"Pink Bubbles Go Ape" / "Chameleon"
Sanctuary Records
By Vinnie Apicella These two reissues now finally available domestically are Helloween at their most adventurous. In following what many consider their finest record, "Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II," "Pink Bubbles Go Ape" represented a slow and sometimes strange turn for the German Power Metal wizards. Nevermind that their forward progress was abruptly halted in the years that followed "Keeper Part II," but by the time they rebounded with this '91 release, it was difficult to know just what was going on in their collective minds… but considering the slightly left of center symbolism centered around images of fish and fried eggs, someone was having a pretty good time in spite of themselves! Far off from the conceptually stunning work of their past, "Pink Bubbles…," as if the title were any indication, was a less serious stab in the dark and more streamlined effort that saw many a mixed passage on display. The album begins with the two fiery follow-ups to the goofy introduction make perfectly clear. They being "Kids of the Century" which is vintage Helloween-heavy, anthemic, uptempo and just a whirlwind of guitar prominence that too few people really got the privilege of hearing. Then there's "Back on the Streets" which said all anyone needed to hear about their unintentional layoff-another fast track that displayed dazzling guitar work and Kiske's patented vocals that continued to reach high into the stratosphere. "Number One" was soft single material plain and simple and only the broadest of minds would be willing to listen to it twice… ditto for "Going Home." Then again, with "Heavy Metal Hamsters" eagerly waiting in the wings, why bother? Another fairly quick-tempoed selection with steady guitar picking bordering an imposing gang chorus-quite melodic and probably the only song of its kind! Stay tuned for "The Chance" which appears next to last and is an absolute stunner in the traditional Helloween vein. "Pink Bubbles Go Ape" was about 60% traditional Helloween though it'd be unfair to compare this to something like "Keepers Part II" as that one was their crowning achievement at the time. So instead of a part III or recreation of the past, they moved ahead, welcomed a new guitarist named Roland Grapow who remains to this day, and took their creative aspirations from the past and redirected it-but for the most part, this one rocks in typical Helloween fashion and features some fairly unexpected quirkiness that took a little of the edge off… and away from their previously established formula. "Chameleon" would be the last recording with singer Michael Kiske and ironically, this album, for anyone who's followed his solo career, had his stamp all over it. Building on the slowly unraveling designs for multi-directional rock ambiguously laid forth on its predecessor, "Chameleon" was a complete signal crossing, short-circuiting of everything Helloween had become at that point. This record was a true chameleon in every aspect. It had it's expected heavier moments as the riff-driven "First Time," "Giants," and "Revolution Now," but most of its energy was channeled on expansion and taking their "spaceship" in bold new directions-how about the opening to "When the Sinner"-downright danceable! "I Don't Wanna Cry No More" is reflective of Kiske's future solo pattern and not quite in the league of Helloween's suddenly tarnished past. "Chameleon" took chances, absolutely, and musically, there was nothing disabling in terms of their collective performance but overall this whole package seemed half-hearted and misguided. As poorly conceived as this album might have been, it did have its bright spots as one had come to expect from such a band of talents, out of place though they were, there was a definite show of vibrancy that led to, dare I say, an appalling charm that emphatically tells us all, musicians are a different breed! Scattered throughout, we find a wide range of acoustics based in heightened melodies, backed with substandard keyboard effects and light doses of brass-symphonic mayhem this was not, but musically, it was far ahead of anything they'd ever done. Aside from "First Time" and "Revolution Now," two stellar masterpieces dominate the later stages here with "Music," which is perhaps the best song I've ever heard them do-not the fastest, or catchiest, but very flighty and majestic… just taken into the context of a song, a flash of brilliance in what is otherwise a soundbed of mediocrity. The same goes for "I Believe," a song later which carries on in the same slowly building manner and the real emphasis lies not on flash or dazzle but the mood-the feel it inspires. Another Kiske highlight that explores more personal reflection and passion for broader musical interpretation. "Chameleon" saw Helloween changing colors quickly and often and opened a new entranceway toward an uncertain future… not quite like the world they had long since envisioned in their glory days but in spite of its perplexing nature, "Chameleon" had its moments. |
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