The Scheepers era (1989–1995)
The original line-up released the album Heading for Tomorrow in February 1990 and, later that year, the Heaven Can Wait EP, with new guitarist Dirk Schlächter and new drummer Uli Kusch.
In February 1991, the band began rehearsing for the recording of their second album in a small, remote house in Denmark. With some brand new songs written, Gamma Ray entered the studio under the supervision of producer Tommy Newton and recorded their second album Sigh No More, which was released in September 1991. The style differed vastly from that of Heading for Tomorrow, featuring darker lyrics inspired by the Persian Gulf War that was raging at the time. A 50-date worldwide tour followed.
After the Japanese tour at the beginning of 1991, Gamma Ray underwent another personnel change: the rhythm section (Wessel and Kusch) left due to a personal disagreement and were replaced by Jan Rubach (bass) and Thomas Nack (drums), both from the Hamburg band Anesthesia. The band also began to build their own studio, so work on their new album did not start until 1993. The album Insanity and Genius was released in June 1993, with a style which was closer to that of Heading for Tomorrow than Sigh No More. In September 1993 Gamma Ray, along with Rage, Helicon and Conception, embarked on the Melodic Metal Strikes Back tour. The tour contributed to the release of the double CD Power of Metal, and the videos Power of Metal and Lust for Live, in December.
Land of the Free to Majestic (1995–2006)
More changes in the line-up were to follow for Gamma Ray. Vocalist Ralf Scheepers, who lived far away from the other band members hometown of Hamburg, was attempting to become the new Judas Priest singer after Rob Halford left. He felt that his position in the band had been strained due to the distance between him and the other members. Hansen and Scheepers agreed to an amicable departure. After failing to be recruited for Judas Priest, Scheepers started his own band, Primal Fear.
Hansen said in an interview 1999 about why Scheepers left: There were two main reasons. One was after the first three Gamma Ray albums we said - now we want to do a really, really good album, something really killer. But Ralf was not living in Hamburg, he was living 700km away from here. For that reason he only came up for a while for rehearsal or for the recordings. But to do an album which was really good we needed him there constantly. In years before we had been talking about him moving to Hamburg but at that time he still had a job going on...he still does and he's never going to leave it somehow. He could not really make up his mind to move to Hamburg and there was one problem with that because when we wrote the songs I was always trying to think of his voice but on the other hand it would have been a lot better if he write his own vocal lines, melodies and lyrics. When he came to Hamburg most of the times I was singing in the rehearsal room when he was not there and I was singing on my demos so it was like everything was more or less fixed and he could not really change it. We wanted that to change, therefore we wanted him to move to Hamburg, he could not make up his mind. Then we said either you do it or you die somehow you know...like putting the pistol to his chest. Well....on the other hand he had this Judas Priest thing going on. He wanted to be given a chance. I was the idiot who told him maybe for fun just try it out when it was clear they were searching for a singer because Judas Priest was always his favorite band. We were thinking about him doing the Gamma Ray album and then going to Judas Priest. All in all it led to the point where we said we'd rather split our ways at that point because it doesn't make sense to go on like that.
Hansen then began to search for a new vocalist but, due to demand from friends and fans, took on the guitar-vocal duties himself as he had done for Helloween's first EP and album.
In a 2008 interview, Hansen spoke about the importance of the Land of the Free album and what it represented: We made it exactly at a time point when this kind of metal was proclaimed to be dead as can be. Where it was almost like if a drummer came up with a double bass drum people would say 'ya dooga daga yourself out of here man.' Everything was ruled by Kurt Cobain and the alternative to the alternative and all that kind of stuff. So at that point we made an album like this and it went down very successful. That was cool, that was something special. I think it was the album that gave Gamma Ray the acceptance as being a band not only a Kai Hansen project.
In 1995 the fourth album, Land of the Free, the first to feature Hansen on vocals, was released. The album was praised by critics and fans alike. The tour following the album, Men on a Tour, brought the recording and release of the live album Alive '95 in 1996.
Soon after, there was yet another major lineup change. Jan Rubach and Thomas Nack both left in order to return to Anesthesia and in came new drummer Dan Zimmermann. Zimmerman is also known for being a founding member of the German power metal band Freedom Call. Schlächter, who was originally a bass player, as can be seen on the 1990 video Heading for the East, left the second guitar spot and took back his original instrument, being replaced on guitar by Henjo Richter.
Work started on the next album, and 1997 saw the release of Somewhere Out in Space, which marked the beginning of the band's thematic concentration on space. The album featured the hit "Valley of the Kings" and entered in the charts of many European countries. After two years of touring came the album Power Plant, which was a continuation of Somewhere Out in Space's lyrical approach, but a new direction musically. The album was highly acclaimed throughout the world and gained even more chart success than its predecessor.
