and Charlie Bauerfeind, because we had already worked with him and we got along pretty well! So we chose to keep both and to work together as a groups, everyone on the same team! But I must confess that I'm more closer to Charlie because we both have the same ponytail [Laughs]!