Gamma Ray : Skeletons & Majesties
by Trevor Portz
Staff Writer
It’s hard to believe that Gamma Ray—Kai Hansen’s second successful band—is over 20 years old. But, like his old bandmates in Helloween, he just keeps on trucking, unashamedly producing epic power metal, seemingly unaffected by age. As a treat for long-time fans, the fang-faced gang are about to release Skeletons & Majesties, an EP designed to celebrate the long history of the band.
Following in similar fashion to the Blast From the Past package from several years ago, things kick off with two full-on electric re-recordings of seemingly forgotten Gamma Ray tracks, “Stand Your Ground” from the debut, Heading for Tomorrow, and “Brothers” from the final Ralf Sheepers-fronted album, Insanity and Genius. Both tracks are given a nice, modern production boost, and, of course, new vocal treatments from Mr. Hansen. The problem that plagues both songs, however, is the fact that they were more or less forgotten for a reason.
“Stand Your Ground” is a decent metal track, and while the new recording downplays the cheesy choral vocals from the original, the overall goofiness of the song, erm, stands its ground. “Brothers” adds even more silliness to the mix, with an almost cringe-worthy chorus that tries to bring forth a headbanging unity between the brothers and sisters of rock. Yikes. If anything, these two songs illustrate how much Kai has grown as a songwriter (though, looking further back, his earliest material was rather stellar—“Ride the Sky” being and excellent example.) It’s great to know the guys don’t take themselves too seriously, but tracks like these may also keep the record-buying public from taking them too seriously, which would seem counterproductive.
The next two tracks are given acoustic rearrangements, and are done so excellently. Seemingly taking a cue from Helloween’s Unarmed re-recordings, the band has given these songs—“Send Me a Sign” and “Rebellion in Dreamland”—new depth. Both strong songs to begin with, they fare well in the unplugged setting, and though they aren’t completely re-imagined, they are different enough to feel new and interesting.
Next up is “Wannabees,” a leftover from the To the Metal sessions that was previously only found as a bonus track on the special edition and Japanese versions. Again playing up the silly side of the band, the track, which features a decent riff and vocals somewhat reminiscent of Kai channeling Immortal’s Abbath, is mostly unmemorable, and is eternally doomed to bonus track status.
The EP is wrapped up with an extended version of “Brothers” (which boasts a bit of the “Bohemian Rhapsody” solo), and a karaoke version of “Rebellion in Dreamland,” which is exactly that: an instrumental version with only backing vocals. It’s fun for would-be power metal vocalists, but is ultimately unnecessary, especially for those that already have the Gamma Ray karaoke CD from Japan.
Oh, and there’s some random studio vocalizing “hidden” at the end of “Rebellion…” that is entertaining for a single listen, but will likely never be played again by most fans.
Overall, considering the consistently high-quality releases generated by Gamma Ray, this one is a bit of a letdown. Granted, if taken as just a random, for-fun release targeted at hardcore fans, it’s not too bad. Now bring on the new album!
Genre: Power Metal
Band:
Kai Hansen (g,v)
Henjo Richter (g)
Dirk Schlächter (b)
Dan Zimmerman (d)
Track Listing:
1. Stand Your Ground
2. Brothers
3. Send Me a Sign
4. Rebellion In Dreamland
5. Wannabees
6. Brothers (extended)
7. Rebellion In Dreamland (karaoke version)
Website: www.gammaray.org
Hardrock Haven rating: 6.8/10