GAMMA RAY: Heading For Tomorrow (HEAVY METAL): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

"Heading For Tomorrow" is born at the very beginning of the 90s, more than one year after the departure of Kai Hansen from Helloween because of musical divergences. The latter thus chooses to continue his road alone with a new musical project: Gamma Ray. To realize this album, Hansen calls upon his numerous contacts in the metal world, his ex-comrade Piet Sielck co-produces the record and his friend Ralf Scheppers takes the position of singer. To complete the line-up, Uwe Wessel and Mathias Burchardt took over the bass and drums.

Musically, this first album is the logical continuation of "Keeper Of The Seven Keys". In eight tracks and an introduction, Gamma Ray offers a melodic heavy metal of the highest order with sometimes speed passages, sometimes calmer and more epic. More aggressive and less melodic than Michael Kiske, Ralf Scheppers modulates his voice wonderfully and turns out to be an excellent choice.

After a short and rather classical introduction, three absolutely unstoppable tracks appear. First of all, 'Lust For Life', a speedy and melodic track in the line of Helloween's great songs, followed by 'Heaven Can Wait', an immediate and a little less speedy single with a great chorus and finally 'Space Eater', a heavier composition characterized by an original rhythmic and an efficient break, which will remind the regulars of the atmosphere of "Walls Of Jericho".

After a fun, fresh and quite speedy 'Money', comes the major piece of the record: 'Silence'. Kai Hansen surpasses himself on this ballad-like track, with a piano beginning that precedes a slow epic build-up to a chorus and sublime choirs. The whole thing accelerates in the second part with impeccable soli and the return of the choirs giving the track a little side of Queen. Finally, let's mention 'Heading For Tomorrow', another epic and varied track, magnified by an aerial and melancholic break, which makes us travel for more than 14 minutes in a calm and calm universe, then more powerful carried by a Scheppers in a state of grace, going up in the high notes with ease.

"Heading For Tomorrow" is thus a first great success for Gamma Ray. It lays the foundations of a band that already has a serious experience and a great potential of evolution. Kai Hansen also proves that he can exist without Helloween and is the guarantor of the musical heritage created by the two "Keeper Of The Seven Keys". - Official website

GAMMA RAY

HEADING FOR TOMORROW

NOISE

HEAVY METAL