The Japanese Metal Spotlight Part 2: Hellen

If you would like to join Japanese Metal Forum, please visit https://japanesemetalforum.com [BAND DESCRIPTION, BIO & SONGS FEATURED BELOW] Hellen were one of the first pioneers of melodic heavy and power metal in Japan, starting activities back in 1981. The band released three demos between 1981 and 1984, the most notable being Fantastic Dream, which helped put the band on the map. By 1985 with the founding of the record label Mandrake Root, Hellen had joined as one of the label's first bands, and they would become one of the label's best known. They disbanded for the majority of the late 80s through early 2000s, but reunited in the mid 2000s and released a couple more singles before again calling it quits. Though Hellen had a considerably short collective run with relatively few releases, they left a reasonably large impact on Japanese metal and Japanese music, really. Notable bands who spawned out of Hellen include Babylon, Musashi, as well as guitarist Yasumitsu Shimizu's solo career, but even more significant was the solo career of longtime keyboardist Yasuharu Takanashi, who after a solid run with his band Musashi, went on to become an iconic composer of anime and video game soundtracks, including the soundtracks of series like Naruto or Log Horizon among numerous others. Hellen were a highly skilled band, though they perhaps never reached the full potential they possessed as they disbanded pretty quickly in their careers. Despite this they're well remembered and beloved by many Japanese metal fans, particularly for their EP Talon of King. The 6 songs used in this sampler are: 1. (0:00) So I Am (from Fantastic Dream) 2. (3:55) Midnight Runner (from Fantastic Dream) 3. (8:33) In the Dream (from Talon of King) 4. (13:38) Talon of King (from Talon of King) 5. (18:29) One Night Carnival (from Talon of King) 6. (23:22) Liar (from The Fortune/Liar)