Metal Storm logo
Helloween - Pink Bubbles Go Ape review



Reviewer:
8.4

498 users:
6.49
Band: Helloween
Album: Pink Bubbles Go Ape
Release date: 1991


01. Pink Bubbles Go Ape
02. Kids Of The Century
03. Back On The Streets
04. Number One
05. Heavy Metal Hamsters
06. Goin' Home
07. Someone's Crying
08. Mankind
09. I'm Doin' Fine Crazy Man
10. The Chance
11. Your Turn
12. Blue Suede Shoes [Carl Perkins cover] [2006 Expanded Edition bonus]
13. Shit And Lobster [2006 Expanded Edition bonus]
14. Les Hambourgeois Walkways [2006 Expanded Edition bonus]
15. You Run With The Pack [2006 Expanded Edition bonus]

If anyone has read my review of Gamma Ray's Heading for Tomorrow, you might have noticed that I consider it to be the real follow up to the Keeper albums. Well, this album might also be that follow up. This is Helloween's first album after the Keeper twins, and also after the departure of founding member Kai Hansen. His loss is not something you miss very much because he wrote some of the material for the album, and the new guitarist, Roland Grapow (which is going to have a great impact on future Helloween albums) is not taking a big part here.

A lot of people seem to find this album to be less metal, dull, boring and even bad. I just cannot agree or understand why. The only real bad thing about this album is the production, which actually is Helloween's most expensive ever - and definitely the worst. But the song material is real good, and a lot of songs like "Number One," "Someone's Crying," or "The Chance" could easily have been featured on a Keeper album. Even "Heavy Metal Hamsters" sounds a lot like Rise and Fall, or at least it's in the same vein. Helloween likes humour, we've come to know that! Other "funny" songs on this album is "I'm Doin Fine, Crazy Man," one of the few songs that bass player Markus Grosskopf has co-written and the marvelous intro, which is really great! Another track worth to mention is Mankind, which is really epic and contain some real high notes sung by one of the greatest metal singer, and he's at least my favourite - Michael Kiske.

This album is maybe not as good as Helloween's first three albums, but I still think it's great and I recommend it to anyone who liked the Keepers.

Highlights: the vocals, the humour, The Chance and Mankind.
Bad stuff: THE PRODUCTION! And the Deep Purple ripoff (Rat Bat Blue) in the Heavy Metal Hamster's intro ^^

Check it out!


Rating breakdown
Performance: 9
Songwriting: 9
Originality: 9
Production: 6

Written by Spyroid | 03.12.2006




Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.

Guest review by
iaberis
Rating:
7.5
Before starting the review of this so called "Worst Helloween Album Ever," let's take a small briefing of the time it was released...
"Pink Bubbles Go Ape" came out in a bad time for Helloween; the guitarist and founder of the band, Kai Hansen, had just left the band three years ago, the band had not released a full-length album after the Legendary "Keepers" and moreover there were legal problems with the record label! Other bands would have just disbanded, but Helloween continued? They hired a new guitarist to fill Hansen's gap, changed their record label and finally released their fourth album in 1991. The responsibility after the masterpieces "Keeper of the Seven Keys Pt. I & II" was enormous. The fans and the critics were expecting an album-follower in the "Keepers" spirit, but instead, Helloween released an album with a ridiculous name called "Pink Bubbles Go Ape" with a weird cover and even weirder music? I don't know the purpose and the meaning of this move, but it wasn't the best.

Read more ››
published 02.06.2007 | Comments (4)


Comments

Comments: 14   Visited by: 92 users
03.12.2006 - 05:06
Rating: 7
iaberis
Advice Troll
Dude, I posted the same review!! (For the same album I mean)
The album had no reviews and now has 2!!
----
Bitch! Please
Loading...
03.12.2006 - 05:14
Rating: 8
Spyroid
Rosetta Stoned
Written by iaberis on 03.12.2006 at 05:06

Dude, I posted the same review!! (For the same album I mean)
The album had no reviews and now has 2!!


Lol, but well, there's nothing bad with that, is there? xP
I haven't read yours, I'll check it out now! cheers!
Loading...
03.12.2006 - 05:16
Rating: 7
iaberis
Advice Troll
I was disapointed and sent it back for proofreading.. I think I'll delete it... I don't like to be second because I say pretty much the same
----
Bitch! Please
Loading...
03.12.2006 - 13:09
Rating: 8
Spyroid
Rosetta Stoned
Written by iaberis on 03.12.2006 at 05:16

I was disapointed and sent it back for proofreading.. I think I'll delete it... I don't like to be second because I say pretty much the same


Hey, don't do that, there's tons of other albums with 2 reviews, same opinion.
No offense man, I didn't know you were posting it as well :O
Loading...
03.12.2006 - 13:11
Rating: 7
iaberis
Advice Troll
Nah.. it's ok man... I withdraw it already... I'll write another review for another album
----
Bitch! Please
Loading...
03.12.2006 - 15:10
Rating: 8
Spyroid
Rosetta Stoned
Written by iaberis on 03.12.2006 at 13:11

Nah.. it's ok man... I withdraw it already... I'll write another review for another album


okay, do that ;P but please don't write for Chameleon, I'm planning to do it soon!
Loading...
03.12.2006 - 17:10
Rating: 7
iaberis
Advice Troll
Written by Spyroid on 03.12.2006 at 15:10

okay, do that ;P but please don't write for Chameleon, I'm planning to do it soon!

Ah OK, I had it in my plans, but now I know OK.
----
Bitch! Please
Loading...
04.12.2006 - 00:37
Talvi

Both of you write it. It will be nice
----
My account on other musical pages:
http://www.last.fm/user/Pozito/
http://rateyourmusic.com/~Talvi
Loading...
02.06.2007 - 20:52
Rating: 7
iaberis
Advice Troll
I finally decided to publish my review too. Check it!!
----
Bitch! Please
Loading...
08.07.2007 - 20:57
Rating: 8
Grey_Dandelion

when i first listened to it i thought what a poor album but after some morelistens i changed my mind-its actually very good-even if not the best...the worst about this cd i think is the cover art-why that baaaaaaaaaaaaad
----
Don't turn away just take my hand and when you make your final stand i ll be right there i ll never leave all i ask of you is believe...
Loading...
08.07.2007 - 22:25
Rating: 8
Spyroid
Rosetta Stoned
Written by Grey_Dandelion on 08.07.2007 at 20:57

when i first listened to it i thought what a poor album but after some morelistens i changed my mind-its actually very good-even if not the best...the worst about this cd i think is the cover art-why that baaaaaaaaaaaaad


I love it, but I'm a great fan of psychedelia (and monty python...). I just think it's brilliant! Well, not a metal cover, but Helloween is one of few metal bands that have some humour, which is great.
Loading...
02.09.2009 - 23:13
Rating: 8
Mountain King
K i K o
This is a good album! only few songs are bad...and the others are great! M. Kiske is amazing as usual...The Chance could even be better than stuff on the keeper albums...Your Turn is simply amazing! the extended has some great bonus tracks especially the Instrumental Les Hambourgeois Walkways! Get this album and listen to it if u really like Helloween!
Loading...
26.08.2015 - 21:15
Rating: 9
nb

Agreed this album is great.
Loading...
07.12.2016 - 00:42
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
Think what band missing is Kai guitar skills
----
Life is to short for LOVE, there is many great things to do online !!!

Stormtroopers of Death - ''Speak English or Die''
apos;'
[image]
I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
Loading...

Hits total: 11291 | This month: 37