RISE & FALL / CLASSIC HELLOWEEN (1987 - 1993)

When I wrote the first chapter of this article, about early HELLOWEEN, I did not know a second one was on the cards. I didn't even want to reach their best known era, but somehow I found very difficult to avoid some issues and one thing led to another. I ended up writing what should have been this chapter's backbone, only without digging deep into the music.

This is why months after, I'm left with the feeling that something is missing and I'm willing to finish what I started. Given all the things I wrote about in the previous entry I just have to focus on all the albums released with MICHAEL KISKE as the singer, and which took this band from outright success as kings and little less than inventors of their musical genre in Europe, to irrelevance and almost splitting up (not only the music, mind you, as it has been told already, but you get the point, don't you?), becoming in the process a mere caricature of its former glorious self.

They would live to tell, as we all know. And then some. But that's another story.












KEEPER OF THE SEVEN KEYS I


Helloween's second album was issued in Europe on the 23rd of May, 1987, through NOISE INTERNATIONAL, preceded by the HALLOWEEN and FUTURE WORLD. It was recorded at HORUS studios in Hannover, between November 1986 and January 1987, and was produced by TOMMY HANSEN and TOMMY NEWTON.



Helloween. Picture disc



Future World




It is widely regarded as power metal's very first album, no less, and is also somewhat darker and moodier than its younger colourful sibling. The cover, with that hooded faceless being in control of the keys and who ended up being so recurrent in the band's own imagery, was created by the KARCZEWSKY team (UWE and EDDA) from an idea by KAI HANSEN himself, who also wrote most of the songs.



Keeper Of The Seven Keys I




The line up was Helloween's most famous one, with all four original members (Hansen and MICHAEL WEIKATH on guitars, MARKUS GROSSKOPF on bass and INGO SCHWICHTENBERG behind the drum kit) plus vocal prodigy Michael Kiske at the helm.



Future metal




One feature both albums share is using a short piece to start the album, as an introduction which, as I've said so many times before, I'd rather it would be together with the next song, on the same track. I think the whole thing would make more sense that way, but what can I do? Said introduction is INITIATION, which is an instrumental song that in less than one minute and a half does the warming up with trumpets, choirs and all, in a very martial and epic fashion, as if announcing what's coming next, which is no other than the glorious I'M ALIVE, one of Helloween's best songs ever. Period. Memorable starting riff and speed metal already commanded by Kiske's voice which, right before another a chorus for the ages, also points out the more meleodic leanings of this era. Ingo's relentless pounding, making the ground tremble during said chorus, leads the charge to a lenghty guitar solo (almost eighty seconds) shared by both axemen and whose last section just screams happines and it almost makes you cry of joy. And it's over. If it is good and is also brief, twice as good. The lyrics make for a charming and lightning fast self help book.

You're a king, can't you see your crown?



Another very well known song is next. A LITTLE TIME (which Kiske penned and brought from his previous band ILL PROPHECY), sporting another milestone riff to start the procedures and a Michel Kiske who simply soars high from the get go without pushing his throat as much as in the previous one, just as the vocal god he is. While I'm Alive had a more melodic flair to it, it could very well relate to the previous era of the band, but in this one the transformation is complete, with this mid paced song which was unprecedented in the band's history (let's forget Future World for now, for it was a single released before the album itself). After the first chorus and some lead guitar there's a mid section packed with guitar effects and clocks ticking, until the alarm blasts and the famed chorus comes back to end a song which, again, does not make it to four minutes. It is not a fast song but the clocks thing feels as if rushed, while the song deals with the inner fire we all have, linked to our goals and the desire to make them come true.

There's a fire, it's burning so hot in my head.



And that urgency goes on with TWILIGHT OF THE GODS, another short and melodic (mostly in the chorus) but this time faster number which even features some keyboards. Helloween gallop as a german version of IRON MAIDEN but they also speed up, almost matching the intensity found in I'm Alive and also its long instrumental section, with more guitar soloing shared by Weiki and Hansen. And Kiske being Kiske. This is about machines rising to power in the shape of gods we create to make ourselves feel safer and which end up rebelling against us.

Our gods are now fighting in anger, burning our world.



As if the previous songs were not enough indication that something had changed within the band, here's the ultimate proof: a gloomy ballad like A TALE THAT WASN'T RIGHT, which fluctuates between Kiske's mournful singing and the restrained fury which seems to be unleashed during the refrain and an unforgettable guitar solo courtesy of Weiki, who also wrote this song. I guess Helloween's die-hards, much more used to the speed thrash of their beginnings, were scrtaching their heads in disbelief, but this song, no matter what the reaction it first elicited was, is truly remarkable. A good example of a slow heavy metal song with some attitude and no dullness, about a betrayed friendship (or so I think).

It's alright, we'll stay friends.



Given a brush off. From left to right:
 Ingo, Markus (top), Kiske,
Weiki (top) y Hansen




And here's, most likely, the band's most famed song (along with a couple from the next album), FUTURE WORLD, full right member from a long time ago of the exclusive club which I know as songs to be avoided. I don't want to be misunderstood, I like the song. But after a gazillion listens, and being as catchy as it is, I eventually got a tad bored of it long ago. In fact, there are songs in that club which I try not to listen very often for the same reason, being all of them good or better. I'm talking about THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST, METAL HEART, PARANOID, etc. You catch my drift, don't you? It starts with a great riff and it does not let up when the whole band joins, but the part before the chorus it's kind of tiring, to be honest. Said chorus, as we all know, goes straight to metal's history books and beyond. It will live rent-free in your head for days on end. The lyrics are about an idealistic better world in which there's no room for loneliness and nonsense. I don't know whether there is some hidden criticism or double meaning.

Life can be for living, just try and never give in. Tell everyone the way of Future World.



The best is yet to come, with the amazing HALLOWEEN, a very long tune of more than thirteen minutes in which Hansen and Weikath joined creative forces and that has to be one of Helloween's top five songs forces. It's about the famous night on the 31st of October, All Saints feast eve. A night of tricks and treats, pumpkins and scary stories, and maybe some conflicts between good and evil. And this is what this song is all about.

Its dark beginning fits what I've just said, and around the first minute the band gallops on the back of the main riff, once again very Iron Maiden-like, speeding up and slowing down, to reach the brilliant chorus. Markus shines much more in this one, mostly during the section after the fourth minute which leads to what I consider the song's best part, when Kiske stopts it all and utters and there's magic in the air. And as if this wasn't brilliant enough on its own, one of the best guitar solos in Hansen's entire career ensues.

There's an extended instrumental section afterwards, with some changes of pace, where both guitarrists exchange their insane solos and which is only interrupted by Kiske reciting, more than singing, some parts of the story which feel like the song's own hangover. Until past the ninth minute, when his usual singing comes back and more neoclassical soloing takes the spotlight. Pretty much metal musicians performing what could be some classical score and doing it the best possible way.

