Ray gamma

Gamma Ray is a group of Power German metal. This group was founded by Kai Hansen in 1989.

History

In 1989, Kai Hansen decides to leave the group Helloween, in full tension with its label, to assemble its own group, Gamma Ray. It is surrounded for the occasion of Ralf Scheepers with the song, Uwe Wessel with low and Mathias Burchardt with the battery. On the first disc of the group left in 1990, Heading for tomorrow , Dirk Schlächter and Piet Sielck make appearances as guests.

The first album is very close to the production of Helloween of the time ( Keeper off the Seven Keys leaves I & II ), at the same time musicalement and with regard to the structure: a short musical introduction, a ballade in the middle of the album, and a long composition at the end of the album. In addition, Kai Hansen exchanges private jokes with his/her former colleagues, on the presence of toilet paper in the toilets of the hotels of round, in the appropriations of their albums ( Heading For Tomorrow for Gamma Ray, Chameleon for Helloween). The style will be detached from that of Helloween to the wire of the albums.

Then Uli Kusch replaces Mathias Burchardt and Dirk Schlächter becomes official guitarist of the group. They record then Sigh No More which leaves in 1991. This disc moves away from the style of Helloween; indeed the color of this album is rather dark, related to the conflict of the war of the Gulf, which marked certainly much Kai Hansen at the time of the development of the texts. The third album, Insanity And Genius leaves him in 1993. Uli Kusch and Uwe Wessel leave the group at this time and are replaced respectively by Thomas Nack and Jan Rubach.

After the rounds which follow, the distance of Ralph Scheepers (resident in Stuttgart, other members of Ray Gamma being originating in Hamburg) and its candidature to succeed Rob Halford within Judas Priest brings, in collegial dialog, at the beginning of the vocalist who makes now the beautiful days of Primal Fear. It is replaced by Kai Hansen itself, as at the time of the Walls Of Jericho of Helloween. Thus in 1995 leaves the concept-album Land Off The Free where Michael Kiske, then recently discharged of Helloween, makes an appearance on the piece Time To Break Free in particular like Hansi Kürsch, the voice of Blind Guardian on several titles in particular Farewell, follows a round which leads to the live exit of the album Alive '95 in 1996 where the group revisits the traditional ones of Kai Hansen of the time Helloween in particular Future World and Ride The Sky in survitaminées versions. Jan Rubach and Thomas Nack will leave the group at the conclusion of this round and Dirk Schlächter will turn over to low, its first instrument. The group accommodates then Henjo Richter with the guitar and daN Zimmermann ([Freedom Call]) with the battery in his center. It is with this line-up that the group will leave Somewhere Out In Space in 1997 and Power Plant in 1999.

Starting from Somewhere Out In Space , the graphic style of the covers starts to unify. One finds, the mascot of the first albums of Helloween (drawn by Uwe Karczewski), with a recurring set of themes of Science-fiction interfered Egyptian mysticism (pyramids) and Illuminati, which one finds in the words.

The group off leaves in 2000 the double-album Blast From The Past , composed for half of an anthology (best-of) of the albums Land the free , Somewhere out in space and Powerplant remasterized for the occasion and another half of an original anthology where the group re-records older pieces in order to reactualize their production (the pieces of Land Off The Free also pass this cure of youth) and to allow Kai to ensure the song. In 2001 will come then the album No World Order! which proposes more aggressive pieces and with a “heavy” sound, inspired more by Judas Priest and other idols 80 ' S of Kai and its henchmen.

The group then decides to ensure a particular round, by interpreting pieces less played in concert. Two concerts of the round will be recorded and will give the double-album Skeletons In The Closet left in 2003.

Gamma Ray must then deal with various personal problems (divorces) and especially with the sale of the buildings sheltering Hansen studios in Hamburg. All this logistic concern, which leads in particular the group to mix its next album with the Finnvox Studio of Helsinki, known for its work for Stratovarius, Sonata Arctica and Children off Bodom. Majestic which marks the 15 years of the group, leaves at the end of 2005 and shows Ray Gamma in bad temper and more dark that it forever be (with share perhaps on Sigh No More), testifies to it the opening fulgurating to My Temple , and where daN Zimmermann cuts the lions share on the level composition. And Fight, signed Henjo Richter, and well the only piece " happy" of this album which shows however an interesting face ( Condemned To Hell , Blood Religion ) and like No World Order! of the references to the influences of the group (Megadeth and Iron Maiden especially).

The exit of a DVD entitled Hell Yeah! The Furnace Awesome and the Finish keyboarder… is announced for 2007 but is seen deferred to at the beginning of 2008, a few months after Rays decladded us a Land Off The Free II not piqué of the worms where Kai Hansen takes again the hand by signing or Co-signing the near total of the titles leaving with the others crumbs but from which are extracted without problem Rain (Henjo Richter) and especially Empress (daN Zimmermann) with its relents from Princess Of The Dawn from their ancestors from Accept. Heavy filled of positive energy, dixit Kai Hansen, is of return in strength with this album which earlier holds without problem the comparison with the first shutter left twelve years.

Members of the group

Former members

Discography

  • Heading For Tomorrow 1990

  • Heaven Edge Wait (mini-album) 1991, containing a version D-enregistérée of the song Heaven edge wait first album, like four new pieces ( Who Do You Think You Are? , Sail One , Mr. Outlaw , Lonesome Stranger )
  • Sigh No More 1991
  • Insanity And Genius 1993
  • Power off Metal (live): it is about double CD published by the label Noise, the first being a recording of a concert of Gamma Ray, the second in a concert of the group Rage (probably 1994); each CD contains moreover two pieces in concert of the groups Helicon and Conception)
  • Land Off The Free 1995
  • Alive '95 (double-album live) 1996
  • Somewhere Out In Space 1997
  • Power Plant 1999
  • Blast From The Past (double-album anthology, originals and reinterpretations of pieces of the group) 2000
  • No World Order! 2001
  • Skeletons In The Closet (double-album concert) 2003
  • Majestic 2005
  • Land off the free II 2007

See too

Related articles

  • Gamma ray, literal translation of the name of the group

External bonds

  • Official site

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