Chameleon (1993)
Chameleon is quite an interesting album which came during a pretty chaotic period for the band. The best way to describe Chameleon is that its a three men solo album. Honestly, Chameleon is a very artistic album but it is completely different from anything Helloween had done before and has done since. Instead of taking a heavier approach, as fans had clamored for, the band ventured into new territory, eschewing their signature double-guitar harmonies for synthesizers, horns, acoustic guitars, a children’s chorus, country music, grunge and swing. The production of this album turned out pretty well. As far as the songs are concerned, there are many different influences on this record and this album shows just how versatile the band can be.
“First Time” is very typical Helloween metal thumper with speedy double bass drums, soaring vocals, and plenty of dual lead guitar work. The first sign that something’s afoot comes on “When the Sinner”, a catchy rocker with a great hook but featuring a horn section. Horn section, on a Helloween album? Believe it. Horns again rear their head on the glossy rocker “Crazy Cat”, and Kiske shows his tender side on the melodic ballad “I Don’t Wanna Cry No More”. The grinding rocker “Giants” is one of the heavier pieces on the album, complete with crunchy guitar riffs and nimble bass lines from Marcus Grosskopf. The use of symphonic keyboards as well as the multitude of guitar parts from Michael Weikath and Roland Grapow add a real progressive rock flair to this dramatic piece. “Windmill” is a acoustic based pop song that lets Kiske shine, but really doesn’t belong on a Helloween album, and the band goes for a 70’s hard rock vibe on the 8-minute “Revolution Now”, a groove laden blues-boogie number that will remind the listener of bands like Mountain, Humble Pie, UFO, and Rainbow, with a slight touch of early Queensryche for good measure. This one has one of the best guitar riffs on the album, and a real heavy feel to it. “In the Night” is another acoustic pop number, a nice song but out of place. Horns and keyboards permeate the dramatic mini-epic “Music”, another prog-rocker on the album that really works, and “Step Out of Hell” is a real catchy commercial metal piece with a great vocal from Kiske and killer guitar work. The band goes for another metallic and progressive epic on the 9+ minute “I Believe”, complete with symphonic and atmospheric keyboards and plenty of roaring guitar solos, and finishes the album off with the lush acoustic track “Longing”, perhaps the best pick of all the album’s mellower pieces with it’s graceful vocal, tender guitars, and orchestral keyboards.
However, its not an album that defines what Helloween is all about. As with the previous album, Chameleon failed commercially and critically. Tensions within Helloween worsened, and the band split into three factions, with Michael Kiske and Ingo Schwichtenberg on one side, Michael Weikath and Roland Grapow on the other, and Markus Grosskopf in the middle, trying to keep an uneasy peace between the four men.
Tracklist:
1. First Time (Weikath) 5:30
2. When The Sinner (Kiske) 6:54
3. I Don’t Wanna Cry No More (Grapow) 5:11
4. Crazy Cat (Grapow) 3:29
5. Giants (Weikath) 6:40
6. Windmill (Weikath) 5:06
7. Revolution Now (Weikath) 8:04
8. In The Night (Kiske) 5:38
9. Music (Grapow) 7:00
10. Step Out Of Hell (Grapow) 4:25
11. I Believe (Kiske) 9:12
12. Longing (Kiske) 4:15
Total Running Time: 71:20
Recorded at Chateau De Paup Hamburg/Germany 1992
Mixed at Scream Studios Los Angeles USA
Mastered at Precision Mastering Hollywood USA
Produced by Helloween and Tommy Hansen assisted by Michael Tibes
Mixed by Michael Wagner at Double Trouble Productions Inc. assisted by Craig Boubet
Mastered by Stephen Marcussen
Logo by Michael Weikath and Sleeve design by Michael Kiske
All songs published by Zomba Music Publishers (LTD) S.F. USA
Ingo Schwichtenberg (Drums)
Michael Weikath (Guitars)
Michael Kiske (Vocals)
Markus Grosskopf (Bass)
Roland Grapow (Guitars)
