Michael Kiske only wrote 4 songs of this album. Most of the songs were writen by the guitarrist. Thats why it was not really KISKE alone wanted to do something different. When it was released i liked maybe 5 songs but now i like it more. Doesnt sound like HELLOWEEN but if you just imagine a different band i like it a lot.
Kiske got kicked out because of musical differences with the rest of the band, especially Weikath. May I say something? I feel like it has to be said: 1. I had heard a discussion about Helloween’s discography, there was a ranking, so one of the guys noted that if we combine the better tracks from Chameleon and Pink Bubbles, it would become an outstanding album. 2.Again in this same discussion was said that I admit I hadn’t noticed even though I’m a long time fan - Let’s all agree that Helloween have always, absolutely always had an amazing album openers, First time and kids of the century not making an exception. Times were difficult, “Chameleon” was as good as is could be. Helloween had just lost the court battle with their label Noise records. There was a tension between the band members. Ingo Schwichtenberg had a psychiatric disorder that worsened as time went by. Some say it was a paranoid schizophrenia, others - bipolar affective disorder. It didn’t help that he became addicted to alcohol and drugs. Once he even literally collapsed in the middle of a show, so they had to release him so he can take care about himself and stabilize. Unfortunately he worsened and on 7th of March 1995, he committed suicide. On top of that early 90’s with all the grunges, alternatives and nu-metals, became a lawless wasteland for the decent music taste
@@RatSaladReview You don’t need me, you are doing good enough ;) I have a lot of fun watching you Helloween episodes because it’s one of my all time favorite bands. Cheers 🍻 and take care
@@metalstorm7506 thank you for the praises. We are enjoying doing these reviews. And all jokes aside, we love Helloween, we respect all the band members, and for everything they released that we may personally not like, there are 10x the mount of material they did release we either like/love and rightfully praise them for. Thanks for watching. Cheers.
May I share my fragmented thoughts ? I want to say something - 3 days ago I purchased the expanded versions of Pink Bubbles and chameleon. To my surprise, I didn’t get nausea from Chameleon and I admit it’s the first time in my life I heard it from start to finish. Maybe my tastes matured over the years but even though there aren’t eagles that fly free over here, I found myself mostly enjoying the album, especially for a long drive when you’re by yourself. Try it, it’s a rewarding experience. It’s the very first time in my life that I followed the lyrics ( not a native English speaker) and to my surprise, they are quite mature, intimate and insightful, especially considering that most of the members didn’t have 30 years of age at the time. There are melancholic songs, there are songs about hope, about love, about playful romance, about the searches of the soul… I liked Crazy Cat, it actually had a party vibe like Detroit Rock city, with some jazzy and fusion goofiness that somehow fit the song and add some nuances rather than harming it. I got surprised that I enjoyed Revolution now as well. Is it a perfect album? Not in a million years. We’ve heard about its flaws for not being a fourth Keeper. We’ve been collectively bashing this album for the past three decades. However, very few people discuss the highlights. Some of these are basically masterpieces. And btw, Kiske frequently gets blamed that he killed Helloween with his inclinations to pop music and refusal to act like a typical heavy metal frontman. When the sinner, which he wrote, could have easily been performed by Michael Jackson in the Dangerous album. Many shy away to admit and recognize that the heaviest song on this album - I believe, was written by Kiske himself ! I will repeat - Kiske is the one who wrote the heaviest song in this album! . So case closed for the discussion wether did he avoid heaviness on purpose. He didn’t. Just plenty of internal and external problems piled up, point of no return was reached and something had to be done. Ultimately it turned out for the better. I came to the conclusion that we need to reevaluate this album and quit sh*tting on it. I do realize though, that in order for Chameleon to be appreciated for what it is, it has to be experienced after a very sophisticated mental gymnastics: imagine a parallel universe in which The keepers and walls of Jericho didn’t occur and this is a brand new band that has Pink Bubbles as a debut. When you do this, you might find yourself surprised by how much musicality and talent was actually invested over here, how versatile this band can be and how many directions they can explore at the same time. And besides - it was a brave and bold experiment. Some serious credit should be given even for the fact that they got out of their comfort zone.. waaaaaaay out. I would even go further - if some songs get excluded, like “I don’t want to cry no more” , “In the night” and rearrange the song I believe to be closing track, it would have been a much more cohesive album, that would impact greater part of the audience in the right way
You’re right. I loved this album from first listen. There’s nothing really wrong with it just it wasn’t what people were expecting at all, but once you get passed that there’s some really great songs on chameleon. Also too, the production is top notch. They never sounded this good.
