Michael Weikath

Michael Ingo Joachim "Weiki" Weikath (born 7 August 1962) is a German musician and songwriter, best known as a founding member and one of the guitarists and backing vocalists of pioneering power metal band Helloween.

Michael Weikath
Weikath performing in Nürnberg in 2006
Background information
Birth nameMichael Ingo Joachim Weikath
Born (1962-08-07) 7 August 1962
Hamburg, Germany
GenresPower metal, speed metal, heavy metal
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter
InstrumentsGuitar
Years active1978–present
Associated actsPowerfool, Helloween

Biography

Weikath was born in Hamburg, Germany and was musical from a very early age. As a four to five-year-old, he would lie in the grass, looking at the sky, and come up with melodies in his head. He began taking a serious interest in music in 1971[1] and spent much of his time as a child at the tube stereo set of his parents, listening to all the stations available at the time. The first album he owned was 1962-1966 by The Beatles.

In 1974, Weikath started playing the guitar and later on began rehearsing with his friends. He formed his first band, Powerfool, in 1978. Prior to forming Helloween, he worked for a record mail order company. In 1982, he served heavy social duty as an alternative to military service. The main bands that have had an influence on him are The Beatles, Deep Purple, Scorpions, UFO, Van Halen, Led Zeppelin, the Sex Pistols, and Wishbone Ash.[2] The guitarists that influenced him when he started playing were Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Ritchie Blackmore, Uli Jon Roth, and Eddie Van Halen.[3]

Weikath is one of the founding members of Helloween, along with Kai Hansen (vocals/guitar), Markus Grosskopf (bass), and Ingo Schwichtenberg (drums). He had been one of only two original members still active in the band, the other being Markus Grosskopf, until Kai Hansen and Michael Kiske rejoined in 2016. Weikath integrated the first Helloween line up in 1982. By 1984, the band had signed a deal with Noise Records and recorded two songs for a Noise compilation record called Death Metal. On that album, he was responsible for the song "Oernst of Life."[4]

In a 1998 interview with Weikath, Chaotic Critiques webzine pointed out the occasional spiritual themes and uplifting melodies on songs such as "Hey Lord!" and asked if the band was somewhat spiritual. Weikath replied that all the band, except Uli Kusch, were Christian. Weikath stated that he himself is Catholic.[5] Today, he resides in Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, Spain.[6]

Discography

Equipment

Like fellow Helloween guitarist Sascha Gerstner, Weikath is using a DigiTech GSP1101 preamp with a Marshall JVM410H amplifier for live performances.

References
  1. "Michael Weikath". Helloween.ru. 2001. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  2. "Michael Weikath Biography". Helloween GBR. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  3. Ram Samudrala (1996). "Interview with Michael Weikath of Helloween". Music ramblings. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  4. "Michael Weikath". Discogs. Discogs. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  5. "Helloween Better than Ever". Chaotic Critiques. 2002. Archived from the original on 17 January 2008. Retrieved 8 March 2008.
  6. "Michael Weikath". The Metal Archives. Encyclopaedia Metallum. 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
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