His mu… Read Full Bio ↴Michael Kiske was born in Hamburg, Germany on January 24th, 1968.
His musical career began at age 16 when he was the vocalist for a band called Ill Prophecy. With this band he recorded a demo tape which had early versions of future Helloween songs.
Michael Kiske made his fame in the German power metal band Helloween as their lead singer. Kiske joined Helloween in 1987 and recorded Keeper of the Seven Keys Part I, widely considered to be one of Helloween best albums and a milestone in the creation of the Power metal genre. He stayed with the band for 3 more studio albums and 1 live album. The studio album called Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part II which bringed success all over Europe, Asia and even the United States, the live album Live In The U.K. and 2 more studio albums called Pink Bubbles Go Ape and Chameleon.
Kiske has a vibrant and clean voice some fans and critics have likened his singing style and range to that of Geoff Tate or a young Samson-era Bruce Dickinson. He sings in a tenor manner and possesses an almost 4 octave vocal range, as he is capable of reaching extremely high notes (A5) and low baritone notes (C2) as well. Kiske's time in Helloween has proved to be highly influential, and many singers cite him as a major influence. He is often recognised as one of the greatest power metal singers of all time.
Three years after leaving Helloween, Kiske released his first solo album, Instant Clarity which featured guest appearances by Kai Hansen of Gamma Ray and Adrian Smith of Iron Maiden. His style is more rock than power metal now. His next solo album Readiness To Sacrifice was released only in Japan in 1999. This album was edited two years later in Europe by Noise Records.
Out of desire to make rock music again, Kiske formed a band, named SupaRed. It's a great rock album and they had opportunities to tour but Michael had problems with his stomach which eventually had to be operated on.This album was under promoted and it didn't have much success so they split.
In 2006, he recorded his third solo album titled Kiske. The new album has soft rock, acoustic songs. Also his debut solo album Instant Clarity was re-released with four bonus tracks.
In 2008 Michael released his fourth solo album Past In Different Ways where he remade his old Helloween songs acoustically.
Kiske from time to time has lent his voice to bands such as Masterplan for a song called Heroes which he duet with Jorn Lande, for a Brazilian band Tribuzy in a song called Absolution which he duet with Renato Tribuzy, in various songs for A Metal Opera called Avantasia, for another one called Aina, for ex-Helloween founding member, lead guitarist, and vocalist Kai Hansen band calledGamma Ray, Edguy and Revolution Renaissance.
He made a project with members of Pink Cream 69 called Place Vendome where Michael sings on all tracks. Two albums has been released by this project. This project is in AOR style and has a few Hard Rock songs.
He made a duet with Gisa Vatcky from Indigo Dying in a song called Breathe In Water.
He also did one with the Italian power metal band Trick Or Treat for two songs called Tears Against Your Smile and Hello Moon.
In 2010 he made a duet with Kai Hansen of Gamma Ray in a multilayered anthem titled All you need to know for their latest album.
On November 10, 2009, Michael formed the band Unisonic together with Dennis Ward, Mandy Meyer and Kosta Zafiriou. Unisonic began their first tour in June 2010, playing some warm-up shows in Germany and performing at festivals Sweden Rock 2010 and Masters of Rock 2010 as well. The band is scheduled to release its debut album in late 2010.
In 2010 an album called Kiske/Somerville is a result of the collaboration between vocalist Michael Kiske and American singer Amanda Somerville. This exciting album sees Mat Sinner (Primal Fear, Sinner) and Magnus Karlsson (Starbreaker, Primal Fear) handling most of the songwriting (with more contributions from Sander Gommans formerly of After Forever and Amanda Somerville herself), with Sinner overseeing the production & mix at various recording studios in Europe.
Two videoclips were filmed for the songs Silence and If I Had A Wish in Nurnberg, Germany. Joining Kiske and Somerville for the shoot were bassist and main composer Mat Sinner], guitarist Sander Gommans (After Forever), drummer Rami Ali and keyboardist Jimmy Kresic (Voodoo Circle). The clips were directed by Martin Mueller of RCN TV, who previously helmed the videoclip production for Unheilig, Subway to Sally, Helloween, U.D.O. and Gotthard.
The digital only release of the single, Silence on August 20th, 2010, will precede the release of the full-length CD.
The Bonus DVD will include videoclips of “Silence” and “If I Had A Wish” plus a “Making of” documentary.
Philistine City
Michael Kiske Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On our long uneasy way
Never there, never stay
We please ourselves, eat ourselves
It gets us through the day
Maybe we should pray
'cos we all are gonna pay
That we shoot up today
All senses are numb,
The candle grows cold
In questioning hours
All answers are sold
The bitter taste on your tongue
You wash it down with some cheap fun
The arrow cuts deeper
The cheating gets done
I don't know!
Deep down within - we all feel the sin
From darkness we raise - but it still hurts them too
We all save our piece - just begging: oh, please
Make it go away - all thinking 'bout those who freeze outhere
It's a myth when we say:
Give love
It's meaningless, meaningless
Sounds like the croak of frogs
We preach out in the blue
But never change anything we do
Our words have no weight
And our wisdom won't do
I don't believe
In your american dream
No more, no way
It's all not what it seems
We always hear them pray
Thanking the lord for the money days
And the anger grows stronger
In those who failed the play
I don't know!
