117-442: Michael Kiske (born 24 January 1968) is a German singer who is the co-lead vocalist for the power metal band Helloween . Kiske has also released four solo albums, two albums with the hard rock band Unisonic , has participated on various metal and rock related projects such as Avantasia , Place Vendome and Kiske/Somerville , and has performed with numerous bands as a guest vocalist. Prior to joining Helloween, Kiske sang with
234-505: A double bass pedal ; using them to play a constant stream of sixteenth notes (semiquavers) with snare drum accents on the beat, a style not restricted to, but most often associated with, power metal. The style was used by drummer Ingo Schwichtenberg of Helloween , setting a blueprint for many other drummers to follow. Others, such as the drummers of Blind Guardian and Iced Earth , use a more thrash metal style of drumming with rapid bursts of double bass that involve three to six beats with
351-663: A Brazilian tour in September 2019, which started at Rockfest ( São Paulo ) and ended with their performance at the Rock In Rio Festival. A new album with Kiske and Hansen was released on 18 June 2021. The self titled album reached top ten positions in several international music charts. On 16 August 1996, three years after leaving Helloween, Kiske released his first solo album, Instant Clarity . The album featured guest appearances by Adrian Smith of Iron Maiden, Kai Hansen and Ciriaco Taraxes and contained songs in
468-485: A DVD player, a figure that had surpassed VCRs; it was also higher than personal computers or cable television. The DVD specifications created and updated by the DVD Forum are published as so-called DVD Books (e.g. DVD-ROM Book, DVD-Audio Book, DVD-Video Book, DVD-R Book, DVD-RW Book, DVD-RAM Book, DVD-AR (Audio Recording) Book, DVD-VR (Video Recording) Book, etc.). DVD discs are made up of two discs; normally one
585-449: A November 1997 online interview, and clarified it would release discs in early 1998. However, this date would be pushed back several times before finally releasing their first titles at the 1999 Consumer Electronics Show . In 2001, blank DVD recordable discs cost the equivalent of $ 27.34 US dollars in 2022. Movie and home entertainment distributors adopted the DVD format to replace
702-453: A big party, so the years after Helloween were the total opposite of that. I didn't have much happening on the outside, everything happened on the inside." At the age of eighteen, Kiske was asked to join the German power metal band Helloween , which was fronted by singer/guitarist Kai Hansen . Hansen had some difficulties being both the lead guitarist and lead vocalist, and it was decided that
819-634: A computer. DVD players are a particular type of devices that do not require a computer to work, and can read DVD-Video and DVD-Audio discs. Read and write speeds for the first DVD drives and players were 1,385 kB /s (1,353 KiB /s); this speed is usually called "1×". More recent models, at 18× or 20×, have 18 or 20 times that speed. For CD drives, 1× means 153.6 kB/s (150 KiB/s), about one-ninth as swift. DVDs can spin at much higher speeds than CDs – DVDs can spin at up to 32000 RPM vs 23000 for CDs. In practice, they are not spun by optical drives anywhere close to these speeds to provide
936-491: A cost: DVD±DLs have slower write speeds as compared to DVD±R. DVD-R DL was developed for the DVD Forum by Pioneer Corporation ; DVD+R DL was developed for the DVD+RW Alliance by Mitsubishi Kagaku Media (MKM) and Philips . Recordable DVD discs supporting dual-layer technology are backward-compatible with some hardware developed before the recordable medium. DVD drives are devices that can read DVD discs on
1053-495: A double-sided disc. Philips and Sony decided that it was in their best interests to end the format war, and on September 15, 1995 agreed to unify with companies backing the Super Density Disc to release a single format, with technologies from both. After other compromises between MMCD and SD, the group of computer companies won the day, and a single format was agreed upon. The computer companies also collaborated with
1170-773: A dual-layer DVD up to 8.5 GB. Variants can store up to a maximum of 17.08 GB. Prerecorded DVDs are mass-produced using molding machines that physically stamp data onto the DVD. Such discs are a form of DVD-ROM because data can only be read and not written or erased. Blank recordable DVD discs ( DVD-R and DVD+R ) can be recorded once using a DVD recorder and then function as a DVD-ROM. Rewritable DVDs ( DVD-RW , DVD+RW , and DVD-RAM ) can be recorded and erased many times. DVDs are used in DVD-Video consumer digital video format and less commonly in DVD-Audio consumer digital audio format, as well as for authoring DVD discs written in
1287-418: A four-piece band. We did two festivals in 2010, and we started to write songs and stuff…We wrote a lot of stuff, but somehow it needed this extra creative force of Kai Hansen to complete the thing, which happened c. 2010 . We were on stage together with Avantasia, and toured several places in the world…We just thought that there was a great thing going on. We've always had a good relationship even after
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#17328025070631404-411: A good friend. If I call someone a friend, he's my friend, and it stays that way, and I don't betray...After the split with Helloween, I kind of locked myself up and was basically just living in books for a number of years. I had some amazing years just being like spiritual. Just being, thinking, learning and trying to understand life. The musician's life is very often very superficial. Everything happens as
1521-413: A greater emphasis on guitar leads. USPM is also notable for its widespread (but not universal) use of high-register operatic vocals, a trend which would continue with the rise of European power metal in the late 1980s and early 1990s. This style is not exclusive to North America, as European bands such as Sacred Steel , Majesty , and Australian band Pegazus later adopted a style inspired by USPM bands in
1638-648: A harsh, thrash metal style, including Chris Boltendahl of Grave Digger , Kai Hansen of Gamma Ray , Peavy Wagner of Rage , and Wintersun 's Jari Mäenpää . Many power metal vocalists, most notably Hansi Kürsch of Blind Guardian , record multi-layered vocals reminiscent of Queen , creating a choral effect. Themes that frequently feature throughout other metal subgenres, such as religion and politics, are comparatively rare in power metal - albeit not unheard of. Power metal's lyrical themes often focus on fantasy and mythology , camaraderie and hope, personal struggles and emotions, war and death, or combinations of