For Gamma Ray's next work, Hansen decided to do things differently from the usual compilation of songs. He let the fans decide by voting on their website for their three favorite songs on each album, then the band went back to the studio to re-record the old tracks from the first three albums and made remixed versions for the songs on the later ones. Blast from the Past was the name chosen for this double album.
After a break of one year, when Hansen concentrated on his side project Iron Savior, the band was ready for the recording and release of the album No World Order!, which was stylistically similar to NWOBHM bands such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. Again, the album was highly praised and the No Order World Tour saw the band visiting dozens of European countries and Japan. After resting from the tour, the band went on with the Skeletons in the Closet tour, which saw the band performing songs that they never or rarely played live before. Once again, the setlist was voted by the fans on the band's website. Only a few shows were played on this tour but two of those were recorded for the live album Skeletons in the Closet.
Kai Hansen and Henjo Richter also participated in Tobias Sammet's project Avantasia, on both The Metal Opera and The Metal Opera Pt. II, along with various other musicians including Hansen's former bandmates from Helloween, Markus Grosskopf and Michael Kiske.
A live DVD, Hell Yeah The Awesome Foursome Live in Montreal was recorded on 6 May 2006 at Le Medley in Montreal, Quebec. The setlist contained songs drawn from all of their albums up to Majestic (excluding Insanity and Genius) and also a cover of the Helloween hit "I Want Out". The DVD finally saw release on 4 November 2008. It entered the German media control charts at No. 9 and the Swedish charts at No. 1, according to the band's official website.
Land of the Free II to Empire of the Undead (2007–2014)
In recent years, Gamma Ray have made use of touring keyboard players to fully augment their sound in a live environment. Axel Mackenrott of Masterplan fulfilled these duties in the past and was followed by Eero Kaukomies, a Finn who also plays in a Gamma Ray tribute band named Guardians of Mankind. His bandmate Kasperi Heikkinen also played on part of the Majestic tour in 2006 following an injury to Henjo Richter. On their most recent "To The Metal" tour, Kasperi Heikkinen replaced Henjo Richter once again for shows scheduled in Germany and Czech Republic in March 2010. Richter was hospitalized on 16 March 2010 due to retinal detachment. Heikkinen also shared stage with fellow axemen Hansen and Richter making "a three guitar special" for the encore numbers at the Nosturi club in Helsinki, Finland on 29 March 2010.
Land of the Free II was released in late 2007 as a sequel to the hugely successful Land of the Free album. To promote the album, Gamma Ray were the "very special guest" on Helloween's Hellish Rock 2007/2008 World Tour, on some shows along with the band Axxis. For the final encores of the evening, Hansen and members of Gamma Ray joined Helloween to play a couple of songs from when he was in the latter band. Hansen would also regularly join Helloween co-founder Michael Weikath at center stage to the delight of fans of both bands.
To the Metal! was released as the tenth studio album by the band. It was released on 29 January 2010 to modest critical praise, but disappointed some fans, who felt that it was uninspired and a weaker effort than Land of the Free II. On 31 May 2011, Gamma Ray released an EP entitled Skeletons and Majesties. It contains newly recorded, rarely played material (Skeletons) and acoustic versions of other older songs (Majesties). Hansen stated in an interview in February 2012 that he expected the next Gamma Ray album to be released in January 2013. On 1 September 2012, the band announced Michael Ehré as their new drummer, replacing Daniel Zimmermann who chose to retire after 15 years of band activity.
Kai Hansen revealed, in an interview with Metal Blast in April 2013 that their eleventh album, Empire of the Undead would have a "more thrashy" sound. In the same interview, Dirk Schlächter announced that the band would do a headlining tour following its release. Empire of the Undead was released in March 2014, despite Gamma Ray's studio being completely destroyed by a fire.
Additional vocalist and new album (2015–present)
In October 2015, it was announced that Frank Beck would be a new lead vocalist of Gamma Ray, in addition to Hansen. This was due to Hansen's degrading vocals due to lengthy tour schedules, as well as Hansen's desire to have more freedom onstage. On 10 August 2017, the band announced that they would be releasing a 25th anniversary edition of Land of the Free. In June 2021, on the Scars and Guitars podcast, Kai Hansen stated that despite his reunion with Helloween, he is not letting Gamma Ray die, and that he is preparing material for a new album to be tentatively released in 2022.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma_Ray_(band)
Studio albums
Heading for Tomorrow (1990)
Sigh No More (1991)
Insanity and Genius (1993)
Land of the Free (1995)
Somewhere Out in Space (1997)
Power Plant (1999)
No World Order! (2001)
Majestic (2005)
Land of the Free II (2007)
To the Metal! (2010)
Empire of the Undead (2014)
Seven
Gamma Ray Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Under the cover of a winning smile
Ruthless and rotten the core
Immaculate on the outer shell
They make you jump in the wishing well
They leave you screaming back for more
Watch it grows into a storm
Devil eyes and seven snakes
Seven deadly sins await
Come on down and see the writing on the wall
Seven sinners in the hall
Seven demons heed the call
Come on down and see the writing on the wall
You'll never know what is going on
You only wait for the day to come
Fortune knocking at your door
And all that matters is to pay the bill
While other men think of how to fill
Their money bin a little more
Eyes of the snake will be watching the fire
Growing right into a storm
Devil eyes and seven snakes
Seven deadly sins await
Come on down and see the writing on the wall
Seven sinners in the hall
Seven demons heed the call
Come on down and see the writing on the wall
Can you believe it's true
God is our only salvation
Now they are calling you
Taking you into the eye of the storm
And now you stand in awe and wonder
Why this is happening to you
You're not alone, they're always watching
And now truth is hitting you
Before you all will go to heaven
Oh there is something you must know
All that you've done won't be forgiven
From those who after you will show
Prepare the eyes for watching wonders
Of Jesus and his holy crew
And then the snake will come to bite you
You never had a chance you fool
Devil eyes and seven snakes
Seven deadly sins await
Come on down and see the writing on the wall
Seven sinners in the hall
Seven demons heed the call
Come on down and see the writing on the wall
Writing on the wall
Devil eyes, seven snakes
And it goes on...