Kiske retakes the bridge before the chorus (but watch out, beware) after the eleventh minute and the song reaches its end (with the singer making clear why he's so highly considered) with a final brief rush. Masterpiece and heavy metal's history.

Masquerade, masquerade, grab your mask and don't be late.



It looks like the end, but there's more. Helloween surprise us with a beautiful little farewell piece called FOLLOW THE SIGN, which consists of a nice lead guitar on top of a gloomy background of synths and effects, and a whispering voice which assures you there will be no hope of victory without you, because you are the keeper of the seven keys but you were not aware yet. Another team effort by both guitar players, and a very good one.

Did you make your choice?



Perfect gentlemen




A short and wonderful record, which could have been even better, in my opinion, hadn't it been for some sugar-coated moments here and there (Future World, I'm mostly looking at you). But be it as it may, a cornerstone in the entire genre's history, in any which way you consider it.

Later reissues also contain all the B sides from all the singles of the album and a few surprises which I now proceed to talk about. The version I own is that one whose cover had a different pumpkin on the logo (no comment) and the font of the album's title had also changed, and it has four extra tracks.

Which are VICTIM OF FATE's later version, the one I already talked about in the first chapter, strangely included as a B side in DR. STEIN's single, even if that second version is from 1987. My point is that is weird that it was in a single from the next album instead in one from this record, and that once it was done that way in the first place, you can find it, many years later, among the extras of the first Keeper and not those of the second one. Nothing serious anyway, and the song is one of Helloween's best, even better than the original version.

There's also the second and last re-recording of older tunes, which is no other than STARLIGHT's second version, also from 1987 and with Kiske on vocals as well, already discussed in the previous chapter. Very good, no doubt, although I stick with the original version this time. It was, back in the day, a B side in the  Future World single.

Also in that single (keep in mind singles usually have different versions and not all of them contain the same songs) an alternative version of A Little Time could be found, a shorter one which I think is identical to the original song, but only with the clocks part edited almost in its entirety.

And a shortened version of Halloween, only five minutes long, whose only purpose was to be the soundtrack to a videoclip which obviously wasn't going to last more than thirteen minutes. It was in the single of the same name and that's it. I don't think people waste their time listening to these two versions instead of the original ones, so little interest here, unlike the previous two songs which are gold.



Helloween with american thrashers Overkill,
with whom they shared bill in 1987

















We are doing fine








KEEPER OF THE SEVEN KEYS II


The second chapter was released on the 29th of August, 1988, through Noise once again. As mentioned, the first album had a more sinister mood, mostly when it came to the music, for the lyrics were quite optimistic if we leaving songs like Twilight Of The Gods or A Tale That Wasn’t Right aside, but the second one not only keeps the same kind of positive spirit, lyrics-wise, but confirms it with a set of overall merrier and more varied songs.

 

Horus in Hanover was the studio of choice again, and there were never ending days of work during May and June, on which Newton and Tommy Hansen took turns, until the latter was fired and the former was left on his own (which he wanted to be, apparently). More on all those tugs of war to be found in the first entry (VICTIMS OF FATE).

 

Helloween's line up, at its very best before the bad times would come along, was the same, and so was the Karczewski tandem, responsible for a front cover which depicted some kind of struggle between good and evil, with a golden key in between. Truth be told, I like the first one much more.

 

Keeper Of The Seven Keys II



But the content is what matters and here you can find more songs than on the first Keeper and very good one as well. It is Weikath who takes the spotlight now, penning most of the songs, unlike what had happened on Keeper I, where Hansen was the main creative force. But concerning this some sources seem to differ.

 


Happy metal

 

The mandatory introduction is called INVITATION this time, and it begins with the sound of the wind blowing and the squawking of an eagle, and in the end is ore of the same listened in Initiation, but more epic and happier, until it melts with the first proper song, the famed EAGLE FLY FREE (co-written by Hansen, if I'm not mistaken). This is one of the most genre-defining songs if we talk about european power metal, serving as the template after which tons of bands and songs have been spawned. And deservedly so, for it has it all: awesome starting riff, checked; audible and commanding bass guitar, checked; speed with tireless drumming, checked. Later on, as happened in I'm Alive, there's also a more melodic bridge and above all, anothern immortal chorus of epic proportions and very difficult to be forgotten, even if I favor the one in I'm Alive. But there's more, for this song is very special and not only because of what I've already said. You also have relentless double bass drumming, which is another feature of the genre, but more important than that, there's something which stands out here: Helloween don't let up and, after more or less the 2'30" mark, unleash some guitar solos, a bass guitar one and even a drum solo too! Almost a minute and a half of pure bliss with matches what was told about I'm Alive's guitar solo, and back to the chorus. You can also find your usual lyrics about freedom and the longing for it, embodied by an eagle which quietly beholds everything while we destroy the world and ourselves one way or another, something which is completely current thirty five years later. Another summit of the genre and heavy metal as a whole, no matter what.

That's what mankind contributed to create a better time.


Next is the second song Kiske brought from his former band, which is no other than the great and often overlooked YOU ALWAYS WALK ALONE. Its beginning is quite diverse and interesting, with no clues about the fast guitar riff starting at 1'30", which is quickly joined by Kiske and everything flows in a speedy and familiar fashion. It takes long for the refrain to arrive and after it there's a tad deranged guitar solo followed by a clean section in which Kiske equally recites and sings, until the clean guitars give way to the main riff and more soloing ensues. After another chorus the ending swiftly arrives and this song feels like a short one but it is not (it lasts more than five minutes). It's the lyrics what I don't get. Perhaps it's a tirade about standing for what you believe (their lives as musicians), something which is in line with the joyful nature of the record, but that part about a drunkard has me confused.

You say to me I will repent what I do.


Helloween attack another one of the greats songs on this album, RISE & FALL, one of those funny and idiotic songs from that era which are so endearing. Ingo starts on his own, punishing his bass drums, and listening to that riff and the laughter it can be noticed, from the get go, that this is going to be fun, even with some theatrical flair, slightly reminiscent of QUEEN, during the bridge previous to the chorus. The guitar solos speed things up and overall there's a funny atmosphere which permeates everything, and Ingo is trrific in this one. It all ends with a bunch of farm animals, to enhance said atmosphere, and the song talks about the ironies of life and how everything seems to have a price or something in return.

A little dragon could spit fire but never so for something bad.


More of the same with the also funny DR. STEIN, among the three best known songs of the band and worthy of a spot in the list I talked about when reviewing the previous album, given its catchy and easy listening nature, plus the insanely big amount of times I have listened to it during the last thirty plus years. It's not by any means bad, but I prefer anything else on the disc from long ago. It's a personal version of the Frankestein tale. Pretending to be god has its consequences.

