On disc: Gamma Ray

 
 Land Of The Free
 
- Volker Raabe -
 
 


 
 Somewhere Out In Space
 
- Volker Raabe -
 
 


 
 No World Order!
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 


 
 No World Order!
 
- Mike Thompson -
 
 


 
 No World Order!
 
- Volker Raabe -
 
 


 
 Majestic
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 


 
 To The Metal
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 


 
 To The Metal
 
- Umberto Mino -
 
 


 
 Skeletons & Majesties
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 

Skeletons & Majesties

(ear Music - 2011)



 
 

 

Gamma Ray fans don't expect to get something new from the Hanseatic foursome every year. In January 2010 To The Metal was release and now they are back with an EP called Skeletons & Majesties. It's not a regular album, but picks up the idea of Skeletons In The Closet - and take it a step further.



The mini album is split up to 'Skeletons' - first 2 tracks - and 'Majesties' - the next two songs. The Skeletons are two old songs, re-recorded with the current line-up. Hold Your Ground kicks off and shows how this tune sounds nowadays when Kai Hansen handles the vocals. This track - as Gamma Ray fans know - is from their debut full-length Heading For Tomorrow. The other one is Brothers off Insanity & Genius. The songs surely sound different, not just due to Hansen handling the vocals, they are 'modernized' in a way to match these days Gamma Ray sound.



The 'Majesties' are unplugged versions of Send Me A Sign and Rebellion In Dreamland. Really cool! Send Me A Sign is closer to the original than Rebellion In Dreamland, but both songs are shown in a totally different way. It also shows that Kai Hansen developed as a singer.



And then there are the bonus tracks... With Wannabees they go full force again, it shows a different side of Gamma Ray. Beside this new tune you get an extended version of Brothers and a karaoke version of Rebellion In Dreamland. The reason for adding the karaoke version is simple, the band encourages fans to record their own vocal performance for this tune and send it to their label. Deadline is May 30th 2011 and then Gamma Ray will choose the best one who will win a trip to Hamburg to join them for the choir recording sessions for their next studio album. This is your chance!



Sure, some would prefer a new studio album instead of this EP, but the skeletons and majesties are really cool and entertaining. It's also a good way to get prepared for the upcoming shows - even if it's just a pretty short tour - and the following live album / DVD. Beside that it's almost an hour of music for just a few bucks, so don't hesitate to grab a copy!

 
 










Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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To The Metal

(earMusic - 2010)



 
 

 

Personally the second part of Land O Te Free was a delusion... Can Gamma Ray rise from that debacle with this new To Te Metal???? The answer is in this review.

Kai Hansen and his pals Daniel, Henjo and Dirk have chosen the perfect way to do a good album: just go back to their roots, I mean this in musically way. The To The Metal album starts with the magnificent double shot Rise and Deadlands... No doubts that our heroes haven't lost their good taste for songwriting!!! Mother Angel is another good shot, and the following No Need To Cry is a good ballad. With Empathy it is possible to hear a dark change of sound, a new sound for this band, a solution that I like. Next track is the title track, played live last year in Wacken... An anthem for all the people that have Metal in the heart!!! I'll love to hear this live and sing along with the crowd!!!! All You Need To Know, the following track, it's a big pleasure for my ears... Listen to the track and you know why!!!!!! Time To Live has something that I called 'I've listen to this stuff sometimes....', not a bad song, but not a great song. Shine Forever and Chasing Shadows will closed this album in a good way!!!

For me To The Metal gives new energy to this band, that kind of energy that has disappeared and now with To The Metal arise!!!!!! Long live Gamma Ray, long live Kai Hansen!!!
 
 










Umberto Mino


  
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To The Metal

(earMusic - 2010)



 
 

 

After the release of The Awesome Foursome Gamma Ray are back with a new studio album. To The Metal kicks off with Empathy, slowly they lead you into this one, but then they go full force. The guitar solo has an Oriental touch, but it's still true Gamma Ray. The song has a dark touch and Kai Hansen's vocals show everything from high screams to deep parts. They speed up for All You Need To Know where Michael Kiske joins in! And this brings back the memories of their past! At Time To Live they show another facet of their sound, another catchy song with the distinguish guitar play. To add a spinet is a nice idea, make me think of King Diamond... The title track is a Priest-ish tune with a Manowar-like sing along chorus. The Darth Vader-kinda vocal part is quite funny and again the Hanseatic show that they don't take things too serious. A bit Maiden-ish they kick off Rise, as soon as they storm off the song changes. Another fast tune which has twists and turns, but still sounds like Gamma Ray 100%. The mid-paced rocker Mother Angel has an emotional side as it deals with mortality. A way for Hansen to deal with the death of his mother. And one more time it's the dual leads which stick out - and the hook line! Next in line a faster one, Shine Forever, the opening again Priest-ish with Halford-esque vocals, but tempi changes and varying vocals make this fun to listen to. Chasing Shadows make me think of Judas... One of my all time faves, but the song has more to offer... Very cool! The sound of surf is leading you into the closer No Need To Cry. Slowly with keyboard and vocals they lead you into this atmospheric track. This metal hymn - with a dash of Queen -  ends this chapter. And again they will surprise you!

