I wished the strange things ended with the cover, but I am afraid to tell you all that there is more. First up we have a line up change, and it is a major one, none other than Kai Hansen himself left the band stating that the band was now too big for him to have full control over. This led to a shift in the band's sound, going away from the fantasy themes and the extremely epic arrangements, to a more grounded style, both musically and lyrically. Kai was obviously a huge part of the band, so it did not surprise anyone that the band changed a lot after he left (and that his new band Gamma Ray would become an old school Helloween clone). His replacement Roland Grapow (who would later form Masterplan) is not bad at all, but it is just not the same without Kai.
So since Helloween stopped singing about fantasy, wizards, and dragons, what are their lyrical themes now? Well, they are now both more serious, and more humorous in their approach. In one track, they could be speaking up about what kind of future we leave for future generations, or about loneliness and depression. Then there are tracks like "Heavy Metal Hamsters", which is a comedic take on the band's experience with a previous record company. It is so god damn strange that I love it, do not really care that it is far from the fastest or most epic song on the album, hamsters are awesome, and so is this band.
Even if "Pink Bubbles Go Ape" is a clear departure from the "Keeper of The Seven Keys" albums, we still have some of that epic power metal that made us fall in love with the band in the first place. In the middle of the record we find the dynamic duo "Someone's Crying" and "Mankind", two songs that are equally epic, with one being quick and the other being more melodic. Both "Kids of The Century" and "The Chance" has some nice power too, but other than that, "Pink Bubbles Go Ape" is kind of a mess in its sound, opening up with a strange acoustic intro, and having several songs that is more of fast classic rock than power metal ("Back On The Streets", "Goin' Home", "I'm Doing Fine, Crazy Man"). The band is all over the place in this one.
From start to finish, "Pink Bubbles Go Ape" is a strange album that is a huge departure from what Helloween had built up towards this point in their career. It is definitely not a bad record, but it is one that leaves you mostly confused, wondering what happened to the band that wrote such majestic tunes just a couple of years ago. Kai's departure is a big factor of this change, but there is still enough quality in here to make every subsequent listen joyful. Say what you want, but these German hamsters has a knack to make people smile, and it works well, even on such an uneven record.
Songs worthy of recognition: Someone's Crying, Heavy Metal Hamsters, Mankind
Rating: 6,5/10 Crazy Men
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More reviews of Helloween
Walls of Jericho
Keeper of The Seven Keys: Part 1
Keeper of The Seven Keys: Part 2
Chameleon
Master of The Rings
The Time of The Oath
Better Than Raw
The Dark Ride
Rabbit Don't Come Easy
Keeper of The Seven Keys: The Legacy
Gambling With The Devil
7 Sinners
Straight Out of Hell
My God-Given Right
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