The lyrics to Gamma Ray’s song “Seven” are a commentary on the deceptive nature of humanity’s darker impulses. The opening lines describe people who put on a façade of amiability while concealing their true malice underneath. The verses go on to compare these people to snakes, emphasizing their duplicitous nature. The chorus suggests that there are seven of these people who embody the seven deadly sins, and that they are waiting to prey on those who are unsuspecting. The lyrics also touch on themes of temptation, greed, and the consequences of one’s actions.
The song is likely a cautionary tale warning listeners of the dangers of succumbing to their own inner demons, as well as those of the people around them. The repeating refrain of “Come on down and see the writing on the wall” suggests that there are signs and portents of what is to come if one is to ignore their better judgment and give in to temptation. The final verses suggest that even though death may offer a release from the weight of one’s sins, there are still penultimate consequences that must be faced.
Overall, Gamma Ray’s “Seven” is a thought-provoking commentary on human nature and the dangers of giving in to temptation. It encourages listeners to be vigilant of their own darker impulses, as well as those of others around them, and to strive for redemption before it’s too late.
Line by Line Meaning
They stare at you with an evil eye
They observe you with ill intent and malice
Under the cover of a winning smile
While pretending to be friendly and kind
Ruthless and rotten the core
They are cruel and corrupt deep down
Immaculate on the outer shell
Their appearance is flawless and perfect
They make you jump in the wishing well
They lead you into taking a risky chance
They leave you screaming back for more
They cause you to beg for additional harmful experiences
Down in their temple they're feeding the fir
In their sacred dwelling, they are fueling the flames of evil
Watch it grows into a storm
Observing it developing into a violent disturbance
Devil eyes and seven snakes
Evil intent and seven types of danger
Seven deadly sins await
There are seven inescapable mistakes to make
Come on down and see the writing on the wall
Come and witness the signs of imminent danger
Seven sinners in the hall
Seven wicked individuals in the chamber
Seven demons heed the call
Seven spirits respond to the summons
You'll never know what is going on
You will never discern their true intentions
You only wait for the day to come
You simply anticipate the forthcoming event
Fortune knocking at your door
An opportunity waiting for you to take advantage of
And all that matters is to pay the bill
The only important thing is to settle the debts
While other men think of how to fill
Other people search for ways to accumulate more riches
Their money bin a little more
Their stash of wealth a bit further increased
Eyes of the snake will be watching the fire
The evil danger is intently observing as the peril escalates
Growing right into a storm
The danger and threat is rapidly increasing in power and ferocity
Can you believe it's true
Is it possible to accept the veracity of it
God is our only salvation
Our sole source of deliverance is divine intervention
Now they are calling you
They are summoning you toward danger
Taking you into the eye of the storm
Leading you directly into the middle of perilous circumstances
And now you stand in awe and wonder
Now you feel stunned and amazed
Why this is happening to you
Why is this particular calamity befalling you?
You're not alone, they're always watching
You are not solitary, they are always observing you
And now truth is hitting you
Now you confront the authenticity of the situation
Before you all will go to heaven
Before you can go to paradise
Oh there is something you must know
There is a critical truth that you must learn
All that you've done won't be forgiven
You cannot be pardoned for everything you've perpetrated
From those who after you will show
From those who will display after your time
Prepare the eyes for watching wonders
Get ready to witness miraculous events
Of Jesus and his holy crew
Of Jesus Christ and his divinely appointed associates
And then the snake will come to bite you
And then the serpent will attack you
You never had a chance you fool
You were always doomed to fail, you simpleton
Writing on the wall
Forewarning of the imminent peril
Devil eyes, seven snakes
Malevolent intent and seven risks to avoid
And it goes on...
The situation continues to develop and worsen
Contributed by Makayla G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@zard5339
Where can I find tabs for this gorgeous song??