SHIT HAPPENS!!

Written by earMusic on .

Unfortunately we have some bad news. Henjo and Michael won’t make it to the tour in April in Latin/South America. Henjo was badly hit by a car 3 months ago and had several ribs and bones broken. He is recovering well but some of the ribs are still making problems and will need some more time to heal properly. The doctors said he should not fly until everything is all right.

More than a decade ago we had a similar situation and we found finish guitar player Kasperi Heikkinen to replace Henjo for some shows. We had a really good vibe with him and luckily he is available to help us out again. So Kasperi (who is currently playing with Beast in Black) will do all the shows in April with us.
Also - two weeks ago Michael had a normal appendix surgery. Unluckily something still is not quite right and he has to undergo surgery again next week. Same here too - the doctors said he should wait six weeks to play a show or fly again. It was not easy to find a drummer who’s able to play the GRay songs the right way and who was also available. Michele Sanna, a session drummer and drum tech from Italy, will be an excellent replacement for Michael and rocks with us the upcoming shows.
All Rayniacs please welcome Kasperi and Michele  -  up da Rays - ya can’t stopp’em!!!

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Upcoming tour dates 2024 click here.

"BLAST FROM THE PAST" AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE AS A LIMITED EDITION TRIPLE CD, DIGITALLY AND – FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME – VINYL LP

Written by earMusic on .

 Blast From The Past (Re-Release)

The only thing I knew was that I wanted to go on making music and fulfil my vision of the songs I had,” says Kai Hansen about forming GAMMA RAY after leaving Helloween in 1988 – a vision that paid off.

For over 30 years and with a total of eleven studio albums, the Hamburg-based power metal band built around bandleader Kai Hansen has influenced and shaped the genre. The expressiveness of their music is also reflected in their energetic live shows, which was impressively captured on their long player “30 Years Live Anniversary” (2021).

With “Blast From The Past”, the German power metal icons GAMMA RAY return to their beginnings and revisit their first 10 years. The album with Kai Hansen on vocals is a cross-section of their studio albums released between 1990 and 1999.

“We said [to our fans]: ‘Choose three songs from each album'”, remembers Kai Hansen and the results formed “Blast From The Past”, originally released in 2000 and long out of print.

All songs have been remastered by producer Eike Freese for this reissue edition and it includes extensive linernotes by UK journalist Dave Everley (Kerrang!, Louder, Prog, Metal Hammer, amongst others). Based on an interview conducted with Kai Hansen, they provide an insight into the making of the album and the band’s history over the first 10 years.

Today, “Blast From The Past” with its iconic album cover by Derek Riggs (Iron Maiden) is finally available again. Along with the Limited 3CD Digipak Edition (including the rare “Skeletons & Majesties” mini-album as a bonus), the album is released digitally and for the first time ever on Vinyl LP.

In 20 powerful songs GAMMA RAY‘s Kai Hansen (lead vocals, guitar), Dirk Schlächter (bass), Henjo Richter (guitar) and Daniel Zimmermann (drums) underscore once again their status as one of the most important power metal bands of the last three decades.

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Pre-order the album here: https://gammaray.lnk.to/BFTP

Lust for Life single taken from "30 YEARS LIVE ANNIVERSARY"

Written by Harald on .

2020 Lust For Life

Who wants to get the chance to listen to another song taken from the upcoming album 30 YEARS LIVE ANNIVERSARY by one of Germany’s finest metal bands, GAMMA RAY? Here it is: The new video LUST FOR LIFE is out today available at https://youtu.be/ikbbZLdHHpI. It has been recorded during a show that has been arranged and recorded during the pandemic in 2020 to be streamed live due to the fact that shows had to take place without audiences. Make sure you don’t miss out pre-ordering the album!

30 Years Live Anniversary Releases

Written by Harald on .

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This album is a very special release for GAMMA RAY. Germany‘s metal titans will not only celebrate their “30 YEARS LIVE ANNIVERSARY”. Furthermore, the show recorded for this album has taken place as a Live Streaming Event the band has arranged during the lockdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. “30 YEARS LIVE ANNIVERSARY” will be out as a limited 3xLP on coloured vinyl + Blu-ray (each of the 3 LPs on a different vinyl colour, not available in the US), a 3xLP on black vinyl + Blu-ray (will come without the Blu-ray in the US), a Digipak 2xCD + DVD, and a digital release of course.

All formats are now available at https://gammaray.lnk.to/LiveAnniversary!