Markus Grosskopf

Markus Grosskopf
Markus playing live with Helloween in 2010
Background information
Born (1965-09-21) 21 September 1965
Origin Hamburg, Germany
Genres Power metal, speed metal, heavy metal
Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter
Instruments Bass guitar, guitar, vocals, fretless bass, upright bass, acoustic bass, washtub bass, keyboard
Years active 1978-present
Labels Nuclear Blast
Associated acts Helloween, Bassinvaders, Avantasia
Website www.helloween.org

Markus Peter Grosskopf (born Markus Peter Großkopf; born 21 September 1965, Hamburg) is a German musician and songwriter, best known as the bass guitarist, backing vocalist and founding member of power metal band Helloween, and one of only two remaining original members who have remained in the band since their formation, the other being Michael Weikath.[1] Markus Grosskopf's family members currently live in South Africa, Canada, the United States, and Germany.

Biography

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, the Ramones, and the like.[2] 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).

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 3 songs credited to Markus), tracks written by him are regularly present on their albums.

Discography

Side projects

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 vidéo 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. His most recent endeavour is his bassguitar-focused side-project, Markus Grosskopf's Bassinvaders.

Playing style

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.

Equipment

Amplifiers

  • Ampeg SVT 400 Watt amplifier
  • Ampeg SVT 8/10" Cabinets

Bass guitars

References

  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. ↑ "News - Official HELLOWEEN Website". Helloween.org. Archived from the original on 6 January 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  3. ↑ "News - Official HELLOWEEN Website". Helloween.org. Archived from the original on 6 January 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2014.

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