HELLOWEEN - PINK BUBBLES GO APE 12" Vinyl LP Album
- Gatefold Album Cover and Lyrics Sleeve

Helloween's "Pink Bubbles Go Ape" Gatefold + Lyrics Sleeve 12" Vinyl LP Album, released in 1991, signifies a pivotal moment in the band's history as guitarist Kai Hansen departs and Roland Grapow assumes the role. This collector's edition, featuring a gatefold and lyrics sleeve, encapsulates the evolution of Helloween's sound, making it a must-have for aficionados seeking a tangible piece of the band's transformative musical journey.

HELLOWEEN'S "PINK BUBBLES GO APE": A WILD RIDE THROUGH POWER METAL'S GROWING PAINS

Album Description:

Picture this: It's 1991, and the hair metal party is starting to wind down. Grunge is lurking in the shadows, ready to pounce. But in the midst of this musical upheaval, a bunch of German metalheads called Helloween drop a bomb called "Pink Bubbles Go Ape." And let me tell you, it's a glorious mess.

Power Metal's Puberty Blues

This ain't your typical Helloween album. Gone are the high-pitched wails of Michael Kiske and the epic tales of "Keeper of the Seven Keys." Kai Hansen, the band's founding guitarist and chief songwriter, has flown the coop. Instead, we get Andi Deris, a newcomer with a grittier, more rock-oriented voice. And the songs? Well, they're a weird brew of power metal, hard rock, and even a dash of prog.

"Pink Bubbles" was an attempt at musical exploration, but it also feels like the band was going through puberty. There's a sense of experimentation, of trying to find their footing in a changing musical landscape. It's a raw, unpolished album, full of youthful energy and angst.

Storm in a Pink Sleeve

Even the album cover, designed by the legendary Storm Thorgerson (known for his work with Pink Floyd), is a head-scratcher. Is it a commentary on the music industry? A reflection of the band's inner turmoil? Or just a bunch of guys messing around? Regardless, it's become an iconic and divisive image, sparking debate among fans and critics alike.

Studio Shenanigans and Fan Reactions

The album was recorded at Chateau du Pape in Hamburg, a studio known for its relaxed atmosphere. But according to rumors, the sessions were anything but smooth sailing. There were creative clashes, technical difficulties, and even a few fistfights. The production, helmed by Chris Tsangarides (who'd worked with Judas Priest and Thin Lizzy), is muddy and unfocused. It's like the whole thing was thrown together in a hurry.

"Pink Bubbles Go Ape" was met with mixed reactions upon its release. Some fans embraced the band's new direction, while others longed for the glory days of "Keeper of the Seven Keys." The album's singles, "Kids of the Century" and "Number One," received some airplay but failed to make a major impact on the charts.

The Verdict

"Pink Bubbles Go Ape" is a flawed album, no doubt about it. It's uneven, inconsistent, and sometimes downright bizarre. But it's also a fascinating snapshot of a band in transition. You can hear the seeds of what would become Helloween's signature sound, but they're buried under a pile of experimentation and youthful exuberance.

It's not for everyone, but if you're a fan of power metal or just curious about the genre's evolution, "Pink Bubbles" is worth a spin. It's a wild, chaotic ride, but it's never boring. And who knows, you might just find yourself singing along to the ridiculously catchy chorus of "Number One."

Music Genre:

German Power / Speed Metal

Album Production information:

The album: "HELLOWEEN - Pink Bubbles Go Ape (Gatefold)" was produced by: Chris Tsangarides,

Chris Tsangarides was a Grammy-nominated producer and sound engineer whose fingerprints are all over heavy metal’s golden age. From Judas Priest to Thin Lizzy, his studio wizardry shaped iconic albums with raw power and clarity. Discover the man behind the metal in this full biography.

Sound/Recording Engineer(s): Dirk Steffens

Dirk Steffens – Record producer & audio engineer

One of those names you spot in the small print and think, “yeah… that explains why this record hits like it does.” Read more...

Dirk Steffens, I first noticed him the boring way: squinting at a sleeve under a lamp because the credits were printed in that tiny “good luck, red colour, grandpa” font. And there it was again. That’s his whole thing—he’s not the poster on the wall, he’s the reason the wall shakes. Before he settled behind the desk, he did the band grind: Beathovens (1969–1971), then he kicked off Pennywonder (from 1971), then a quick, real stretch with Birth Control (July 1973–January 1974). After that he didn’t “transition” into production like a LinkedIn fairy tale—he just went where the work was, where the hours were long, and where the sound either gets disciplined or gets embarrassing. I tend to trust producers who’ve actually played in bands; they don’t romanticize the mess, they fix it. For the neat timeline (and the extra rabbit holes), here’s the Dirk Steffens Wiki

Album cover art by Storm Thorgerson

Storm Thorgerson a graphic designer best known for his work for Pink Floyd, including the iconic artwork for "The Dark Side of the Moon". Thorgerson also founded design group Hipgnosis.

Hipgnosis – British album cover art design group

Hipgnosis is my favorite proof that a record sleeve can be a full-on mind game, not just a band photo with better lighting. Read more...