It features a simple and persistent riff, plus a bridge with some keyboards and another chorus which won't leave you in a very long time. Everything seems to claim a life of its own, as the creatures the mad doctor created, and some speed as well, right after that chorus, with a cool galloping riff which the solos are played on, joined by a church organ solo.

One night he cloned himself, put his brother on a shelf.


The eighties



WE GOT THE RIGHT is the most peculiar song on the album, departing from the usual mood of it (Kiske wrote this one) with a dark and slow beginning with more prominence of Markus and Kiske. It gears up after a while but there's no insane speed to be found here and its dark overtones don't change. I like how both guitar players replicate Kiske's vocal line with a riff which seems to creep under it and the singer is brilliant as usual. The chorus catches you by surprise, going back to a slow, clean and a tad theatrical section, which evolves into a long and very melodic instrumental one with dual guitars and some keyboards, which is much more relaxed. Ingo shines too with his mastery of the double bass drumming. And back to business until the choir-laden epic finale.

It has never been one of my faves but it has grown on me as time goes by. I like the way it goes from dark to positive and its lyrics are in the same vein. It's all about believing in yourself. Again.

You better believe all you do has a sense, it's not for nothing.


Time now for the songs Hansen penned on his own, starting with a fan favourite, the speedy MARCH OF TIME, which I've always liked but I think I am in the minority concerning what most people think of it.

The beginning is really epic and over the top, with keyboards and all, until thirty seconds later the song gains pace and changes completely thanks to a great riff, courtesy of Kai, and the restless Ingo. Kiske's voice is very high-pitched but everything slows down by the bridge and the voice kind of repeats the epic beginning, being this one of the most fondly remembered moments of the entire album. After two runs, the mandatory guitar solos (with some heavier parts, whammy bar abuse included, and also some more melodic ones) and a new, fast section, the chorus comes back, leading to another epic finale.

As I said before, I like it a lot, but is far from being one of the album's most memorable moments and I find it quite excessive from time to time. As expected, is about the inevitable passing of time and doing our best to take full advantage from it.

Times of peace, times of fights, constant movement is our life.


And here it is. The very first Helloween song I ever listened to (I'm sure the same has happened to many) and most likely their most famous one (with the permission of Future World or Dr. Stein), which is no other than I WANT OUT, a true statement from Kai Hansen about him leaving the band in very little time.

After the famous, starting melody, Kiske sings only with bass and drums behind him, until the legendary, sung in unison chorus arrives, although this pattern changes during the second verse, with the whole band playing and the song gaining intensity. After the guitar solo there are a couple of prolonged yells by Kiske and the song ends with the main melody.

This is about the need for, after a while, being left alone.

No one asks us how we like to be.


Keeper II ends with the gigantic title track, KEEPER OF THE SEVEN KEYS, which, with its more than thirteen minutes of running time, serves as this album's answer to Halloween, but with a different subject: the constant fight between good and evil. It may lead to many different interpretations (religious ones among them, for the text mentions Satan and Lucifer) but those are of no importance here.

Music is what matters and this is another musical achievement of the highest order, with everything that is good about Helloween and worthy of putting the most legendary era of the band to an end, although nobody knew that by then. Some acoustic guitars start the song, but the whole band joins very soon creating one of those epic beginnings, with some keyboards and all there is to be found in them, but in a much more convincing manner this time around. It picks up some speed, little by little, guided by the underrated Ingo, a first class drummer, until we reach the chorus, which is also very epic.

After two runs it's time to throw the keys away, with some guitar solos and rhythm parts, and Markus making his playing count. Soon after Kiske's voice takes command and gives way to one of the best moments when, come the seventh minute, he sings the line Disease, disease my friend and everything gets faster. After that there's a slow and brilliant section which means time for Hansen and Weiki to shine and Kiske talks about the leading role's inner struggle. More guitar solos ensue, some of them a bit neoclassical, as it happened in Halloween, and this part is also great, as if the previous ones were not enough.

A voice-over to almost finish this song and the next time Kiske opens his mouth we will be well into the twelfth minute and one last chorus will lead to the finale, acoustic once again and identical to the beginning, but now with no vocals.

Throw the first key into the sea of hate.


Flying free



Top album sandwiched by two masterpieces, exactly the same as on the previous record (forget Follow The Sign for a moment). And there's also the extra stuff taken from the singles which were released when the album came out. If the bonus on the first album were great, these are also amazing and more, so many that the reissue containing everything was a double album.

Starting with the least interesting stuff we do have remixed versions of Dr. Stein and the title track, both of them taken from the compliation called TREASURE CHEST, from 2002. What is really good are the B sides, most of them really world class level.



I Want Out


SAVE US (again by Weikath) is the first one, and is a scorcher from the I want Out single which back in the day was an extra track on some editions of the album. Some effects and voices welcome the listener and the main, amazing riff, blasts off, with Ingo beating the crap out of his drum kit. The drums sound is overwhelming. An invitation to headbanging. The chorus is very well known (this is another favourite among the and fans of this era of the band, even if it's not a hit) and again is sung in unison, which makes it perfect to be sung along to during live shows. There's a moment when the voices listened in the beginning show up again and a bridge with some keyboards give way to the guitar solos. It all ends with Kiske warning us of those things we need to be saved from, our own ignorance among them.

This song talks about the destruction spree humanity is bent on and the chance of us being saved by someone. Everything is subjected to interpretation, I guess.

Without you we're weak and alone.


Also on some editions of I Want Out the next song, DON'T RUN FOR COVER, could be found, and this one is still quite good even if it is the least interesting of the lot. This is fun, overall, and so is the main riff. The drums are pivotal once again, although this is a more melodic number and not as fast as Save Us. The guitar solo adds some seriousness to the whole thing and is very typical of the band, with some parts shared by both guitarrists. Michael Kiske wrote this song.

Lyrically can go hand in hand with You Got The Right, I think, because, as the title suggests, this is about being brave and do things which give some meaning to your own life.

You know, I know, your destiny's in your hand.


Dr. Stein


We still have left the two songs which, together with Victim Of Fate's 1987 version, were part of the Dr. Stein single, strating with SAVAGE, a fast, short and brutal sonic assault which despite not being the same kind of song as those who were sung by Hansen, is also Helloween at their heaviest, at least until then. And the curious thing is that this is another Kiske-penned song, given the singer is often linked with the more melodic leanings of the band. The chorus is quite addictive, there is nonstop double bass drumming and full speed (apart from the galloping mid section) and the lyrics are about the bias people usually have towards the average heavy metal fan, or that's what I think. And I won't talk about Ingo's work anymore, at least on this album. There's no need to.