@@RatSaladReview Production - superb ! I definitely agree. Michael Kiske’s performance - SUPERB ! All the way through. This guy has an angelic voice and he’s always 10/10. Period. And it’s time to start talking about Markus Grosskopf and the entirety of the rhythm section - this man overshadows everything that Steve Harris has done, if you listen carefully Helloween all the way through their discography. There are many euro power metal bands that are great, there are plenty of vocalists inspired by Kiske, but none of these acts has a competent and confident bass player as Marcus. This guy is a beast. I guess there are a few songs in the chameleon which sound like Coldplay ( in the night ), and are kinda lame musically but lyrically they are all amazing. My point is, if the listener puts a genuine effort to detach himself from the expectations of what Helloween normally do, it’s a great album and again, after all these years, we should give this album its credits because the upsides are way more compared to the downsides. So - yeah. Case closed. Chameleon is amazing but it’s so way out of their comfort zone that you’re not entirely sure who the target audience is - are the vintage metal fans ? No. Are the younger generations that liked grunge and alternative ? I don’t know, chameleon was ahead of their time as well… Having all this said, we need to spread the word about this album, haha
I like "When the Sinner" because it sounds intoxicated. The chorus reminds me of when your at some posh do and to deal with it drink all the champagne. Like being inappropriately drunk in plush surroundings. "Revolution Now" is a bit like that too. Like a big bloated drunk lurching around Las Vegas pissing all the money up the wall the record company has given them.
After years of listening, I love this album. Its on repeat in my car stereo these days. This is my favorite one if you don't count keepers and jerhico. Awful metal album. But a great album of its own merit
Yea it doesn’t hold up as a metal album but there’s some really great hard rock songs on there. It’s not bad at all. I think if it wasn’t under the Helloween name it would have been fine.
Bought this in the late 90s when I had to import the damn thing from Japan for $30! I tried forcing myself to like it... but all these years later, I can honestly say there are a few tracks that are worthy. Longing and I Believe are both excellent songs... but better off being on a solo Kiske album. Crazy Cat is trash... a pile of garbage covered in wino vomit. EDIT - I don't believe Chameleon of Pink Bubbles were released in the US upon their release. I know they had label problems and I think it prevented them from releasing those 2 in the States. I had to import both of them only to have their catalog remastered and re-released a few years later.
Yea same here. And yes it was never released in the states until those remasters. But that was years later after that came out. I would Have never waited 😆
Kiske got kicked out of the band he didnt leave by himself. He was hurt and bitter after that. Sources on that many and many interviews with both Kiske and the band. Also the Hellbook in the history section.
At the time in the press they said he left of his own accord, lies! Also the liner notes it says Kerrang didn't review the album, in fact they did, I have that edition. And in Metal Hammer review it said "Helloween have finally given up trying to play as fast as possible and have become the red hot rock band they always could have been."
Michael Kiske only wrote 4 songs of this album. Most of the songs were writen by the guitarrist. Thats why it was not really KISKE alone wanted to do something different. When it was released i liked maybe 5 songs but now i like it more. Doesnt sound like HELLOWEEN but if you just imagine a different band i like it a lot.
But a song is never made by just one member.
Kiske said the other day in an interview that Chameleon became his, Rolands and Weikaths soloalbum and not a Helloween album.
I'm here.
Kiske got kicked out because of musical differences with the rest of the band, especially Weikath. May I say something? I feel like it has to be said:
1. I had heard a discussion about Helloween’s discography, there was a ranking, so one of the guys noted that if we combine the better tracks from Chameleon and Pink Bubbles, it would become an outstanding album.
2.Again in this same discussion was said that I admit I hadn’t noticed even though I’m a long time fan - Let’s all agree that Helloween have always, absolutely always had an amazing album openers, First time and kids of the century not making an exception.
Times were difficult, “Chameleon” was as good as is could be. Helloween had just lost the court battle with their label Noise records. There was a tension between the band members. Ingo Schwichtenberg had a psychiatric disorder that worsened as time went by. Some say it was a paranoid schizophrenia, others - bipolar affective disorder. It didn’t help that he became addicted to alcohol and drugs. Once he even literally collapsed in the middle of a show, so they had to release him so he can take care about himself and stabilize. Unfortunately he worsened and on 7th of March 1995, he committed suicide.
On top of that early 90’s with all the grunges, alternatives and nu-metals, became a lawless wasteland for the decent music taste
you might as well just come and take over the show haha
@@RatSaladReview You don’t need me, you are doing good enough ;) I have a lot of fun watching you Helloween episodes because it’s one of my all time favorite bands. Cheers 🍻 and take care
@@metalstorm7506 😆 thanks glad you like it
@@metalstorm7506 thank you for the praises. We are enjoying doing these reviews. And all jokes aside, we love Helloween, we respect all the band members, and for everything they released that we may personally not like, there are 10x the mount of material they did release we either like/love and rightfully praise them for.
Thanks for watching. Cheers.