1755-411: A high register, and the singer's vocal range is usually wide. The majority of the genre's vocalists sing in the tenor range and are capable of hitting very high notes, for example Timo Kotipelto of Stratovarius , Tony Kakko of Sonata Arctica , Michael Kiske ( Helloween ) and Andre Matos (ex- Angra ). There are many exceptions who sing in either baritone or bass range. Some vocalists sing in
1872-446: A new vocalist would be needed. According to Kiske "I started very early as a singer, I got my school band and when I just barely got out of high school Markus from Helloween showed up in the rehearsal room telling me they were looking for a singer." Kiske rejected Helloween's first offer, because he disliked the sound of the band's Walls of Jericho album, but accepted the second and joined Helloween in late 1986. Kiske's first album with
1989-485: A noticeable pause in A/V playback on earlier DVD players , the length of which varies between hardware. A printed message explaining that the layer-transition pause was not a malfunction became standard on DVD keep cases . During mastering, a studio could make the transition less obvious by timing it to occur just before a camera angle change or other abrupt shift, an early example being the DVD release of Toy Story . Later in
2106-479: A press release stating that they would only accept a single format. The group voted to boycott both formats unless the two camps agreed on a single, converged standard. They recruited Lou Gerstner , president of IBM, to pressure the executives of the warring factions. In one significant compromise, the MMCD and SD groups agreed to adopt proposal SD 9, which specified that both layers of the dual-layered disc be read from
2223-431: A record where I'm singing AOR music" Place Vendome consisted of Dennis Ward (bass and production), Kosta Zafiriou (drums) and Uwe Reitenauer (guitars) from the German band Pink Cream 69 , Gunther Werno (keyboards) from the band Vanden Plas and Kiske on vocals. The project's debut album, Place Vendome , was a blend of melodic hard rock and AOR (comparable to the sound of bands such as Foreigner or Journey ) and
2340-449: A safety margin. DVD drives limit reading speed to 16× (constant angular velocity), which means 9280 rotations per minute. Early-generation drives released before the mid-2000s have lower limits. DVD recordable and rewritable discs can be read and written using either constant angular velocity (CAV), constant linear velocity (CLV), Partial constant angular velocity (P-CAV) or Zoned Constant Linear Velocity (Z-CLV or ZCLV). Due to
2457-405: A smoother AOR sound. Kiske also sang on two symphonic orchestral songs with The Bremer Weser Quartett on strings. Kiske stated in 2003: "After I left Helloween I was insecure about myself. The situation with Helloween created such an inner conflict inside me, that I needed those albums to rediscover myself. I was disappointed in everything and everyone. I was angry at some people, but most of all of
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#17328025070632574-420: A special AVCHD format to hold high definition material (often in conjunction with AVCHD format camcorders ). DVDs containing other types of information may be referred to as DVD data discs. The Oxford English Dictionary comments that, "In 1995, rival manufacturers of the product initially named digital video disc agreed that, in order to emphasize the flexibility of the format for multimedia applications,
2691-555: A standard definition CRT TV or an HD flat panel TV with a DVD mechanism under the CRT or on the back of the flat panel, and VCR/DVD combos were also available for purchase. For consumers, DVD soon replaced VHS as the favored choice for home movie releases. In 2001, DVD players outsold VCRs for the first time in the United States. At that time, one in four American households owned a DVD player. By 2007, about 80% of Americans owned
2808-432: A storage capacity of 4.7 GB (4.38 GiB ) for a single-layered, single-sided disc and 8.5 GB (7.92 GiB) for a dual-layered, single-sided disc. The DVD specification ended up similar to Toshiba and Matsushita's Super Density Disc, except for the dual-layer option. MMCD was single-sided and optionally dual-layer, whereas SD was two half-thickness, single-layer discs which were pressed separately and then glued together to form
2925-585: A summer festival tour in July 2014, performing at Masters Of Rock, Leyendas del Rock, Moscow Metal Meeting, Bang Your Head , Skogsrojet and Rock Pod Kamenom. A Japanese and European tour together with Edguy followed, while the band's final show was at the Knock Out Festival in December 2014. On 5 August 2016, Unisonic performed a show at Wacken Open Air Festival, which was recorded and released under
3042-549: A wide variety of styles. A music video for the ballad "Always", dedicated to deceased Helloween drummer Ingo Schwichtenberg , was filmed and produced in New York City. During the same time he also wrote a book, Kunst Und Materialismus , (in English: Art and Materialism.) which is only available in German. Kiske said in 2003: "First of all, I wrote this book for myself. First I had to collect and define myself. This
3159-604: Is a true statement from myself". Instant Clarity was also reissued in 2006 with the addition of 4 newly recorded bonus tracks. Kiske sees his solo albums as "the best I could do in those days. I see those years after Helloween as a learning phase. I was learning so much...Even the process of setting up the microphones, mastering, mixing." In 2008, Kiske released his fourth solo work, entitled Past in Different Ways . The album contained acoustic re-arrangements of his old Helloween material and one new song. According to Kiske
3276-419: Is available in two formats, General (650 nm) and Authoring (635 nm), where Authoring discs may be recorded with CSS encrypted video content but General discs may not. Dual-layer recording (occasionally called double-layer recording) allows DVD-R and DVD+R discs to store nearly double the data of a single-layer disc—8.5 and 4.7 gigabyte capacities, respectively. The additional capacity comes at
3393-462: Is blank, and the other contains data. Each disc is 0.6 mm thick, and are glued together to form a DVD disc. The gluing process must be done carefully to make the disc as flat as possible to avoid both birefringence and "disc tilt", which is when the disc is not perfectly flat, preventing it from being read. Some specifications for mechanical, physical and optical characteristics of DVD optical discs can be downloaded as freely available standards from
3510-450: Is lost. Numerous factors affect longevity: composition and quality of the media (recording and substrate layers), humidity and light storage conditions, the quality of the initial recording (which is sometimes a matter of mutual compatibility of media and recorder), etc. According to NIST , "[a] temperature of 64.4 °F (18 °C) and 40% RH [Relative Humidity] would be considered suitable for long-term storage. A lower temperature and RH