They just call us savage, and that's what I like to be.


LIVIN' AIN'T NO CRIME is the last one of the bunch, and is a really joyful song (Weiki's), one of those why this band has been tagged as happy metal quite often (maybe even said tag was created for them, to begin with), along with others like Dr. Stein or Rise & Fall, but even better. The starting riff and Kiske's voice are little less than magical, and the song marches on at a moderate pace, supported by Ingo's (sorry) heavyweight pounding, although the drummer is a tad more restrained heres. The chorus is sheer joy and it's funny, because if you take a look at the comments section of one of this song's videos on YouTube, the only one that there is reads esta canción me hace muy feliz, which is spanish for this song makes me very happy. It all changes when the instrumental section begins, because very close to the third minute mark this song gets much more aggressive during the guitar solos, until it goes back to its happy self and it ends with the same riff it started with. This could very well be Helloween's own interpretation of the saying live and let live.

So tell me, aren't we all just one holding the flame?




EAGLE FLY FREE

YOU ALWAYS WALK ALONE

RISE & FALL

KEEPER OF THE SEVEN KEYS

SAVE US

SAVAGE

LIVIN' AIN'T NO CRIME








LIVE IN THE UK

 

This is a very strange artifact, for several reasons I will now proceed to disclose, and it ended up being the only one live document (I'm talking about official releases) of the band during its classic years and with Kai Hansen and Michael Kiske in the ranks, of course. They would release more live albums, and even one with these two gentlemen aboard (so far), but back in the day this album was their first live album and the only one released during those golden days.

 

Those reasons why? The are some. It is a record which, although long (taking the average length of the songs into account), only has seven songs, something that startled the fans. Why not a double live album, keeping in mind these was supposed to be Helloween's best years? In the end, this is neither an EP, nor the usual live album (a double one most of the times and mostly during those times).

This album has, besides the above mentioned title for the european version, two more names: KEEPERS LIVE, in Japan, and I WANT OUT (LIVE) in the States. On both of them Rise & Fall is missing.

And the third one is that (it's on Wikipedia because I, for one, hadn't even noticed that after all these years, to be honest) for the first time, the letter O on the band's logo is not replaced by a pumpkin, but by the drawing of one within a bass drum. And also, the american version replaces that letter for a globe which shows the british isles and part of continental Europe.


It is weird that Helloween chose the UK to record this album. Maybe they had taped several shows and these were the best ones and this is all that there is, but it's also true that, while the british created and shaped heavy metal, there was a time when they kind of lost interest in it (not counting the usual sacred cows) and it became something of residual value. And, as far as I know, they are not very much into the whole power metal thing. I even remember having read something about how they mocked Helloween in particular, a band not to be taken seriously. But what do I know? Because, on the other hand, it was also in 1988 when they had played the Donington festival in England, but apart from that, these were the first shows they played on their own on the isles.

 

Be it as it may, the album was recorded at Edinburgh's Playhouse, on the 6th of November (1988), being I Want Out the sole exception, having been taken from a show at the Manchester Apollo on the next day. It was released in Europe on the 6th of April, 1989, but I'm not sure whether it was Noise or EMI the company it was released through. And it was produced by Tommy Hansen, something which is not coherent with the fact that he had been fired during the sessions for the second Keeper, but somehow he was still there.

 

As for the cover, the american and japanese editions had the same cover that had been chosen for the I Want Out single (courtesy of belgian artist FREDERICK MOULAERT), on which one pumpkin impersonated that famous picture of Uncle Sam asking people to join the army, but with the single's title, of course. But the european edition has a funnier and nicer cover, with a cartoonish Helloween playing a show for a crowd consisting only of pumpkins. That cover was drawn by the same artist and all five musicians were perfectly recognisable, having also a keyboardist (called JÖRN ELLERBROCK) with them.


Live In The UK


Keepers Live



I Want Out - Live



The set list is comprised of mostly Keeper songs, as expected, plus the famed ( and already talked about in the first chapter) live rendition of HOW MANY TEARS?, to close the album, which is the only licence to the time when Hansen was the singer.

A Little Time comes first and the sound is good, but I think everything is kind of drowned by Ingo's drums. Helloween recreate the clocks part the best way they can but the backing vocals cannot match what's on the Keeper album. But that's fine with me. Kiske teases the audience after the song, making it look as if they did not know what country they were playing in and claiming they had a very special set for that show, with fast and slow songs, and also interesting and boring ones. Cool guy.

Dr. Stein, with its organ solo included, and Future World are next, as an indispensable couple for the live shows ever since. The latter features a much longer beginning, with that little melody listened in GORGAR and the audience doing its part. The band extends this song, with Kiske cracking some jokes in between and also singing the very famous ALL SHOOK UP, by ELVIS PRESLEY. The singer asks the crowd to sing along Future's World chorus as well.

After those, the funny Rise & Fall and an unexpected choice with We Got The Right, one of the least popular tunes on Keeper II. I Want Out  comes next and it pales in comparison with the original version, me thinks, mostly because the famous starting melody is played by both guitar players, with no rhythm guitar behind, and that makes the song lack in energy. To finish off, some german Schlager and football chants before the praised version of How Many Tears?, masterfully commanded by Kiske and with some keyboards during the slow section.


Good document, all things considered, to have a taste of what the band was when playing live during this era, when they still were kids, although I think it would have been a great idea (and above all, given that the nostalgia for this time of the band would dramatically increase) to release a live album twice as long as this one, with improved sound and perhaps a more carefully chosen set list. I miss some meat on the guitars because I get the feeling Helloween were more potent in studio than on this record, when it should be the other way around.


Collage with the european edition front and back covers




LIVE IN THE UK



Bye Kai! Gamma Ray awaits





PINK BUBBLES GO APE


While all of the above meant Helloween's rise to the wildest of stardoms within the european metal landscape, from now on will be their fall from it what has to be told, although as I said in the first part of the article, the armour had some cracks on it already. I won't talk again about the delay in the release of this album and the legal issues with Noise which forced said delay, but truth is that, as much as Helloween had their own internal issues (plus those mentioned legal ones, which also  forced the band to stop playing live for a long while), which, among other things, made Hansen leave, they could have very well chosen to follow a much more coherent musical style, in compliance with their recent past (always being aware that what came before was going to be very difficult to match) and they did not, releasing a set of songs which alienated the fans (they did not know what it was about to hit them soon after), made them waste tons of money and almost wreck the band's status entirely. Was Kiske to blame, someone whose increasing leadership within the band made him took the writing reins only to deliver a handful of easier and more commercial songs? Who knows, but it's true that ROLAND GRAPOW, the axeman (also from Hamburg) who replaced Hansen, was the one behind of almost all the best moments of an album which, in addition, touched more social and sensitive issues in its lyrics. The situation was not the most desirable one for anybody but I insist, maybe the time was right to play it safer.