May I share my fragmented thoughts ? I want to say something - 3 days ago I purchased the expanded versions of Pink Bubbles and chameleon. To my surprise, I didn’t get nausea from Chameleon and I admit it’s the first time in my life I heard it from start to finish. Maybe my tastes matured over the years but even though there aren’t eagles that fly free over here, I found myself mostly enjoying the album, especially for a long drive when you’re by yourself. Try it, it’s a rewarding experience. It’s the very first time in my life that I followed the lyrics ( not a native English speaker) and to my surprise, they are quite mature, intimate and insightful, especially considering that most of the members didn’t have 30 years of age at the time. There are melancholic songs, there are songs about hope, about love, about playful romance, about the searches of the soul… I liked Crazy Cat, it actually had a party vibe like Detroit Rock city, with some jazzy and fusion goofiness that somehow fit the song and add some nuances rather than harming it. I got surprised that I enjoyed Revolution now as well. Is it a perfect album? Not in a million years. We’ve heard about its flaws for not being a fourth Keeper. We’ve been collectively bashing this album for the past three decades. However, very few people discuss the highlights. Some of these are basically masterpieces. And btw, Kiske frequently gets blamed that he killed Helloween with his inclinations to pop music and refusal to act like a typical heavy metal frontman. When the sinner, which he wrote, could have easily been performed by Michael Jackson in the Dangerous album. Many shy away to admit and recognize that the heaviest song on this album - I believe, was written by Kiske himself ! I will repeat - Kiske is the one who wrote the heaviest song in this album! . So case closed for the discussion wether did he avoid heaviness on purpose. He didn’t. Just plenty of internal and external problems piled up, point of no return was reached and something had to be done. Ultimately it turned out for the better.
I came to the conclusion that we need to reevaluate this album and quit sh*tting on it. I do realize though, that in order for Chameleon to be appreciated for what it is, it has to be experienced after a very sophisticated mental gymnastics: imagine a parallel universe in which The keepers and walls of Jericho didn’t occur and this is a brand new band that has Pink Bubbles as a debut. When you do this, you might find yourself surprised by how much musicality and talent was actually invested over here, how versatile this band can be and how many directions they can explore at the same time. And besides - it was a brave and bold experiment. Some serious credit should be given even for the fact that they got out of their comfort zone.. waaaaaaay out. I would even go further - if some songs get excluded, like “I don’t want to cry no more” , “In the night” and rearrange the song I believe to be closing track, it would have been a much more cohesive album, that would impact greater part of the audience in the right way
You’re right. I loved this album from first listen. There’s nothing really wrong with it just it wasn’t what people were expecting at all, but once you get passed that there’s some really great songs on chameleon. Also too, the production is top notch. They never sounded this good.
@@RatSaladReview Production - superb ! I definitely agree. Michael Kiske’s performance - SUPERB ! All the way through. This guy has an angelic voice and he’s always 10/10. Period. And it’s time to start talking about Markus Grosskopf and the entirety of the rhythm section - this man overshadows everything that Steve Harris has done, if you listen carefully Helloween all the way through their discography. There are many euro power metal bands that are great, there are plenty of vocalists inspired by Kiske, but none of these acts has a competent and confident bass player as Marcus. This guy is a beast. I guess there are a few songs in the chameleon which sound like Coldplay ( in the night ), and are kinda lame musically but lyrically they are all amazing. My point is, if the listener puts a genuine effort to detach himself from the expectations of what Helloween normally do, it’s a great album and again, after all these years, we should give this album its credits because the upsides are way more compared to the downsides. So - yeah. Case closed. Chameleon is amazing but it’s so way out of their comfort zone that you’re not entirely sure who the target audience is - are the vintage metal fans ? No. Are the younger generations that liked grunge and alternative ? I don’t know, chameleon was ahead of their time as well… Having all this said, we need to spread the word about this album, haha
@@metalstorm7506 have you seen my interview with Markus?
@@RatSaladReview No, and now I will have something to do, haha
@@metalstorm7506 Hahaha! yea go check that one out we talk about Chameleon also check out our Roland Grapow interview we talk more Chameleon
I like "When the Sinner" because it sounds intoxicated. The chorus reminds me of when your at some posh do and to deal with it drink all the champagne. Like being inappropriately drunk in plush surroundings. "Revolution Now" is a bit like that too. Like a big bloated drunk lurching around Las Vegas pissing all the money up the wall the record company has given them.
ha! never thought of them that way. good songs tho
After years of listening, I love this album. Its on repeat in my car stereo these days. This is my favorite one if you don't count keepers and jerhico.
Awful metal album. But a great album of its own merit
Yea it doesn’t hold up as a metal album but there’s some really great hard rock songs on there. It’s not bad at all. I think if it wasn’t under the Helloween name it would have been fine.
Bought this in the late 90s when I had to import the damn thing from Japan for $30! I tried forcing myself to like it... but all these years later, I can honestly say there are a few tracks that are worthy. Longing and I Believe are both excellent songs... but better off being on a solo Kiske album.
Crazy Cat is trash... a pile of garbage covered in wino vomit.
EDIT - I don't believe Chameleon of Pink Bubbles were released in the US upon their release. I know they had label problems and I think it prevented them from releasing those 2 in the States. I had to import both of them only to have their catalog remastered and re-released a few years later.
Yea same here. And yes it was never released in the states until those remasters. But that was years later after that came out. I would
Have never waited 😆
Kiske got kicked out of the band he didnt leave by himself. He was hurt and bitter after that. Sources on that many and many interviews with both Kiske and the band. Also the Hellbook in the history section.
yea would have helped to read up on it before hand HAHAHA!
At the time in the press they said he left of his own accord, lies! Also the liner notes it says Kerrang didn't review the album, in fact they did, I have that edition. And in Metal Hammer review it said "Helloween have finally given up trying to play as fast as possible and have become the red hot rock band they always could have been."