3627-496: Is measureable, which means that future data losses caused by deteriorating media can be predicted well in advance by measuring the rate of correctable data errors. Support of measuring the disc quality varies among optical drive vendors and models. DVD-Video is a standard for distributing video/audio content on DVD media. The format went on sale in Japan on November 1, 1996, in the United States on March 24, 1997, to line up with
Michael Kiske - Misplaced Pages Continue
3744-583: Is recommended for extended-term storage." As with CDs, the information and data storage will begin to degrade over time with most standard DVDs lasting up to 30 years depending on the type of environment they are stored and whether they are full with data. According to the Optical Storage Technology Association (OSTA), "Manufacturers claim lifespans ranging from 30 to 100 years for DVD, DVD-R and DVD+R discs and up to 30 years for DVD-RW, DVD+RW and DVD-RAM." According to
3861-421: Is significant in defining power metal just as the fast rapid chord changes often define traditional thrash metal . Power metal often makes use of Major chord progressions as well as circle progressions. Some of the most influential and acclaimed power metal guitarists are Kai Hansen of Gamma Ray , Michael Weikath of Helloween , and Timo Tolkki formerly of Stratovarius. It is a common trait in power metal for
3978-483: Is the explanation provided in a DVD Forum Primer from 2000 and in the DVD Forum 's mission statement, which the purpose is to promote broad acceptance of DVD products on technology, across entertainment, and other industries. Because DVDs became highly popular for the distribution of movies in the 2000s, the term DVD became popularly used in English as a noun to describe specifically a full-length movie released on
4095-489: Is today associated with fast guitar riffs and drumming, twin melodies, operatic singing. The sound is tempered by characteristics of speed metal , power metal's musical forerunner. Power metal is highly focused on the vocalist, with "clean" vocals being much more prevalent than the growling vocals often associated with extreme metal . Inspired by Ronnie James Dio , Bruce Dickinson , Rob Halford , Geoff Tate , and other heavy metal vocalists, power metal vocals are often in
4212-706: The Lost in Space Part I & II compilation album ("Promised Land" was also featured on the EP Lost in Space Part II ). In 2008, Kiske took part in the Avantasia album The Scarecrow , singing lead on the track "Shelter From The Rain" and backing on the title track and on "What Kind of Love". During 2010, Kiske performed on the Avantasia albums The Wicked Symphony and Angel of Babylon , singing on
4329-505: The 69th Academy Awards that day; in Canada, Central America, and Indonesia later in 1997; and in Europe, Australia, and Africa in 1998. DVD-Video became the dominant form of home video distribution in Japan when it first went on sale on November 1, 1996, but it shared the market for home video distribution in the United States for several years; it was June 15, 2003, when weekly DVD-Video in
4446-562: The ISO website. There are also equivalent European Computer Manufacturers Association (Ecma) standards for some of these specifications, such as Ecma-267 for DVD-ROMs. Also, the DVD+RW Alliance publishes competing recordable DVD specifications such as DVD+R, DVD+R DL, DVD+RW or DVD+RW DL . These DVD formats are also ISO standards. Some DVD specifications (e.g. for DVD-Video) are not publicly available and can be obtained only from
4563-592: The NWOBHM , emerging in late 1980s, particularly in Germany, with Helloween , Running Wild , Rage , Grave Digger , and Blind Guardian . The second and third Helloween albums; Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part I (1987) and Part II (1988) are usually considered the first proper European power metal albums. Alongside the early German bands came Finland's Stratovarius in late 1980s. These bands pioneered
4680-612: The Optical Storage Technology Association (OSTA) on the use of their implementation of the ISO-13346 file system (known as Universal Disk Format ) for use on the new DVDs. The format's details were finalized on December 8, 1995. In November 1995, Samsung announced it would start mass-producing DVDs by September 1996. The format launched on November 1, 1996, in Japan, mostly with music video releases. The first major releases from Warner Home Video arrived on December 20, 1996, with four titles being available. The format's release in
4797-453: The epic doom metal band Cirith Ungol ); or even with thrash metal elements, e.g., Iced Earth . US power metal saw a sharp decline in popularity at the beginning of the 1990s, though the style has rebounded somewhat in the past decade, with bands such as Liege Lord or Heir Apparent reforming for live performances and many, such as Helstar and Omen , still releasing new material. European power metal originated from speed metal and
Michael Kiske - Misplaced Pages Continue
4914-521: The format war of 2006–2008 . A dual layer HD DVD can store up to 30 GB and a dual layer Blu-ray disc can hold up to 50 GB. However, unlike previous format changes, e.g., vinyl to Compact Disc or VHS videotape to DVD, initially there was no immediate indication that production of the standard DVD will gradually wind down, as at the beginning of the 2010s they still dominated, with around 75% of video sales and approximately one billion DVD player sales worldwide as of April 2011. In fact, experts claimed that
5031-542: The "main prototype" of the power metal genre, Iron Maiden was heavily influenced by Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules (the first two albums of Black Sabbath 's Dio-era ), which would also go on to influence modern power metal. The emergence of the early German power metal scene in particular was made possible by Scorpions and Accept . Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen made a significant impact on many future power metal guitarists, with his accurate and fast neo-classical style. His bandmate Jens Johansson modernized
5148-437: The "second wave" of power metal since its spread was in the late 1980s and especially the mid-late 1990s rather than proliferating throughout the 1980s, and the widespread influence and development of the genre that came in its tow while US "first wave" style markedly declined. DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc ) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It