Hipgnosis is the legendary London-based art design group that turned rock sleeves into visual myths. The core duo, Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey "Po" Powell, were childhood friends of the Pink Floyd inner circle in Cambridge—a connection that allowed them to bypass the stiff mandates of EMI’s in-house design department in 1968. Their debut, "A Saucerful of Secrets," was only the second time in EMI history (after The Beatles) that an outside firm was granted creative control. The very name "Hipgnosis" was a piece of found art; Syd Barrett, during one of his more enigmatic phases, scrawled the word in ballpoint pen on the door of the South Kensington flat he shared with the duo. Thorgerson loved the linguistic friction of it: the "Hip" for the new and groovy, and "Gnosis" for the ancient, hidden knowledge. While Peter Christopherson later joined as a third partner in 1974, that initial Barrett-endorsed moniker defined a decade of surrealist mastery for bands like Led Zeppelin, Genesis, and 10cc, before the group dissolved in 1983.

Hipgnosis Gallery

Record Label & Catalognr:

EMI EMC 3588

Album Packaging:

Gatefold/FOC (Fold Open Cover) Album Cover Design with artwork / photos on the inside cover pages and includes the custom inner sleeve with lyrics of all songs performed by Helloween.

Media Format:

12" Vinyl Stereo Gramophone Record
Total Album (Cover+Record) weight: 280 gram

Year & Country:

1991 Made in the UK

Band Members and Musicians on: HELLOWEEN - Pink Bubbles Go Ape (Gatefold)

Michael Kiske - vocals
Michael Kiske, the legendary German vocalist, is best known for his soaring vocals and dynamic range in Helloween. As the frontman for their iconic Keeper of the Seven Keys albums, he helped define power metal’s golden era. His influence spans solo projects and collaborations, making him one of the genre’s most revered voices. Learn more in Michael Kiske’s Biography.
Michael Weikath - guitar
Michael Weikath – Guitar
I keep him filed under “sunlight with a switchblade.” The kind of guitarist who makes a chorus feel friendly right up until it knocks your drink over. Read more...
Michael Weikath is Hamburg-born and stubbornly melodic, and I mean that as a compliment and a warning. I’ve heard plenty of fast guitar players. He’s one of the few who sounds like he’s arguing for the hook. Not begging. Arguing.
Back when I was still judging bands by how quickly they could light up a cheap club PA, his trail starts in 1978 with Powerfool—kids with amps and ambition, basically, the classic “we’ll sleep later” setup. Then he slides into the early Helloween gravity in 1982, when things are still half-formed and hungry, before the band plants the official flag in 1984 and starts turning Hamburg sweat into something the whole world eventually copies.
What I like about Weikath is the discipline. The riffs don’t wander off to show off. They march. They steer the song, they herd the chorus into place, and they don’t apologize for being bright. Some metal people act allergic to joy—like a melody will ruin their leather. Weikath never got that memo, and thank God. His playing keeps saying: you can be fast, sharp, and still sing. And if that bothers you… that’s kind of the point.
Michael Weikath Wiki
Roland Grapow - guitar
Markus Grosskopf - bass
Markus Grosskopf – Bass
Some bassists “hold it down.” Grosskopf drags the whole band forward by the belt. You feel it in your ribs before you can even name it. Read more...
Markus Grosskopf is Hamburg through and through, and I mean the practical kind of Hamburg: show up, plug in, make it work. Born in 1965 and active since 1978, he’s the founding Helloween bassist who makes speed feel organized—like somebody finally put the chaos on a timetable.
The part I always grin at is how unglamorous it starts. He’s a kid with a bass because the room needs one, and suddenly he’s bashing through punky stuff in a space that probably smells like cables and bad decisions. Then he goes looking for something heavier and lands in Kai Hansen’s band Second Hell, right before that early Helloween crew locks in with Michael Weikath and the name becomes official in 1984.
I’ve got a dumb little ritual: grey morning, coffee going cold, I throw on an early cut just to check whether the bottom end still feels like steel. It does. Grosskopf doesn’t “support” the guitars—he keeps them honest. And by 1990, when he’s also involved with Mr. Prooster, you can already tell he’s the type who won’t sit still just because the main band is rolling.
Markus Grosskopf Wiki
Ingo Schwichtenberg - drums
Ingo Schwichtenberg – Drums
He didn’t just keep time. He grabbed it by the collar and yanked it into the spotlight—still grinning. “Mr. Smile” wasn’t a marketing trick. It was the face you got even when the tempo was trying to run away. Read more...
Ingo Schwichtenberg is the founding Helloween drummer I think of when people romanticize “the early days” but forget the work. Hamburg bred, active from 1978 to 1993, he played like the kit was a moving vehicle and he’d rather steer than sit politely in the back. That kick wasn’t decoration. It was a decision.
Before Helloween was official in 1984, he’d already been grinding through the local trenches with bands like Gentry and Iron Fist—those pre-fame rooms where the air is warm, the amps are cheap, and nobody cares about your “image,” only whether you can hold the song together when everything else gets loud. He learned the hard way. You can hear it.
From 1984 until 1993 he’s the engine behind Helloween’s first era, and I’ll be honest: I prefer that urgency to a lot of the later, shinier perfection. He hits like he means it, but he doesn’t smear the music—he snaps it into place. Fast, clean, a little dangerous. The kind of drumming that makes you stand closer to the speakers even though you know you shouldn’t.
Ingo Schwichtenberg Wiki