Gamma Ray: Difference between revisions

[[File:01_no_world_order.jpg|frame|Your reaction is probably; "Ghosts with laser swords, flying pyramids, UFOs and the very [[Earth-Shattering Poster|Earth at stake]]! Holy s@&%!" [[But for Me It Was Tuesday|But for 'Ray, it's just Tuesday]].]]

 

''Here in dreamland we will not obey the masters...''|'''Rebellion in Dreamland'''}}

 

 

In 1988, after four years with his former band, guitarist and songwriter Kai Hansen decided, for reasons that are still the subject of much debate, to leave the band. Hansen claimed that Helloween had [[Creative Differences|become too big for him to handle]], although the group's troubles with financial issues and the record company most likely played a part as well. He proceeded to do some studio work with [[Blind Guardian]]. Eventually, Hansen decided to form his own project with long-time friend Ralf Scheepers from Tyran Pace. This two-man project grew into a four-man band with the addition of Uwe Wessel (bass) and Mathias Burchard (drums). Thus was Gamma Ray born, bearing a sound understandably close to that of Hansen's former band, Helloween.

 

 

Band Members:

* 2007 - ''Land of the Free II''

* 2010 - ''To The Metal''

 

Gamma Ray songs include:

* "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92WdCOXVNBg To The Metal!]"

* "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohR6c1nFC4A Empathy]"

 

== Song tropes ==

* [[Audience Participation Song]]: "Heavy Metal Universe", from ''Powerplant'', is transformed into pure pantomime live, with the audience being divided into thirds to sing various sections, along with a call-back section that keeps getting higher and longer until Kai is the only person in the room who can do it without dying. "Blood Religion" and "To The Metal" are following the same path.

{{quote|Think I better keep an eye on you

Cause you're a liar that's what they tell

* [[Casanova Wannabe]]: "Who Do You Think You Are?", from the ''Who Do You Think You Are'' EP and the ''Sigh No More'' remaster, mocks this trope.

* [[Cover Version]]: [[Judas Priest|"Exciter", "Victim of Changes"]], [[Rainbow (band)|"Long Live Rock 'n Roll"]], [[Pet Shop Boys|"It's A Sin"]] and [[Thin Lizzy|"Angel of Death"]]. Also the various Helloween covers they've done live, such as "Save Us", "Victim of Fate", "Future World" and "I Want Out".

* [[Days of the Week Song]]: "Opportunity", from ''Land Of The Free II''.

* [[Epic Rocking]]: Up to fifteen minutes with "Heading For Tomorrow", from ''Heading For Tomorrow'', but eight-minuters are more common, such as "Rebellion In Dreamland", from ''Land Of The Free''.

* [[Heavy Meta]]: The gloriously cheesy "Heavy Metal Universe", from ''Powerplant'', and "To The Metal", from ''To The Metal''.

* [[Heavy Mithril]]:

* [[The Jimmy Hart Version]]:

** Some of Gamma Ray's songs have been accused of being [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0IKQOga42U slightly familiar]. [[Judas Priest]] and [[Iron Maiden]] appear to be Gamma Ray's favorite sources of inspiration.

* [[Love Hungry]]: ''Empress.''

* [[Lyrical Dissonance]]:

** "Hell Is Thy Home", from ''Majestic'':

** Or singing about the Apocalypse (or Rapture?) to the happy bounce of "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wDig7BQM9c Gardens of the Sinner]", from ''Powerplant''. They're a happy bunch.

** "Armageddon", from ''Powerplant'':

** "Hold Your Ground", from ''Heading For Tomorrow'':

** Also, "Blood Religion", from ''Majestic'', a happy bouncing with [[Our Vampires Are Different|a dark vampyric lyric]].

** "Empathy", from ''To The Metal'':

* [[Refrain From Assuming]]: "Fight!", from ''Majestic'', is sometimes referred to as "Carry On".

* [[Shout-Out]]:

** "Fight" contains the following lines, both of which come from the songs "The Wall" and "Carry On Wayward Son" by Kansas.<ref>It also doesn't help that the song is sometimes referred to as "[[Refrain From Assuming|Carry On]]".</ref>

* [[Skyward Scream]]: "Razorblade Sigh", from ''Powerplant''.

* [[Step Up to the Microphone]]:

** Prior to becoming a full-fledged vocalist, Kai sung "Heal Me", also from ''Insanity & Genius''. Until then, he was a backing vocalist.

* [[Take That]]:

** The [[Rockstar Song]] "Rich and Famous", from ''Sigh No More'', is one against [[Money Song|Money Songs]] and similar aspects of the rock star lifestyle.

* [[Tomato in the Mirror]]: "All Of The Damned", from ''Land Of The Free''.

* [[Welcome to The Real World]]: "[[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|Real World]]", from ''Land Of The Free II'', invokes the trope's name in the lyrics.

* [[The X of Y]]: Mostly between ''Land Of The Free'' and ''No World Order'', plenty of titles such as "Wings of Destiny", the eponymous "Land of the Free", "The Guardians of Mankind" and "The Heart of the Unicorn".

* [[I Am the Band]]: Kai is the band's [[Megadeth|Dave Mustaine]], as he's the one who compose almost every song of the band, and is the most recognizable member of it.

* [[Futuristic Pyramid]]: ''Heading For Tomorrow'', ''Somewhere Out In Space'', ''No World Order'' and ''Land Of The Free II'', among the examples.

** The digipack version of ''Land of the Free II'' subverts this, as it proudly proclaims "Limited First Edition" on the cover, yet it doesn't have ''anything to be limited for''. Technically, it represents the first pressing of the album and is a way to tell apart the first and second/third/etc. pressings of LOTFII, despite having no functional difference.

** ''To The Metal'', on the other hand, plays this straight, offering up a limited hand-signed version with CD and vinyl that went out of print [[Short As Hell]] afterwards.

[[Category:Power Metal]]

[[Category:Musicians]]