After 20 years Gamma Ray manage to sound fresh, to enrich their unique sound with new elements and through the years Kai Hansen's skills as a singer developed, so that he can show a larger variety then ever before. The Hanseatic are still alive and kickin'!
 
 










Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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Majestic

(Sanctuary Records - 2005)



 
 

 

Majestic is the 8th studio album of the Hanseatic and it's been 4 years since they released No World Order. A long time, but meanwhile they releases the live album Skeletons In The Closet which was recorded at the same named tour. But still the fans of Kai Hansen and his Gamma Ray waited for a new album which is again produced by Hansen and Dirk Schlächter. New is that the album got masteres in Finland by Mika Jussila.

Opening up with a fast track called My Temple. Especially in the beginning there is fast double bass drum attack, but then the guitar riffing is more dominant. Another break - an epic mid-tempo part, and back to the fast theme from the begin. Here Kai Hansen is showing a bit more diversity vocally. Then musically a bit Sabbath-like... This time not limited by a concept. And so the next track Fight as well as Hell Is Thy Home and Spiritual Dictator are - more or less - typical Gamma Ray tunes with lots of screaming guitars, twin guitar parts and heavy riffing, but they still can surprise the listener. The track Strange World remind me a bit of Savatage.... Partly because of the keyboard which adds an epic, bombastic touch to the song, but also some of the riffing let me think of old Savatage... While some backings have an Accept touch. On the other hand the song still sounds like Gamma Ray! With Blood Religion and Revelation they created song which are with 7 resp. 8+ minutes are quite long, but breaks and tempi changes keep it interesting. On Blood Religion the bass lines and guitar riffing let you think of Iron Maiden... The guitars are very NWoHM-like. A different direction takes Condemned To Hell which sounds in the beginning more like a new metal song! It has a groove you often find in that genre, but soon it become more 'traditional'. A very modern song... Different, but still fitting to Majestic. Especially the refrain is typical Gamma Ray. Therefor Majesty goes back in time... A doomy song with a Black Sabbath / Rainbow vibe and some oriental note...

Only How Long is... Different. The keybaords add a touch of pop... in the beginning. The guitars are heavy from the first note. The vocal line has some catchiness. The song need some spins to grow. Great guitar solo and twin guitar riffing. An earchatcher!

Resumé: A very good album with a large variety of songs. A typical Gamma Ray album and at the same time, very different. Heavier, darker and still with the positive vibe Gamma Ray songs usually have. Sounds confusing? Well, listen to Majestic and you'll understand!
 
 










Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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No World Order!

(Sanctuary Records - 2001)



 
 

 

Kai Hansen and his band offer another great piece of music, a kind of conceptual album which tells pieces of the story of the Illuminate (see studio report).

Kicking-off with Introduction a track based on a choir. Just to start with a fast, but also powerful anthem called Dethrone Tyranny. But on this album the Hamburg based quartet offer a larger variety. With Heart Of The Unicorn they have a thrashy track which reminds me a little bit of the old Judas Priest... Definitely NWoBHM influenced! The title track is probably a little unusual for the Germans, but a catchy tune with a great hookline!

But with Heaven Or Hell they have a song which may become Gamma Ray's I Want Out. The song Fire Below is a Deep Purple'ish one and shows a totally different side of the Hanseatic. And Follow Me is a kind of power ballad... A killer song! But at least they offer a 'real' ballad with Lake Of Tears which starts with acoustic guitar before the rest joins partly in. A very emotional track which nobody expected!

The production is great again, the producer duo Hansen / Schlächter is better than ever! This 7th release has just killers, no fillers! Okay, perhaps not every song is a killer, but they are pretty close to the perfect Gamma Ray album! Well done!
 
 










Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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No World Order!

(Sanctuary Records - 2001)



 
 

 

No World Order! is Gamma Ray's seventh studio album. All of the songs are based around the concept of the Illuminati, a secret society that supposedly controls governments and large corporations with the purpose of bringing about a new world order.