5265-440: The '90s, I didn't even think that I would ever go on stage again or anything like that. I was frustrated and disappointed, and didn't want to have anything to do with it...it started with Toby [Tobias Sammet] talking me into laying vocals down on some of his songs that sounded very Helloween-like. In the beginning I was even saying; 'no, I don't want to do stuff like that anymore'; I was very anti-everything in that direction! But he's
5382-599: The 1990s. The early releases of progressive metal bands Queensrÿche and Fates Warning , such as The Warning (1984) and The Spectre Within (1985), heavily influenced a number of bands that were to develop a common sound towards the late 1980s. Among the better known representatives of the style, such as Manowar , Vicious Rumors , Virgin Steele , Riot , or Jag Panzer , a small number of bands enriched their sound with progressive and epic elements (the most obvious examples being Crimson Glory , Savatage , Sanctuary and
5499-475: The Avantasia album Ghostlights , singing on the songs "Ghostlights", "Unchain The Light" and on the bonus track "Wake Up To The Moon". Between March and August of the same year, he was part of the biggest Avantasia tour, entitled " Ghostlights World Tour ", which consisted of more than 40 concerts in Europe, North America, South America, Canada, Japan, Russia and Scandinavia. During 2019, Michael took part in
5616-563: The Avantasia album Moonglow , singing on the song "Requiem For A Dream". In 2022, Kiske participated in the Avantasia album A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society , singing on the songs "The Inmost Light" and "Arabesque". In 2005, Kiske took part in the Place Vendome project, on Frontiers Records . According to Kiske "Place Vendome was always a project. It started with Serafino asking me if I'd like to do
5733-654: The Avantasia album The Mystery of Time , singing on the songs "Where Clock Hands Freeze", "Savior in the Clockwork" and "Dweller in a Dream". Between April and August, he also participated on " The Mystery World Tour ", which included 10 European festival appearances and 3-hour long shows in South America, Japan, Russia and Europe. On 2 August 2014, Michael performed with Avantasia at the Wacken Open Air festival once again. In 2016, Kiske participated in
5850-465: The DVD Book assigns them distinct disc types. DVD-14 has no analogous 8 cm type. The comparative data for 8 cm discs is provided further down. HP initially developed recordable DVD media from the need to store data for backup and transport. DVD recordables are now also used for consumer audio and video recording. Three formats were developed: DVD-R / RW , DVD+R / RW (plus), and DVD-RAM . DVD-R
5967-671: The DVD Format/Logo Licensing Corporation (DVD FLLC) for a fee of US$ 5000. Every subscriber must sign a non-disclosure agreement as certain information on the DVD Books is proprietary and confidential. Borrowing from the LaserDisc format, the DVD standard includes DVD-10 discs (Type B in ISO) with two recorded data layers such that only one layer is accessible from either side of the disc. This doubles
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#17328025070636084-500: The DVD would remain the dominant medium for at least another five years as Blu-ray technology was still in its introductory phase, write and read speeds being poor and necessary hardware being expensive and not readily available. Consumers initially were also slow to adopt Blu-ray due to the cost. By 2009, 85% of stores were selling Blu-ray Discs. A high-definition television and appropriate connection cables are also required to take advantage of Blu-ray disc. Some analysts suggested that
6201-513: The German band Ill Prophecy at the age of 17. The band recorded a demo, but it was never released commercially. According to Kiske "Usually I do a lot of reading, I like to watch American Sitcoms, I like Comedy, I like Science Fiction movies. When it comes to books I'm reading a lot of serious stuff. Maybe this is the balancing. When you read serious stuff, you also need to have fun that brings you down." "I'm very sensitive and I take betrayal very, very heavy. I don't wanna sound stupid, but I think I'm
6318-788: The Helloween years anyway, but we never thought of doing something together like this until we were on stage together with Avantasia. After that it didn't take long for me to suggest him to join Unisonic. From that day on, I think everything fell into place very quickly." The band released the EP Ignition , together with their first video for the song "Unisonic" in January 2012, through EarMusic ( Edel AG ). The release of their self-titled debut album followed on 30 March 2012. The debut album entered several international music charts, scoring
6435-562: The Kingdom , came out in May 2014, the video for the song "Exceptional" followed in July, while their second album, Light of Dawn , was released on 1 August 2014. Light of Dawn entered several international music charts, scoring the highest entries on the Finnish albums chart , German Albums Chart , Swiss albums chart , Czech albums chart and Japanese Albums Chart . The band embarked on
6552-749: The Lake" from the 1978 album Long Live Rock 'n' Roll , might be among the earliest examples of power metal. In his 2011 documentary series Metal Evolution , Dunn further explained how Rob Halford of Judas Priest created a blueprint for power metal vocal delivery. His almost constant high-pitched singing became one of the main characteristics of power metal. The twin-guitar sound promoted by Judas Priest's duo of K. K. Downing and Glenn Tipton also highly influenced this subgenre. Another British band, Iron Maiden , brought epic and melodic sensibility to metal, creating anthemic, singalong music, an approach widely embraced by modern power metal musicians. Referred to as
6669-462: The U.S. was delayed multiple times, from August 1996, to October 1996, November 1996, before finally settling on early 1997. Players began to be produced domestically that winter, with March 24, 1997, as the U.S. launch date of the format proper in seven test markets. Approximately 32 titles were available on launch day, mainly from the Warner Bros. , MGM , and New Line libraries, with
6786-456: The United States rentals began outnumbering weekly VHS cassette rentals. DVD-Video is still the dominant form of home video distribution worldwide except for in Japan where it was surpassed by Blu-ray Disc when Blu-ray first went on sale in Japan on March 31, 2006. The purpose of CSS is twofold: In 2006, two new formats called HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc were released as the successor to DVD. HD DVD competed unsuccessfully with Blu-ray Disc in
6903-399: The United States, drawing influence primarily from traditional metal and the NWOBHM . Though very close to its roots, US power metal (often abbreviated USPM) is often faster and more energetic than traditional heavy metal, with a more riff-driven approach and a relative lack of keyboard usage compared to its later European counterpart. However, it is often more melodic than thrash metal , with
