What is your go to October game?

I always pick an horror game that I haven't played yet or only have played years ago, so there's no "go to" game for me.

Absolutely, he was the singer for both Keeper Of The Seven Keys albums, the most iconic power metal albums of all time, he substituted Kai Hansen who was the singer for the EP "Helloween" and "Walls Of Jericho" and decided to stay just as the guitar player when Kiske arrived, but Hansen left after "Keeper Of The Seven Keys Pt. 2" to form another iconic band called Gamma Ray.

Kiske stayed for a few more albums ("Chameleon" and "Pink Bubbles Go Ape"), but the style changed and people didn't received them well, as a consequence he left as well. Helloween seemed doomed at this point, but Andi Deris came to rescue and put them on top again with the album "Master Of The Rings".

Both Helloween members Kai Hansen and Michael Kiske were honored by the Guilty Gear franchise with the character Ky Kiske, that represented them both.

Kai Hansen continued his career with Gamma Ray while Michael Kiske participated in many projects as the one you mentioned "Avantasia", a side project from Edguy's front man Tobias Sammet. Kiske also appeared with Revolution Renaissance, a band formed by Timo Tolkki the main composer of Stratovarius after he left the band.

Kiske has many power metal friends so that is why is easy to find him doing contributions on multiple projects.

By the way, Timo Tolkki also appeared in Avantasia's Metal Opera albums, he is the voice in the tower, he used to be Stratovarius' singer on the first three albums, but stayed as a guitar player when he brought Timo Kotipelto to the band with whom the band exploded to be the metal icons they became. However after Tolkki left the band definitely transformed.

The entire genre is great, definitely my favorite music genre. You can't go wrong with that genre, Helloween, Gamma Ray, Blind Guardian, Angra, Stratovarius, Rhapsody, Luca Turilli, Dark Moor, Sonata Arctica, Edguy, Avantasia, Revolution Renaissance, Avalon, Symphonia, Dionysus, Magic Kingdom, Symphonity, Masterplan, Primal Fear, Heed, HammerFall, Freedom Call, Lost Horizon, Kamelot, etc.. It is just never ending awesomeness.

The genre used to be mainstream in the 90s, at least outside U.S., however the genre got mainstream attention inside U.S. during the 2000s when a song by DragonForce called "Through The Fire And Flames" was featured in Guitar Hero 3. It was the hardest expert song on the game, as it makes sense since pretty much any kind of soloing in the genre is like that.



The genre also got some attention when Trans-Siberian Orchestra released their song Sarajevo for Christmas commercials:






... And if you had to choose one?

Throw Sabaton on that list too, my brother from another mother.

I see you know your stuff. Yeah, I definitely left many out like Almah, Shaaman, Viper, Cain's Offering, Firewind, WarCry, Rata Blanca, Mago De Oz, Tierra Santa, Avalanch, Heaven's Gate, Morifade, Brainstorm, Labyrinth, Cydonia, Squealer, Secret Sphere, Metalium, Celesty, Steel Attack, Iron Savior, Vision Divine, X-Japan, etc.. There are so many, my iTunes can't take it anymore.



For power metal Mithril stuff definitely check out Blind Guardian, they were all over Tolkien way before the movies even dreamed to exist.





I will have to check it out. It sounds cool.

I heard good things of that game. I'll may need to check it out.

Do you mean the PS3 exclusive game? I think I remember that one.

I remember you already have a PS3.