Following the short intro track Gamma Ray launch straight into the upbeat Dethrone Tyranny, a great catchy power metal song in the greatest traditions of the genre. Both Dethrone Tyranny and Damn The Machine were written by drummer Dan Zimmerman and he shows that he can truly match Kai Hansen in writing classic power metal tracks.

Heaven Or Hell is obviously easy to compare to the Helloween classic I Want Out as it has a very similar structure and catchy chorus. Similarity aside it is one of the real highlights of this album along with the next track, New World Order! This almost-title track is probably one of my favorite Gamma Ray songs, mainly due to the powerful chorus.

Solid is exactly what its name implies; a solid track. Unfortunately it is also the last of the truly memorable songs on No World Order. The next three songs are all good tracks, but not as catchy as the earlier tracks, despite some great soloing in Eagle. The album finishes with an all out ballad entitled Lake Of Tears. This song might have been better if it was a bit shorter, maybe three to four minutes in length. Its not terrible but, as it stands, its over-long and a little too boring for what I want from a Gamma Ray song. Kudos for trying something out of the ordinary though!

Hansen's voice shines throughout this album more so than on any other record I've heard. Zimmerman's drumming is tight and top notch. Both Hansen and Richter prove themselves to be versatile axemen with both unleashing head pounding riffs and lightning fast solos throughout the album. The latter also doubles up on keyboards. Schlächter has the oft-under-appreciated task of providing a stable bass platform to the songs and this he does with aplomb. On top of all this the album artwork is absolutely stunning and in my opinion the best of any Gamma Ray album to date.

This album is highly recommended to all fans of speed and power metal. For anyone looking to give Gamma Ray a try this is definitely the album I would tell them to start with. Its packed with stunning songs that should be in the collection of any melodic metal fan.
 
 










Mike Thompson


  
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No World Order!

(Sanctuary Records - 2001)



 
 

 

Is this a slap in the face of a metal legend who just released Demolition? Not really, but I think that not many expected such a killer album from Gamma Ray! Kai Hansen and his mates did a fantastic job and the new opus New World Order of the Hanseatic is powerful and present impressing how true metal should sound in the year 2001 or how the established think it should sound. The choirs at the opener Induction are killer and lead into a sing-along rocker Dethrone Tyranny which is a typical Gamma Ray track with breaks. And then The Heart Of The Unicorn which good have been on Judas Priest's Painkiller! Same about the riff monsters Damn The Machine, Eagle and Solid. I guess many will agree that this is what we expected from Judas Priest! Guard relief??? Not really, but with New World Order Gamma Ray keep alive what I call metal! Hymns like Heaven And Hell, New World Order and Fire Below are killer tracks. They are hot! Even the ballad Lake Of Tears which finishes the album isn't misplaced and through tempo changes it becomes a real groovy song. Killer album, but they don't get the highest rating, coz Follow Me can't keep the standard of the album! Make up your mind!
 
 










Volker Raabe
(translation: Claudia Ehrhardt)

  
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Somewhere Out In Space

(Modern Music - 1997)



 
 

 

After a few line-up changes our German melodic Gods Gamma Ray are back with Somewhere Out In Space. Their latest milestone is a conceptual album which is based on the movie 2001 Odyssee im Weltraum. The new members Henjo Richter (gui.) and Dan Zimmermann (dr.) are integrated in the band and so the band is back with a bang! On the new album are 15 true metal killer songs and the highlights are Valley Of The Kings, Beyond The Black Hole and the title track Somewhere Out In Space. Personally I don't really like the Uriah Heep cover version Return To Fantasy, but it's all a matter of taste. This is an album which will bring numerous fans to their shows and proof that even in 1997 there are a lot of fans of metal out there!
 
 










Volker Raabe
(translation: Claudia Ehrhardt)

  
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Land Of The Free

(Modern Music - 1995)



 
 

 

Kai Hansen is back on the microphone and so Gamma Ray are back to the roots of their mastermind. That is my resume after the first spin of Land Of The Free. The album is very melodic, but there are parallels to Helloween's Walls Of Jerico, especially on Man On A Mission. Adding on lead vocal parts and choirs Michael Kiske (ex-Helloween) and Hansi Kürsch (Blind Guardian) was a good idea.

Anyway, Germany has now again a melodic metal trio which rules the genre! Now there are Gamma Ray beside Blind Guardian and Helloween.
 
 










Volker Raabe
(translation: Claudia Ehrhardt)

  
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