7020-787: The aforementioned. For example, Finnish band Sonata Arctica have been known for focusing their lyrics of their songs on fantasy but also have many songs based on reality, love and relationships. Many power metal bands based their concept albums on fantasy books and national epics ; Blind Guardian based Nightfall in Middle-Earth on Tolkien's The Silmarillion , while Kamelot based Epica and The Black Halo on Goethe's Faust . Some bands have even written their own imaginary stories, like Rhapsody of Fire 's Emerald Sword Saga and The Dark Secret Saga , Iced Earth 's Something Wicked Saga , or Avantasia by Edguy 's Tobias Sammet . Historical themes have also seen usage in
7137-429: The album "on one hand shows that I don't reject my past just because I'm a different person today, and on the other hand it can maybe give people who were part of that past a different view at those songs". In an interview with Spanish Metal Journal , in May 2021, Kiske said that he was recording a new acoustic solo album. The album will contain new songs and various cover versions. In 2000, Tobias Sammet (vocalist of
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#17328025070637254-400: The band Edguy ) asked Kiske to participate in the rock opera project Avantasia . Kiske agreed to sing on the project, in the role of Lugaid Vandroiy, but only under the nickname of Ernie . The nickname was printed on the back of the first Avantasia release, The Metal Opera , but not on the sequel, The Metal Opera Part II , where he was featured under his real name. As Kiske recalls "In
7371-467: The band Stratovarius ) solo album Hymn to Life . In 2003, Kiske took part in the metal opera Days of Rising Doom by Aina , in the role of the Narrator, singing on the songs "Revelations", "Silver Maiden", "Serendipity" and "Restoration". During the same year he also sang on the duet "Heroes" (together with Jørn Lande), featured on Masterplan 's self-titled debut album. In 2004, Michael sang on
7488-473: The band are characterized by the treatment of Christianity and ancient Romanian legends. Powerwolf, however, do not consider themselves a religious band, but rather call themselves spiritual. Power metal guitarists and bassists generally play rapid streams of notes, but change chords comparatively slowly, with a harmonic tempo of once per measure or slower. Fast and technically demanding guitar solos, however, are almost guaranteed. The slow changing of chords
7605-540: The band was 1987's Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part I , widely considered to be one of Helloween's best albums and a milestone in the creation of the power metal genre. Helloween went on to release Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part II in 1988, which went gold in Germany and brought even more success than its predecessor. The Keeper of the Seven Keys albums proved to be highly influential and aided in
7722-540: The band. "It didn't work", he said in an interview. In 2006, Kiske released his third full-length solo album under the name of Kiske . This was his first solo album released by the Italian Frontiers Records . The album contained songs in a mellow, acoustic singer-songwriter style and was a step away from the sound of his previous solo albums. According to Kiske:"It's a healthy-careless and musically free album. I am very proud of this record because it
7839-422: The bass guitar to take a back seat, so to speak; often simply providing the chord root notes and being drowned out by the more prevalent rhythm guitars. However, some power metal bands incorporate bass that is more audible with colorful patterns distinct from the rhythm guitars, such as Helloween, Hibria , and Symphony X . Many power metal drummers play double bass patterns with either two bass drums , or utilize
7956-559: The biggest obstacle to replacing DVD was due to its installed base; a large majority of consumers were satisfied with DVDs. DVDs started to face competition from video on demand services around 2015. With increasing numbers of homes having high speed Internet connections, many people had the option to either rent or buy video from an online service, and view it by streaming it directly from that service's servers, meaning they no longer need any form of permanent storage media for video at all. By 2017, digital streaming services had overtaken
8073-481: The developers of the DVD format and eventually the first company to actually release a DVD-based console. Game consoles such as the PlayStation 2 , Xbox , and Xbox 360 use DVDs as their source medium for games and other software. Contemporary games for Windows were also distributed on DVD. Early DVDs were mastered using DLT tape, but using DVD-R DL or +R DL eventually became common. TV DVD combos , combining
8190-409: The double kick. Power metal bands often incorporate keyboards into their musical arrangements, something popularized by Jens Johansson of Stratovarius (though their prominence varies). Some power metal bands also record with symphonic elements, and as such, they utilize a full orchestra to fill the role usually played by the keyboardist. The American branch of power metal emerged in early 1980s in
8307-539: The duet "Breathe in Water", together with the female vocalist of the band Indigo Dying on their self-titled debut album. During 2008, Timo Tolkki departed from Stratovarius and formed the band Revolution Renaissance . The band's debut album, New Era , was recorded by session musicians and Kiske on the role of the main singer, performing vocals for the tracks "I Did It My Way", "Angel", "Keep The Flame Alive", "Last Night on Earth" and "Revolution Renaissance". In 2009, he
8424-455: The duet "The Encounter", together with the female vocalist of the band Thalion on their debut album Another Sun . During 2005, Kiske was a guest on the heavy metal album Execution by the band Tribuzy , singing on the duet "Absolution". Following this participation Kiske also sang as a guest on the song "Judas at the Opera", featured on Edguy 's Superheroes EP. In 2007, Michael sang on
8541-414: The earliest who combined elements of power metal and an early form of melodic death metal . European-style power metal became widespread in comparison with US style as of the mid 1990s, with numerous North American bands such as Theocracy , Borealis , Forgotten Tales , Avian , Pharaoh , Circle II Circle , and Kamelot demonstrating the style. This European style of power metal is sometimes considered
