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Markus Grosskopf

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Markus Grosskopf
Grosskopf performing with Helloween in 2010
Grosskopf performing with Helloween in 2010
Background information
Born (1965-09-21) 21 September 1965 (age 59)
Hamburg, West Germany
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • songwriter
InstrumentBass
Years active1978–present
Member of
Formerly ofAvantasia
Websitehelloween.org

Markus Grosskopf (born 21 September 1965) is a German musician best known as the bass guitarist, backing vocalist and a founding member of the power metal band Helloween.[1]

Biography

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Grosskopf started playing bass at the age of 15 when he became friends with a drummer and a guitar player. They were looking for a bass player, so he bought his first bass and started jamming with covers of the Sex Pistols, Ramones, and the like. They covered songs from the Sex Pistols, the Ramones, Sid Vicious, XTC, The Stranglers, and others. Some time later, he decided to leave in hope of finding a heavier band with more live playing opportunities, then he met Kai Hansen and his band Second Hell, with whom he started playing. The band soon joined forces with former Powerfool guitarist Michael Weikath and adopted the name Helloween, with the original lineup being Kai Hansen (guitars/vocals), Michael Weikath (guitars), Grosskopf (bass) and Ingo Schwichtenberg (drums).

Helloween

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Main article: Helloween

Grosskopf writes some of the band's songs, which were initially mostly used as B-sides, but since Rabbit Don't Come Easy (which contained three songs credited to Markus), tracks written by him are regularly present on their albums.

In 2017, he and his bandmates Kai Hansen, Michael Kiske, Sascha Gerstner, Andi Deris, Michael Weikath and Dani Löble participated in the 'Pumpkins United' Reunion Tour.[2]

Side projects

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Grosskopf's first side project was Shockmachine where he played both bass and rhythm guitars. They released their first album, Shockmachine, in 1998. He played bass on the first two albums of Edguy vocalist Tobias Sammet's project, Avantasia, issued in 2001 and 2002. He played on Uriah Heep members' arranged orchestral version of Salisbury released on video in 2001.[3]

He also worked with the band Kickhunter, which released in 2002 their first album Hearts and Bones on which Markus played the roles of bassist, guitarist and producer, then again on the Little Monsters album released in 2007.[4] His most recent endeavour is his bassguitar-focused side-project, Markus Grosskopf's Bassinvaders.[5]

In 2015, Grosskopf performed with Judas Priest in Belgrade, Serbia, and following it, performed in countries such as Russia, Japan, Australia and the United States.[6]

In 2016, he performed with Gotthard.[3]

Discography

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Grosskopf performing in 2006

Playing style

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Grosskopf's playing style has been known to include prominent basslines, and occasionally he has a solo such as in "Heavy Metal (Is the Law)" or "Eagle Fly Free", which is one of his most famous. He is known to use both his fingers and a pick, depending on the song. He regularly uses a pick for the more straightforward, simple bass lines, as in I Want Out or Just a Little Sign, and fingers for more lead-type playing, as on Eagle Fly Free or Halloween.

His playing style expanded on one of Helloween's more recent albums Keeper of the Seven Keys: The Legacy, where many more bass solos and lead parts are heard, like "Invisible Man", "Light the Universe" and even some slap bass on the first single "Mrs. God", as well as "Goin' Home" from Pink Bubbles Go Ape, where one can hear slap for the first time in Helloween's discography.[7]

Regarding new ideas for the songs, he was quoted saying to the Metal Insider: "Sometimes I shout them into my mobile phone wherever I am at whether it be on a toilet, backstage, or somewhere else. There is a big collection of riffs and more saved up and I plan to sort all these out when I get home."[3]

Loudwire considered him one of the best hard rock/metal bassists of all time.[8]

Equipment

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Amplifiers
  • Ampeg SVT 400 Watt amplifier
  • Ampeg SVT 8/10" Cabinets
Bass guitars

References

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  1. ^ Interview with Helloween Bassist Markus Grosskopf by Luxi Lahtinen. Archived 8 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine metal-rules.com 18 July 2010. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  2. ^ "MARKUS GROSSKOPF on HELLOWEEN's 'Pumpkins United' Reunion Tour: 'It's Getting Better And Better Every Day'". Blabbermouth.net. 11 November 2017. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  3. ^ a b c Eddie Jorgensen (1 March 2016). "Interview: Helloween's Markus Grosskopf talks tour, albums". Metal Insider. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  4. ^ Grigoris Chronis (10 July 2010). "Kickhunter - All In". Metal Temple. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  5. ^ Dimitris Kontogeorgakos (21 January 2008). "Bassinvaders - Hellbassbeaters (CD)". Metal Temple. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  6. ^ Jovan Ristić (7 January 2017). "Markus Grosskopf, HELLOWEEN: "Keeping up the traditional heavy metal"". Hard Wired.
  7. ^ Orpheus Spiliotopoulos (4 October 2005). "Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys - The Legacy (CD)". Metal Temple. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  8. ^ Loudwire Staff (12 May 2023). "Top 66 Hard Rock + Metal Bassists of All Time". Loudwire. Retrieved 14 May 2023.

9. Video interview on RockpagesTV (2012) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoIYWZl4CfE&t=22s

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