If the return of Michael Kiske and Kai Hansen to Helloween says anything about the band, it's that there's enough maturity among the members to overcome past ruptures – something that only doesn't happen with more extreme betrayals, according to Andi Deris .
In a recent interview, the vocalist revealed that former guitarist Roland Grapow , who replaced Hansen in 1989, took advantage of his colleagues' trust to steal from the group during a period of financial instability. “We had to put up with Roland, this is an out secret, he betrayed the band financially at a time when the band wasn't in a good place financially, exactly when we should have come together, helped each other, one for all and all for one, like in The Three Musketeers – five musketeers at the time, actually,” he told Metal Blast . “In the worst moments, he betrayed the band.”
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According to Deris, all members were free to make purchases with band funds, as long as they accounted for everything afterward. "We're talking about a lot, a lot of money that he used from the band without informing us," the singer explained. "If [someone] doesn't account for anything, just goes out and buys things without telling the guys, hoping they won't get caught at the end of the year, that's the wrong way to do things."
With these revelations, it's no surprise that Grapow wasn't invited to participate in Pumpkins United , the reunion tour of the band members, despite 12 years with the group. The guitarist was fired from Helloween in 2001. "I was upset like a kid who wasn't invited to a classmate's party. But after a while I realized I wouldn't want to do that. I wouldn't feel comfortable around those people," the musician stated at the time .
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