8658-892: The format's life, larger data buffers and faster optical pickups in DVD players made layer transitions effectively invisible regardless of mastering. Dual-layer DVDs are recorded using Opposite Track Path (OTP). The DVD Book also permits an additional disc type called DVD-14: a hybrid double-sided disc with one dual-layer side, one single-layer side, and a total nominal capacity of 12.3 GB. DVD-14 has no counterpart in ISO. Both of these additional disc types are extremely rare due to their complicated and expensive manufacturing. For this reason, some DVDs that were initially issued as double-sided discs were later pressed as two-disc sets. Note : The above sections regarding disc types pertain to 12 cm discs. The same disc types exist for 8 cm discs: ISO standards still regard these discs as Types A–D, while
8775-442: The format; for example the sentence to "watch a DVD" describes watching a movie on DVD. Released in 1987, CD Video used analog video encoding on optical discs matching the established standard 120 mm (4.7 in) size of audio CDs. Video CD (VCD) became one of the first formats for distributing digitally encoded films in this format, in 1993. In the same year, two new optical disc storage formats were being developed. One
8892-455: The formation of a new wave of European power metal bands, such as Blind Guardian , Stratovarius , HammerFall and Edguy . The album's worldwide success enabled the band to embark on an extensive world tour and perform at famous festivals such as Monsters of Rock . After the completion of the band's 1988 headlining tour, the album Live in the UK was released, while Kai Hansen left the band and
9009-427: The genre's precise stylistic origins are often contested, acts such as Cirith Ungol , Jag Panzer , Manilla Road , Omen , Riot , Savatage , and Warlord are generally believed to have influenced the earliest development of the style. More concretely, in 1987 German band Helloween released their second album, Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part I , cited by AllMusic as "a landmark recording that remains arguably
9126-409: The genre, but took it in somewhat different directions. Helloween, followed by early Gamma Ray , mixed fast palm muted speed metal riffs with high-pitched clean vocals, and with a strong focus on melody and uplifting, positive themes. Stratovarius further developed this melodic direction by making heavy use of keyboards , with lyrics dealing with emotions and personal issues. Blind Guardian utilized
9243-459: The ground up. By the beginning of the 2020s, sales of DVD had dropped 86% with respect to the peak of DVD sales around 2005, while on-demand sales and, overall, subscription streaming of TV shows and movies grew by over 1,200%. At its peak, DVD sales represented almost two thirds of video market in the US; approximately 15 years later, around 2020, they fell to only 10% of the market. By 2022, there
9360-408: The heaviness and dissonance prevalent in, for example, extreme metal . Power metal bands usually have anthemic songs with fantasy-based subject matter and strong choruses, thus creating a theatrical, dramatic and emotionally "powerful" sound. The term was first used in the mid-1980s and refers to two different but related styles: Anthropologist Sam Dunn traced the origins of power metal back to
9477-475: The highest points on the Finnish albums chart , Japanese Albums Chart , German Albums Chart and Swedish albums chart . Unisonic embarked on their first world tour in May 2012 performing in South America and in various European music festivals , such as Masters of Rock , Hellfest , Rock Hard Festival and Gods of Metal among others. The second half of the tour included concerts in Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Russia, Spain and Germany. The band's second EP, For
9594-420: The keyboard sound of Deep Purple 's Jon Lord , which was further incorporated into the genre. Manowar 's mythological sword and sorcery lyrics influenced a number of power metal bands. Throughout the early 1980s (especially during 1982 and 1983), the US power metal style first emerged from traditional heavy metal, the new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM), and thrash / speed metal backgrounds. Although
9711-797: The kind of guy that doesn't give up that easily, so he was calling me up and he was really talking me into doing it, and I did it just for him because I liked him. That's why I'm called Ernie on that record [ The Metal Opera , 2001]; that was my way of dealing with everybody." He had a main role in the concept of the Metal Opera albums and performed on the songs "Reach Out for the Light", "Breaking Away", "Farewell", "Avantasia", "The Tower", "The Seven Angels" and "No Return". During 2007, he recorded guest vocals for two Avantasia tracks; "Promised Land" and "Lost in Space [Extended Version]", both of which appeared on
9828-521: The late 1970s, when the groundwork for power metal lyrical style was laid down by Ronnie James Dio . The fantasy-oriented lyrics he wrote for Rainbow , concentrated around medieval, renaissance, folk, and science fiction themes, directly influenced modern power metal bands. According to Dunn, the songs "Stargazer" and "A Light in the Black" from the 1976 album Rising , as well as "Kill the King" and "Lady of
9945-509: The late 90s and early 00s, power metal spread over Europe especially as well as the rest of the world, often incorporating new influences. Italy's Elvenking , Sweden's Falconer , Spain's Mägo de Oz , and Denmark's Wuthering Heights integrated elements of folk music with power metal. Angra , Kamelot , and especially Symphony X are known for combining progressive and power metal. Some bands are known for combining power metal with more aggressive musical forms; Children of Bodom were one of
10062-399: The live stages after 17 years of absence. In March 2011, Kai Hansen joined the band, and on 15 October the new line-up performed its first show at Loud Park Festival (Japan). Kiske stated in a 2012 interview: "We started off with the basic idea in about 2009, when Kosta and Dennis were contacting me about this idea of doing a real band. And very quickly, Dennis added Mandy Meyer to make it
10179-466: The majority of the songwriting was provided by Dennis Ward. As Kiske recalls "That was supposed to be a bit of a tribute to the 80's AOR and the songs turned out really good, especially with my voice as I don't have a typical AOR voice…I was surprised at how they turned out and how well they worked." In 2009, the Place Vendome project released its second album entitled Streets of Fire . A video
10296-429: The metal-industry." In 2003, out of desire to make rock music again, Kiske formed a band with studio musicians, named SupaRed . They released a self-titled album in January 2003 on Noise Records. This album had a modern rock sound and a song structure, distinct from both his solo albums and the heavy metal sound of Helloween. The project was under promoted, unsuccessful and because of some personal reasons Kiske dissolved