Enters Rolad Grapow



Not all is bad, for sure, and I deem this record as an entertaining one, overall, if approached with the right frame of mind and knowing no WALLS OF JERICHO II or Keeper III will be found. The worst was yet to come, and then some.

 

It hit the shelves on the 11th of May, 1991 (but later in Germany, due to the lawsuit), through EMI, but it had been recorded during 1990, at PUK studios in Gjerlev, Denmark. Hamburg's SOUND HOUSE studios were also used for a couple of songs. The production duties were handled by famed british producer CHRIS TSANGARIDES, who also produced JUDAS PRIEST's PAINKILLER more or less during the same time, and the members were all the same but Hansen (no small thing, without a doubt), who went on to create GAMMA RAY and was replaced by Grapow. There were some keyboardists as well, Jörn Ellerbrock (who had played live with them and was on Live In The UK) among them.

 

This record was preceded by the KIDS OF THE CENTURY single, whose front cover had been created by the legendary STORM THORGERSON, founder of HIPGNOSIS and author, back in the day, of very famous covers for albums by UFO or LED ZEPPELIN, and mostly of PINK FLOYD's THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON. That psychedelic thing was all over that cover, which was horrific, and on this album's too, created by him as well, which is even worse, depicting some girl (the author's niece) who's grabbing a fish in the middle of a corridor, with no bubbles or apes to be seen (except on the band's logo, where the usual pumpkin has been replaced by one bubble). If the album felt weird, the first impression left by the cover was sort of a bad omen.

 

Pink Bubbles Go Ape




But on with the songs, some of them quite good.



Opener PINK BUBBLES GO APE matches its grotesque name, being an acoustic intro of only forty seconds, unthinkable if we think about what Helloween were up until that moment, which says that those who laugh last, laugh best. Kiske wrote it.

In your darkest hour I will sing this song for you.



KIDS OF THE CENTURY is the one which really starts the procedures, and it's a good song (by Kiske) which shows a cleaner and more accesible Helloween but doesn't make the listener think they have lost their minds music-wise. Quality is another matter, because is not up to the enormous standards set by the vast majority of the two previous albums (this applies to almost the whole album) and I guess that's one of the main reasons this record ended up being what it is. Apart from that, no issues here, and I like it a lot, even if the chorus is too embellished. The main riff is great and this song is among the best five on the album.

I have the feeling those kids the song mention are mankind itself, doing as it wishes with its environment.

We're the kids of the century, we're lost in our games.



BACK ON THE STREETS is also top five, being faster than Kids Of The Century, with incessant double bass drumming (and a little drums solo after the guitar one) and more power metal oriented than the previous more hard rocking song. But its joyful nature and Kiske's singing make it different from any other, as if the band did not take itself too seriously. I think I can notice some keyboards here and there in the background too. It is a joint effort by Kiske and Grapow (who also did some writing on this album). Weiki and Markus contributed much less than those two and I guess it can be noticed in the final product. Or maybe not, as mentioned below.

This seems to be about standing strong oneself, for is a jungle what you are going to find out there and nobody waits for no one. Apart from that, no clue.

It's good to know who's who in our game.



NUMBER ONE is the song that makes the listener realize that the change is going to be much more pronounced than expected at first. It is the second and last single off the album (for obvious reasons, I guess) and is nothing more than a bland and commercial song, completely removed from the sound this band was known for, even at its most accesible. I can picture Walls Of Jericho die-hards leaving suicide notes after first listening to this. The endearing chorus is acceptable, and also the brief guitar solo, but they don't do enough to rescue a lifeless and boring song. And the curious thing is that this is Weikath's, which is weird. The lyrics are ok though, quite optimistic and about trusting oneself in the face of adversity.

Fate will always turn out well, and you'll be number one.



Still number ones?




It does not get any better with HEAVY METAL HAMSTERS, a song on par with its stupid name. It could pass for a decent mix between hard rock and heavy metal, mostly thanks to Ingo, but the chorus is a disgrace. Nothing to be said better than that, apart from it being short. It makes clear, after Back On The Streets, Kiske's infatuation with Elvis music. Nothing bad, of course, but I don't think Helloween was the best vehicle to show it. I think the lyrics are metaphorical of what the band went through while with Noise. Musical vandalism courtesy of Kiske and Weikath.

Where is the field to run for our heavy metal hamsters?



Helloween raise the ante, in their own particular way, with GOIN' HOME, another Kiske tune which is in the same vein of Kids Of The Century, being also good but with another unnecessarily sugary chorus (not Kiske's voice, mind you) which takes away all the momentum the song had. Apart from that the instrumental section after the guitar solo is very good, with Ingo and mostly Markus (a top bassist) taking the spotlight. This song is about coming home, to all you know, after being away for long.

Anyway and anyhow we did it, it was good.



So far, everyone realizes that this album's best moments have little in common with the Helloween from 1987 and 1988, let alone the beginnings of the band, but the guys save the best for SOMEONE’S CRYING, when they turn back the clock to their most recent past with a blazing melodic speed metal affair, written by Grapow, which could have found its place on both Keepers (mostly on the second, I believe). Tons of speed, Ingo destroying his kit and overall a very lively atmosphere, clearly contrasting with the song's name, the change of mood which takes place during the refrainun and the lyrics, about the hardships of life. Anyway, drugs and the possibility of trying to get away from them while realizing there are many people that can't do the same, are also likely. The overall level is increased by a powerful guitar solo. Best song on here by far.

Give me some time, can't sleep anymore at night.



MANKIND could be considered as the epic of the album. Nothing that could rival the very long songs on the previous records, quality or even length-wise, but being the longest song of the album there's time to create several different atmospheres. The imposing beginning reminds me of ancient Egypt, or something similar, and something like IRON MAIDEN's ALEXANDER THE GREAT come to mind, and from that we go through some riffs wrapped in those synths which seem to impersonate a choir. I'm not a fan of that but it's ok and it all gives the whole thing a very epic vibe. After that, Kiske sings only backed by the bass guitar and soon after the whole band joins and it's fine too. But it all goes down the toilet when the overall mood changes for the worse due to a dumb and overly sweet chorus which, to add insult to injury, has some backing vocals. Too bad the song could not keep its level and it goes nowhere else after said chorus (the solo section is good), and yet I never have the need for skipping it. It could have been much better hadn't it been for the chorus. This song, shared by Grapow and Kiske, is about mankind's usual selfishness.

Here is all mankind so proud of their achievements.