Deep down within - we all feel the sin
From darkness we raise - but it still hurts them too
We all save our piece - just begging: oh, please
Make it go away - all thinking 'bout those who bleed outhere
Changing colors, changing facades,
Changing fashions, changing masquerades.
New generations, oh! with whole new conceptions.
So it won't go away that caricature of man.
The song "Philistine City" by Michael Kiske is a commentary on the state of society and our personal responsibility to change it. In the first verse, Kiske highlights our tendency to be self-centered and ignore the consequences of our actions. He suggests that we should pray and take responsibility for our actions before it's too late. The line "All answers are sold" implies that we have become complacent and aren't willing to question the status quo. The chorus reinforces this idea by stating that we all feel the weight of our sins but don't actively seek to change our ways.
In the second verse, Kiske specifically critiques the American Dream, calling it a myth that is not what it seems. He highlights the superficiality of our society, where we prioritize money and success over compassion for those who are suffering. The line "And the anger grows stronger in those who failed the play" suggests that those who are left out of the system are becoming increasingly frustrated and angry. The final verse discusses the constant change in society, but how the caricature of man remains the same despite these changes.
Overall, "Philistine City" is a powerful commentary on the state of society and our responsibility to change it. Kiske's use of vivid imagery and strong language drives home his message in a memorable way.
Line by Line Meaning
On our long uneasy way
Throughout our difficult journey in life
Never there, never stay
We are not fully present in the moment and are always moving on
We please ourselves, eat ourselves
We indulge in our own desires and often end up harming ourselves
It gets us through the day
Our self-gratification is a temporary relief from the challenges we face
Maybe we should pray
We should seek guidance from a higher power
'cos we all are gonna pay
We will eventually face the consequences of our actions
For the arrows for others
The harm we cause to others will come back to us
That we shoot up today
The negative actions we take towards others will have long-term repercussions
All senses are numb,
We have become desensitized to the world around us
The candle grows cold
Our passion and motivation is dwindling
In questioning hours
When we are faced with moral dilemmas
All answers are sold
We tend to conform to societal norms and fail to think for ourselves
The bitter taste on your tongue
The unpleasantness of regret for our past actions
You wash it down with some cheap fun
We try to forget our mistakes by immersing ourselves in temporary, meaningless pleasures
The arrow cuts deeper
The harm we cause to others weighs on our conscience
The cheating gets done
We deceive ourselves and others to justify our actions
Deep down within - we all feel the sin
We all know that we are capable of negative actions and thoughts
From darkness we raise - but it still hurts them too
We may have overcome our personal struggles, but our actions may still have negative effects on others
We all save our piece - just begging: oh, please
We all have our own problems, but we ignore the suffering of those around us
Make it go away - all thinking 'bout those who freeze outhere
We want to avoid thinking about those who are suffering and marginalized
It's a myth when we say:
When we say that we should give love to others
Give love
Showing love and kindness to others
It's meaningless, meaningless
We do not follow through with our words, rendering them meaningless
Sounds like the croak of frogs
Our words are empty and have no substance
We preach out in the blue
We say things without considering their true meaning or impact
But never change anything we do
We do not take meaningful actions to back up our words
Our words have no weight
Our words do not hold any significance or impact
And our wisdom won't do
We do not use our knowledge and insight to enact positive change
I don't believe
I do not have faith
In your american dream
I do not believe in the idea of the American Dream
No more, no way
Not at all
It's all not what it seems
The concept of the American Dream is unrealistic and unattainable
We always hear them pray
We hear people thank God for material wealth
Thanking the lord for the money days
Thanking God for economic prosperity and material possessions
And the anger grows stronger
Those who have been unable to attain the American Dream become more resentful and bitter
In those who failed the play
Those who were unable to achieve economic success in America
Changing colors, changing facades,
People's focus on material possessions and superficial appearances
Changing fashions, changing masquerades.
The superficiality and lack of substance in contemporary society
New generations, oh! with whole new conceptions.
Younger generations have different beliefs and values
So it won't go away that caricature of man.
Despite the changing times, humanity's true nature remains constant
Contributed by Jordyn F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@luiscarlosbmonteiro8619
Essa é pra quem diz que Michael Kiske não sabe fazer drives. Aqui é uma aula de drives com a colocação vocal correta, sem agredir as cordas vocais. Belting aliado a voz de cabeça de forma magistral. Kiske reina ou ao menos ja reinou na arte de cantar
@MsCarolinaIV
No puedo creer que una canción TAN buena tenga tan pocas visitas
@alexhall1896
Masterpiece ❤
@luiscarlosbmonteiro8619
Pra quem diz que ele não tem drives ai estão vários e excelentes. Bem colocados. Fora o belíssimo timbre.
@pablocorin5341
Que buen disco !!!!!
@brendeo1234
The beauty of it.
@raulrodriguez-tm5lu
una verdaera joya gracias
@celioazevedoofficial
Great!
@acosoenelocio
Cualquier comentario que hagamos, por muy profundo que sea, jamás estará a la altura de esta canción.
@MsCarolinaIV
100% de acuerdo