10413-646: The name of Helloween again, we're just idiots.' And I said: 'You know what? I'm open.'" "Helloween was the mother ship and this tour somehow sums it up to me. It is almost like a circle that gets to the starting point. I got off the band, I have been through a lot of experiences and I don't want to miss any of it, because I know how important it was to go through all this. I am not angry anymore and I can forgive and forget." The Pumpkins United World Tour started in October 2017 in South America and continued in Europe with concerts lasting close to three hours. On 8 December 2017
10530-428: The notable inclusion of the 1996 film Twister . However, the launch was planned for the following day (March 25), leading to a distribution change with retailers and studios to prevent similar violations of breaking the street date . The nationwide rollout for the format happened on August 22, 1997. DTS announced in late 1997 that they would be coming onto the format. The sound system company revealed details in
10647-451: The original film recordings. Shows that were made between the early 1980s and the early 2000s were generally shot on film, then transferred to video tape, and then edited natively in either NTSC or PAL; this makes high-definition transfers impossible, as these SD standards were baked into the final cuts of the episodes. Star Trek: The Next Generation was the only such show that had a Blu-ray release, as prints were re-scanned and edited from
10764-399: The preferred abbreviation DVD would be understood to denote digital versatile disc." The OED also states that in 1995, "The companies said the official name of the format will simply be DVD. Toshiba had been using the name 'digital video disc', but that was switched to 'digital versatile disc' after computer companies complained that it left out their applications." "Digital versatile disc"
10881-412: The sales of DVDs and Blu-rays for the first time. Until the end of the 2010s, manufacturers continued to release standard DVD titles as of 2020 , and the format remained the preferred one for the release of older television programs and films. Shows that were shot and edited entirely on film, such as Star Trek: The Original Series , could not be released in high definition without being re-scanned from
10998-414: The same side—instead of proposal SD 10, which would have created a two-sided disc that users would have to turn over. Philips/Sony strongly insisted on the source code, EFMPlus , that Kees Schouhamer Immink had designed for the MMCD, because it makes it possible to apply the existing CD servo technology. Its drawback was a loss from 5 to 4.7 Gbyte of capacity. As a result, the DVD specification provided
11115-591: The single Pumpkins United , featuring the reunited line-up, was released. The reunion tour continued throughout 2018 in Japan, Russia, Ukraine and Europe in general, North America, Canada and Latin America. The Pumpkins United World Tour was the biggest one in the band's history as it comprised 69 shows and lasted for 14 months. A live DVD / Blu-ray entitled United Alive and the live album United Alive in Madrid were released on 4 October 2019. The band embarked on
11232-406: The single most influential power metal album to date. Its volatile combination of power and melody would inspire an entire generation of metal bands". This release influenced a European power metal style to evolve, which proliferated throughout the globe and since the start of the 1990s is still the most commonly heard style of power metal. Power metal "bears all the hallmarks of traditional metal"
11349-663: The slightly lower data density of dual layer DVDs (4.25 GB instead of 4.7 GB per layer), the required rotation speed is around 10% faster for the same data rate, which means that the same angular speed rating equals a 10% higher physical angular rotation speed. For that reason, the increase of reading speeds of dual layer media has stagnated at 12× ( constant angular velocity ) for half-height optical drives released since around 2005, and slim type optical drives are only able to record dual layer media at 6× (constant angular velocity), while reading speeds of 8× are still supported by such. The quality and data integrity of optical media
11466-454: The technique of vocal and guitar overdubbing to create an epic atmosphere, with lyrical content strongly based on fantasy novels, myths and legends. The symphonic and neo-classical elements also found their way through power metal with bands like Rhapsody of Fire (Italy), Serenity (Austria) and Nightwish (Finland). At the same time, bands such as HammerFall simplified their power metal to bring it closer to traditional heavy metal. Over
11583-574: The title Live in Wacken on 21 July 2017. In 1995, Kiske participated as a guest on Gamma Ray 's (Kai Hansen's band, formed after his departure from Helloween in late 1988) Land of the Free album, singing lead vocals on the song "Time To Break Free" and additional vocals on the title track. During 2002, Michael sang the song "Key to the Universe", which was featured on Timo Tolkki 's (guitarist of
11700-416: The total nominal capacity of a DVD-10 disc to 9.4 GB (8.75 GiB), but each side is locked to 4.7 GB. Like DVD-5 discs, DVD-10 discs are defined as single-layer (SL) discs. DVD hardware accesses the additional layer (layer 1) by refocusing the laser through an otherwise normally-placed, semitransparent first layer (layer 0). This laser refocus—and the subsequent time needed to reacquire laser tracking—can cause
11817-497: The tracks "Wastelands", "Runaway Train" and "Stargazers". Between November and December, he also took part in " The Metal Opera Comes to Town Tour ", sharing the stage with Tobias Sammet, Kai Hansen, Jørn Lande , Bob Catley , Amanda Somerville , Sascha Paeth , and Oliver Hartmann among others. On 6 August 2011, Kiske performed with Avantasia at the Wacken Open Air Festival. During 2013, Kiske took part in
11934-430: The ubiquitous VHS tape as the primary consumer video distribution format. Immediately following the formal adoption of a unified standard for DVD, two of the four leading video game console companies ( Sega and The 3DO Company ) said they already had plans to design a gaming console with DVDs as the source medium. Sony stated at the time that they had no plans to use DVD in their gaming systems, despite being one of
12051-746: The works of bands, most famously Sabaton , whose lyrics extensively focus on historical wars, battles, and individuals that received notable recognition for their wartime accomplishments. Examples include World War I , World War II , Vikings , Samurai , and much more from around the world including the American , Swedish and German militaries . Serenity , an Austrian (symphonic) power metal band, focuses mainly on historical figures and events, including Sir Francis Drake , Marco Polo , Galileo , Beethoven , and Napoleon . Contrary to traditional power metal music, Powerwolf focuses on Transylvanian werewolf and vampire legends and dark myths . The lyrics of
