It's no secret that there is an enormous heavy metal following in Brazil, as numerous veteran acts are traveling to the southern country with greater frequency, to play in front of stadiums filled with crazed fans. Case in point,
Helloween. Although only two original members remain in attendance circa 2007 (guitarist
Michael Weikath and bassist
Markus Grosskopf),
Helloween still maintain a large following with global headbangers, as evidenced by the release of -- deep breath now -- Keeper of the Seven Keys: The Legacy World Tour 2005/2006 Live in Sao Paulo. The double-disc set contains most of the expected fan favorites -- which are all in a style quite comparable to
Iron Maiden (singer
Andi Deris sounds an awful lot like
Bruce Dickinson, while
Weikath's galloping rhythms and leads bring to mind
Adrian Smith and
Dave Murray). Standouts include the set-closing epic "Halloween," as well as a nearly just as long reading of "Future World" (due to an extended "singalong" break in the middle), as well as the rapid-fire riff rocker "I Want Out." With '80s
Maiden-esque metal suddenly back en vogue circa the early 21st century, bands like
Helloween are already benefiting from the resurgence, as evidenced by Keeper of the Seven Keys: The Legacy World Tour 2005/2006 Live in Sao Paulo. ~ Greg Prato