The only writing cooperation between bassist and singer resulted in I'M DOING FINE, CRAZY MAN, tough competition for Heavy Metal Hamsters for the album's most embarrasing moment. Happy parts, more serious ones, acosutic guitars in between and another crappy chorus form a bunch of ideas very poorly fulfilled, in my opinion. Unfathomable. Only Ingo and the guitar solos are worthy of being saved here, but this no difficult task keeping the rest in mind. I don't even understand the lyrics either.

All the late night memories are leaning in my shoes.



At least THE CHANCE, one of the most enduring songs of the record, courtesy of Grapow, raises the bar during this final stretch, being similar to Someone's Crying but much less brilliant, as far as I'm concerned. It's quite good overall but the excessive keyboards during the chorus damage the outcome. The beginning seems ideal to cheer people up during a show, and so does the sugary chorus, and the guitar solos plus the mighty Ingo do the rest. This song rounds off this record's top five songs and the lyrics kind of follow the same resilient pattern of Number One.

The chance you got comes never twice, do your best and do it right.



The final song, YOUR TURN, is also Kiske's last contribution, a semiacoustical ballad quite dull and forgettable with another chorus which goes straight to the museum of the expendable.Little more to say, apart from the fact that the lyrics, whether about love, nostalgia or I don't know what, mentions Mickey Mouse (?). It doesn't get any heavier than that.

This world is cryin' to be free, this world is dying, can't you see?



Strange days




After all has been said and done I think there is like a fifty per cent or material here, or maybe a little bit more, worthy of saving, and it all could have worked much better as an EP or something shorter which showed a different side of the band, a radio friendlier one, perhaps. But it was a full LP, unfortunately, which did not do very much to give some hope to the fans concerning what could come next. And there were reasons for concern: internal fights, external issues, Hansen's departure and as the outcome, a subpar album, at least for Helloween. But we still have the extras from the singles.



Kids Of The Century




Kids Of The Century had BLUE SUEDE SHOES, CARL PERKINS' classic popularised byElvis, and the band's own (by Markus) SHIT AND LOBSTER, as B sides. Regarding the former, there is not too much to say, beyond being this a very famous song but unthinkable for a band like this (up until that moment, I mean), which reinforces Kiske's passion for Elvis, and the singer does a pretty good job. Forgettable.

The latter's main appeal is its picturesque title and nothing else, unless an adult, I don't care about anything, anymore version of Helloween, trying to sound as your average rock band and also doing it poorly, is what you fancy. Not entirely true, for the guitar solos keep mediocrity and Helloween's flatline at bay, at least for a little while. The lyrics go back to the abused issue of mankind misbehaving, which creates unfairness and so on.Very innovative. 

The fat gets fatter, the poor stays poor.



Number One




Much, much better (not a tall order by any means) is what is to be found on Number One, beginning with LES HAMBOURGEOIS WALKWAYS, a Weikath penned scorcher which is the best of the lot and I guess (judging by its name) is Helloween's humorous answer to PARISIENNE WALKWAYS, by GARY MOORE and PHIL LYNOTT, which was on Moore's 1979 album, BACK ON THE STREETS. But this song is no joke at all, being an instrumental blues with Helloween's signature, with its organ and all, which I guess wants to pay tribute to the late northern irish prodigy. Helloween also sets this song on fire during the mid, heavy metal section, and overall is beautiful and emotional. And even more, because if I'm correct about this being a nod to the aforementioned song, I prefer Helloween's by a long shot. Truth be told, Moore's song is not of my liking.



Markus also wrote the last song, YOU RUN WITH THE PACK, on his own. Not your go-to song when you think of Helloween's best, but it does a good job showing that this band is better than what had been shown in many songs of the Bubbles album. A decent metal song with some hard rocking flair to it which is much better than at least five songs which eventually made it onto the album. And there's that usual Helloween guitar solo with dual melodies which the fans so much adore.

It's about speaking your mind, instead going with the flow which is very often imposed on us. Or so I think.

Darken my eyes, tell me lies, but all nice, tell me how I have to be.






 













THE BEST / THE REST / THE RARE



This is a compilation of the band's most glorious days, from its beginnings (although the HELLOWEEN EP is not represented) until 1988, which saw the light of day on the 21st of August, 1991, and closed Helloween's relationship with Noise International, if I'm not mistaken (these legal and contractual issues are a mess). I already talked about it in the first entry and I'll stick to that. It is debatable whether it would have been better releasing an EP with only B sides (mostly those from Keeper II), given that almost everything else on this record was already available for the fans (save for JUDAS, from the single of the same name, which maybe wasn't that easy to lay hands on). But this album has the hits (some are missing though), obviously, but separates (according to its title) those from the rarities and the deeper cuts, which there also are, and I think it is amazing that it includes two songs which last more than thirteen minutes. This is an oddity for these kinds of albums, for they are usually rounded of by a new song, a live version or some demos.

Thus, the The Best part gathers I Want Out, Dr. Stein, Future World and RIDE THE SKY, the The Rest one has (I guess) Judas, Halloween and Keeper Of The Seven Keys, and, last but not least, The Rare includes the Kiske-fronted Victim Of Fate's version, Don't Run For Cover, Save Us, Savage and Livin' Ain't No Crime. Ride The Sky's intro, WALLS OF JERICHO, is also included as a track of its own, prior to the main song.

The repertoire is debatable as well, for there are some notorious absences and there is nothing from the first EP, as already mentioned, but it is a very good and (to me) endearing product which meant my introduction to Helloween. The front cover was another Moulaert one, and depicted three pumpkins enjoying themselves in a far west barren landscape. One of them is holding a guitar, which adds to the nonsense of the whole picture.



The Best, The Rest, The Rare









CHAMELEON


And the story ends with Kiske and Ingo's infamous last album with Helloween (until 2021, in the former's case), which inexplicably enough (and even more taking the time when it came out into account) was not the end for the band, and which is widely regarded a failure in every sense and not only Helloween's worst album by most, but also one of the most despised records in the entire history of heavy metal. My interest diminishes a lot here (if the previous one was disappointing, this one crossed every possible line) but it's only fair to say that it has its good moments, and also that most of those which were not good can hardly be considered metal at all. Not even rock music sometimes.


Helloween had squandered a lot of money, much more than expected, during the recording of the previous record, and the outcome had not been good. To top it off, there was that delay in its release and the ban they got to play live. So it is possible that their record company had asked them to write even more commercial stuff to reverse the situation. Grapow denied this, claiming they just wanted to change and they were in complete control of the creative process, although it is true that there was a debt which amounted to almost two million german marks and what he says differs from what his mate Weikath has to say about those days. But it does not matter, for it did not work. Quite the contrary, being Helloween's least successful album, sales-wise. It is supposed that they wanted to do something different and more varied (as the title suggests), but what the final product implies is that Helloween were actually bored, short on inspiration and what is even worse, sick and tired of each other. Hence the comments by some members stating that they were hardly a band anymore and this album was pretty much a solo effort by three of them.