12168-497: Was a great line. Then I just said, 'You know what? I think I have forgiven you a long time ago.' That was just how I felt. There was no anger — I was totally relaxed." It took another year until he agreed to take part in the reunion tour, as he asserted during a 2017 interview: "We'd just played some shows in Spain with Unisonic. We were getting changed backstage, getting out of our clothes, and Kai said: 'If we don't ever do anything under
12285-505: Was a guest on Trick or Treat 's album Tin Soldiers , singing all vocals on the song "Hello Moon" and additional lead vocals on the duet "Tears Against Your Smile". Power metal Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal , often within a symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in contrast with
12402-592: Was a very good personality enhancement story. I then printed a few thousand in self-publishing. It is very difficult to translate as I have quoted many quotes from thinkers from the good old days in Germany." His second solo album, Readiness to Sacrifice , was first only released in Japan on the Victor Label in April 1999, and later reissued in Europe 2001 by Noise Records . The music on the album featured Kiske moving completely away from his heavy metal roots towards
12519-413: Was an increased demand of high definition media, where Ultra HD Blu-ray and regular Blu-ray formats made up for almost half of the US market while sales of physical media continued to shrink in favor of streaming services. Longevity of a storage medium is measured by how long the data remains readable, assuming compatible devices exist that can read it: that is, how long the disc can be stored until data
12636-714: Was filmed for the song "My Guardian Angel", marking Michael's visual return since 1996. The songwriting for the second album was provided by musicians Magnus Karlsson ( Primal Fear ), Torsti Spoof (Leverage), Ronny Milianowicz (Saint Deamon) and Robert Sall (Work of Art). In 2013, Frontiers Records released Place Vendome's third album entitled Thunder in the Distance . The songwriters for this release were Alessandro Del Vecchio ( Hardline ), Timo Tolkki (ex- Stratovarius ), Brett Jones, Tommy Denander (Radioactive), Magnus Karlsson (Primal Fear), Sören Kronqvist ( Sunstorm ), Roberto Tiranti and Andrea Cantarelli ( Labyrinth ). A video
12753-520: Was filmed for the song "Talk To Me". In 2017, the Place Vendome project released its fourth album entitled Close to the Sun . The album featured songs written by Magnus Karlsson, Alessandro Del Vecchio, Jani Liimatainen ( Cain's Offering , ex- Sonata Arctica ), Olaf Thorsen ( Vision Divine , Labyrinth ), Fabio Lione ( Vision Divine , Angra , ex- Rhapsody of Fire ), Simone Mularoni ( DGM ), Aldo Lonobile ( Secret Sphere ) and Mike Palace. In addition, it
12870-407: Was fired from the band in 1993, reportedly for personal reasons. He was replaced by Pink Cream 69 's Andi Deris , who has remained with Helloween ever since. In 2016 it was announced that Michael Kiske would join Helloween, together with Kai Hansen, for a reunion tour that would take place during 2017 and 2018. Kiske stated in 2018 that "For a long time, this was totally impossible for me, because I
12987-492: Was hurt and full of anger and I didn't want to have anything to do with it. For a long time I didn't want anything to do with the metal scene. It went very deep. But in the last couple of years before the reunion, without me noticing, things changed somehow, and I realized something is different when I ran into Michael Weikath. It was a festival and suddenly I was standing in front of him and he said something like, 'Michael, what have I done that you can't forgive me?', which I thought
13104-471: Was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan . The medium can store any kind of digital data and has been widely used to store video programs (watched using DVD players ), software and other computer files. DVDs offer significantly higher storage capacity than compact discs (CD) while having the same dimensions. A standard single-layer DVD can store up to 4.7 GB of data,
13221-472: Was named Kiske/Somerville and it marked the contribution of musicians Mat Sinner , Magnus Karlsson , Sander Gommans , Martin Schmidt and Jimmy Kresic. The self-titled debut album was released on 24 September 2010. Two videos were filmed for the songs "Silence" and "If I Had A Wish", enabling most of the participants to actually meet in person. The second Kiske/Somerville album entitled City of Heroes
13338-636: Was released on 17 April 2015. Mat Sinner, Magnus Karlsson and Veronika Lukesova handled the instrumentation, while Jacob Hansen and Sinner were in charge of the production. Two music videos were filmed for the songs "City Of Heroes" and "Walk On Water". On 10 November 2009, Michael formed the band Unisonic together with Dennis Ward , Kosta Zafiriou and Mandy Meyer . Unisonic embarked on a short tour in June 2010, playing some warm-up shows in Germany and performing at Sweden Rock Festival and Masters of Rock Festival as well. This small tour marked Kiske's return to
13455-494: Was replaced by guitarist Roland Grapow . Legal disputes with their record company prevented Helloween from releasing new material until 1991's Pink Bubbles Go Ape , which was followed by 1993's Chameleon . These two albums saw the band moving away from their power metal roots and experimenting with different sounds. Both Pink Bubbles Go Ape and Chameleon were commercial failures and resulted in Kiske leaving Helloween. Kiske
13572-817: Was the Multimedia Compact Disc (MMCD), backed by Philips and Sony (developers of the CD and CD-i ), and the other was the Super Density (SD) disc, supported by Toshiba , Time Warner , Matsushita Electric , Hitachi , Mitsubishi Electric , Pioneer , Thomson , and JVC . By the time of the press launches for both formats in January 1995, the MMCD nomenclature had been dropped, and Philips and Sony were referring to their format as Digital Video Disc (DVD). On May 3, 1995, an ad hoc , industry technical group formed from five computer companies (IBM, Apple, Compaq , Hewlett-Packard , and Microsoft) issued
13689-430: Was the first Place Vendome album to feature guest guitar solos by Gus G ( Firewind , Ozzy Osbourne ), Kai Hansen (ex-Helloween, Gamma Ray , Unisonic ), Mandy Meyer ( Krokus , ex- Asia , Unisonic), Alfred Koffler (Pink Cream 69), Michael Klein, Magnus Karlsson and Simone Mularoni. In late 2009, Kiske collaborated with female vocalist Amanda Somerville in a duet project, put together by Frontiers Records. The project
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