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Artist
Gamma Ray
12+ albums
Power metalheavy metalspeed metalmetalgerman
about
Gamma Ray is a German power metal band from Hamburg, founded in 1989 by Kai Hansen following his departure from Helloween. Hansen serves as the band's lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter. Between 1990 and 2014, Gamma Ray recorded eleven studio albums. In 1988, after four years with Helloween, Hansen decided to leave the band. He undertook some studio work with Blind Guardian and, in 1989, formed Gamma Ray with Ralf Scheepers, former vocalist of Tyran Pace. The initial lineup was completed with Uwe Wessel on bass and Mathias Burchardt on drums. The band's first album, "Heading for Tomorrow," was released in February 1990, followed by the "Heaven Can Wait" EP later that year, with new members Dirk Schlächter on guitar and Uli Kusch on drums. In 1991, Gamma Ray recorded their second album, "Sigh No More," produced by Tommy Newton and featuring darker lyrics inspired by the Persian Gulf War. Following the Japanese tour in 1991, Wessel and Kusch left and were replaced by Jan Rubach on bass and Thomas Nack on drums. The album "Insanity and Genius" was released in June 1993, with a style closer to "Heading for Tomorrow." In September 1993, the band joined the Melodic Metal Strikes Back tour with Rage, Helicon, and Conception, which coincided with the release of the double CD "Power of Metal" and the videos "Power of Metal" and "Lust for Live." In 1995, Scheepers left the band, and Hansen took over vocal duties in addition to guitar. The fourth album, "Land of the Fre