There are those who like this album, of course, and I have even read people stating this is their favourite by Helloween, but even if we take Chameleon for what it is, a melodic hard rock album with some nods to pop music and some isolated metal moments, it is bland. And if you take it as an album by those who were responsible of the Keeper saga, it is almost unacceptable. And there's also its obese running time, which averages around six minutes per song, which would not be a problem were the songs what these could not be. And there are some who think similar of Pink Bubbles Go Ape (not because of its running time, that goes without saying) and deem Chameleon as a superior effort, but as far as I am concerned, the previous one is top notch when compared to this record.

It is a good thing, though, that Michael Kiske still sings on this, which is no small thing, despite his contributions as songwriter being, overall, far away from being the best moments on Chameleon. And one can picture Ingo, more than any other member, completely bored and disillusioned with his work on this album. because he went from being the usual drumming steamroller he had always been, even on the previous record, to having a much more restrained role.

 

Chameleon came out on the 31st of May, 1993, through EMI (their last with them), after having been recorded in Hamburg (CHATEAU DU PAPE studios) in 1992, and the same line up from Pink Bubbles Go Ape this time surrounded itself (exceptionally, given the nature of the album) by a wide array of guest musicians, among whom there was Tommy Hansen once again, on keyboards.

 

As a curious fact it needs to be mentioned that the front cover (nice, by the way, and vastly removed from the usual metal front sleeve), white, with some brushstrokes of colour, was created and carried out (if I'm correct) by Kiske himself, who also played some acoustic guitar as he had on Pink Bubbles Go Ape.


 

Chameleon




The reader might notice some lack of interest or concision on my part when reviewing some of these songs, and for a reason. It is what it is. Most of them are far away from being my cup of tea. In fact, there are some B sides taken from the four singles Chameleon spawned which I like much better than most of the songs on the final cut.


After some noise and screaming FIRST TIME begins. Even my poorly seasoned self from 1993, who had just borrowed Chameleon's tape (those were the days), was aware of the obvious differences between what I had already listened by Helloween and this song, but I could not fathom all the gossip (a bad one) that had been triggered concerning this record, for this song was not only good, but also metal. Not the kind of metal they had been playing up until 1988, no doubt, but there's energy here and the band seems to be focused, The initial riff is quite good and at least matches most of what was heard, heaviness-wise, on the previous record. It's also really joyful and catchy, and brings back nice memories of a summer I recall it was very good too. All good then. This is one of the best songs of the album (one of the few which stand out one way or another, unfortunately), penned by Weiki and with some foolish lyrics about the storyteller's infatuation with someone else, be that time their first or not.

I can’t wait forever baby, open me your door.


It was just an illusion and is WHEN THE SINNER (one of the four singles of the album and one of the four songs contributed by Kiske) the very first song which makes the listener realize everything people were saying about Chameleon was true, and all the bad things hinted at on Pink Bubbles Go Ape were coming to stay here, big time. And I'm not saying this song is atrocious, because it can be listened to with some kind of pleasure from time to time, but what's with those keyboards and the trumpets? There's even a clarinet (or so I think) at the end! Unimaginable even having the previous album in mind. The merry vibe of the song changes during the guitar solos, which are enjoyable, but far from being enough to save the day. I think this is about the lawsuit with Noise, which they parody in the video.

Don't wanna be what I'm not.


Uncertainty is taking over



The moment we're a little bit into I DON'T WANNA CRY NO MORE is crystal clear this is going to be tough. This is another bland ballad, with lots of acoustic guitars (even the solo's first half is on acoustic), which makes the previous and boring Your Turn feel like some apex within these kinds of songs. Little less to say. Too bad, for this is a song written by Grapow and dedicated to his deceased brother RAINER, as its beautiful text proves.

You knocked on heaven's door and we won't see you anymore.


Helloween had fared well in the past when including animals in their song's titles (reptiles and eagles) but it all had gone south on the previous record with the apes and the hamsters. CRAZY CAT is even worse. This song tells the brief (thank god) story of a tough-guy cat who likes chicks, gambling and booze, while a horns section pierces mercillesly through your head. Helloween's cabaret? No, thanks. Although is not the same, Helloween even outdid themselves with that atrocity called UNARMED (2009), which revisited some of their classics in the worst possible fashion (always in my opinion).

Curious fact: this Grapow's tune seems to be based on the adults cartoon film FRITZ THE CAT, from 1972 (RALPH BAKSHI).

Fritz played his false game too far.



Luckily enough, Helloween were still aware of their recent past and had not forgotten how to write a good song. This short lapse in their head-first, unstoppable fall into the abyss of mediocrity became GIANTS, the best song on Chameleon (again by Weiki). Some keyboards introduce this song, backboned by a simple but effective riff, which creates a sonic wall over which most of the song traverses. I could do without those epic keyboards during the mid instrumental section, but the guitars solos are great and so is the chorus. Too bad the whole album is not like this. The lyrics could be another ironic nod to the band's relationship with Noise.

Someday, someway, I may see a wonderland.


But they go back to their old ways with WINDMILL, a completely expendable piano ballad by Weiki whick makes I Don’t Wanna Cry No More look good and is, quite possibly, Helloween's nadir, as far as all the albums I have listened to is concerned (and I don't think there is something worse than this on the ones I haven't). It's about loneliness, I guess.

Don’t feel alone and depressed, someone will come at last.


REVOLUTION NOW starts ok, with the band jamming during a minute or so, before the proper song begins, and the main riff is not bad. But soon after they lose interest and all the unnecesary embellishments ensue. Same can be said about the chorus, but Kiske's filtered voice does not help. Before the second chorus, Kiske surprisingly sings (with different lyrics) the famous song SAN FRANCISCO (BE SURE TO WEAR FLOWERS IN YOUR HAIR), by SCOTT MCKENZIE, during some seconds. Next is the guitar solos section, which is to be thankful for, and little more. This lengthy song, courtesy of Weikath, could have fared better had it been trimmed three or four minutes, and is about social criticism, comparing past, better times, with the present.

And if you come to San Francisco, you're gonna meet some broken people there.


IN THE NIGHT is another unthinkable song for the Helloween we all knew from little earlier (being Kiske's somehow points in that direction), because this is another joyful acoustic song, with some percussion, which could have been shorter and doesn't really go anywhere. The lyrics are fine and they are about trying to improve in life.

The moment when I get things clearer I see another mountain to climb.


Now is time for another of the best songs on the record, MUSIC, which is another anomaly in Helloween's catalogue, but this time a good one, done in a much more restrained fashion and with good taste to boot. It's a tribute to music which Grapow had written for his former band, RAMPAGE, and which crawls slowly over a clean guitar (with brief and recurring blues licks) until it explodes amidst the verse and in the chorus. Music is very emotional and this is enhanced by the lengthy guitars solos, be them clean or distorted. I would have dropped the trumpets which make themselves notice during the outbursts of heaviness, because they may add some drama to the song but they also detract from its power. But anyway, this is a song I've always found quite remarkable.

Music is like sunrise for me.


Helloween, back in those days



Music's end merges into STEP OUT OF HELL, a vitalist song which is a re-recording, with different lyrics, of another song by Rampage which was called VICTIMS OF ROCK. It's, of course, Grapow's and is dedicated to Ingo and his addictions, although I don't know whether this was something posthumous or something the drummer already knew back then. It's a lively song and it can be considered (hardly) among those who are more or less worthy of listening on the album, but it is also full of backing vocals and keyboards. The chorus is fine but it could have fared much better. Forgettable.

Streams of madness flow through your veins.


This short stretch of worthy songs ends with I BELIEVE, the longest of them all and an interesting one too, because it raises the bar, music-wise, and is subject is not very common in metal music, for it deals with faith (the catholic one, most likely). It talks about said faith from the perspective of someone who is full of contradictions and faults but somehow comforts himself in that faith which he is little by little finding, until he's sure of it (as the title suggests).

The main riff leads the charge through a very majestic and epic progress, with keyboards (maybe a church organ too), string arrangements (by Kiske, I think) and Ingo hitting the kit like he only knows how, but slow, and with the singer sounding really grave. Nothing Kiske had not done in the past, but he looks really focused on giving the song that kind of vibe, for not in vain, is his song. After the guitar solos there is a more relaxed mid section, by the fifth minute, give or take, until along comes a quite good crescendo which leads the song to end the same way it started, but with Kiske singing in plural.

Not top flight Helloween, of course, but considering the overall level of the album and the subject is about, it makes for a very good listen.

I’m a sinner that’s starting to dare to believe.


Chameleon could have ended with an unlikely masterpiece and it would have never been enough to save it from mediocrity, if only for statistical reasons, but it would have been a very good reason to revisit this album every once in a while, and to have hopes for the future. But Helloween chose to finish it with a completely sad and depressing song. LONGING is not the worst song ever, but it's not much more than another failed experiment which, as the icy on the cake, almost leaves you with a bad feeling. More acoustic guitars, plenty of keyboards and Kiske's (its author) mournful voice make up this song about introspection and the search for something more.

Deep inside of me I know there’s got to be a different kind of truth that sets the spirit free.



Concerning the extra stuff from the singles, there's plenty of it, but unfortunately, and as expected, quantity outdoes quality here. However, there are a couple of songs or three which could have found their place on the album instead some which actually did, for they are easily much better. I won't talk about one demo version of Windmill, due to reasons already known by now.


When The Sinner




I DON'T CARE, YOU DON'T CARE is a Weiki tune from the When The Sinner single and is not bad as a hard blues version of Helloween, although the backing vocals and the chorus let the whole song down somehow. Kiske sounds like bored too. It's about some woman not worthy of trust.

Don't you believe that I feel blue?



ORIENTAL JOURNEY is an instrumental by Grapow from the japanese version of the aforementioned single and has its moments. Some melodies harm the final outcome but having been written by and for a guitarrist, there is room for some brilliance, even for good old Ingo. Quite forgettable anyway.


Windmill




Fun fact: the Windmill and Step Out Of Hell singles were exactly the same, apart from the main song, and had the same B sides, being CUT IN THE MIDDLE the first of them. It's a lively song written by Markus which shows Helloween's more rocking side and even if is better than most of the songs on the album, loses steam due to yet another sugary and not very good refrain. The lyrics are fun, about what people usually think of the average heavy metal fan, completely outdated and disconnected from reality.

Squeeze my ass into leather pants.



INTRODUCTION is not a song, but an attempt to interview Weikath by some music journalist, which introduces the next song. The journalist is surprised because of the fact that Weiki's place is a pigpen, and Weiki, on the other hand, refuses to answer questions because insists the other person to please listen to a song (in the KISS vein, as he says) he's about to play him and which is going to be a hit. The interviewer is eventually fed up with the whole situation and leaves, hoping to interview Grapow instead. And this is better than Windmill, etc. It was on the Windmill single (also on Step Out Of Hell).



GET ME OUT OF HERE is a short and funny rock and roll written by Weikath which tells about the miserable state the storyteller's home is. More or less as in the previous introduction. I don't know anything about Elvis' work, beyond a couple of songs, but I guess this song is another attempt to recreate that kind of music, apart from the differences, given Kiske's love for the american singer. I like it better than most songs on Chameleon and I have actually had it as the ringtone on my cellphone for very long. Good fun and, as expected, it is on the same single as the previous intro. 


My fridge must be alive inside.



Step Out Of Hell




The funny title RED SOCKS AND THE SMELL OF TREES, hides a very long instrumental piece which lasts more than ten minutes and consists in an extended blues rock jam session where both guitar players show a different side of their guitar chops. It was written by the band as a whole. Not bad at all. It was on the I Don't Wanna Cry No More single.



And also on that same single was AIN'T GOT NOTHIN' BETTER, another song by Markus and very similar to Get Me Out Of Here. As with that one, this tune is very funny and a pleasant surprise. And so are its lyrics about a traveling musician (and his band) who only cares for his out of tune guitar and his girlfriend. 

I never tune my guitar 'cause I like the way it grooves.



I don't wanna cry no more






Again, as I said about Pink Bubbles Go Ape, a decent EP could have been taken from this album, or maybe, as a much more ambitious and unlikely idea (but which could have been useful for the band to have new stuff out while they got their shit together), a double album comprised by more or less the fifteen best songs of both albums (and their respective singles) combined could have been released. It could have been promoted as a different, more accesible (and, if possible, not long-lived) side of a band which has always been reknown for not taking itself too seriously.

I know this is just wishful thinking, for somehing like that only seems feasible when looking in hindsight, and always depending on a budget the band did not seem to have back then. Besides, the very own nature of a project like that makes it very difficult. But keeping in mind where Helloween came from and the wave they were riding after the Keeper saga, who knows? And who knows what could have happened to them, even without Hansen?

Castles in the sand. I, for one, will go back, over and over again, to their best years, will carry on listening to new stuff (what they release and the albums I have not listened to yet from their very long, current era) and will revisit the best songs off their weird post-Hansen albums from time to time, knowing that, as strange as it seems, Helloween not only managed to survive, but also came back stronger, reinforcing their status and achieving a level of success which could very well be even bigger than that from the late eighties. On the other hand, this band has given me so many good moments on so many different levels, that any wrong Helloween have done looks distant and insignificant now.
















Bis bald!



Dedicated, once again, to Ingo Schwichtenberg (1965 - 1995).



















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