Artist: GAMMA RAY
Album: TO THE METAL VINYL (LP)

Year: 2010
Media type: LP

GAMMA RAY — Kai Hansen (vocals/guitar), Dirk Schlachter (bass), Henjo Richter (guitar) and Daniel Zimmermann (drums) — recorded a total of twelve new songs earlier this fall at its own studio in Hamburg. Ten of the tracks will appear on the regular album release, while the remaining two cuts will surface on various editions of the album.

According to a press release, the new GAMMA RAY CD is "classy, fast-paced and deep, and holds a few surprises in store which distinguish the band from the mass of acts who try their hand at similar styles and sounds. . . The band's stylistic range [includes] a full-throttle number such as 'Rise', the rhythmic and melodically diverse 'Time To Live', and the multilayered anthem 'All You Need To Know' (which has given rise to speculation about a spectacular guest singer), as well as the sensitive ballad 'No Need To Cry', composer/lyricist Dirk Schlachter's attempt to come to terms with the untimely death of his father. Of course, there's also the awesome title track — first introduced at the Wacken Open Air 2009 and a number of festivals in Scandinavia (see video below) and considered absolutely indispensible by the fans, which GAMMA RAY recorded as a classic metal track in the midtempo range, making it a real anthem. The atmospherically dense 'Empathy' sees GAMMA RAY prove their amazing musical potential again, which keeps manifesting itself in exceptional and eminently interesting compositions. This song includes all the features of a diverse, exciting and multi-faceted number, in other words: sweeping sounds, cool grooves, a progressive touch and then — almost as if from nowhere — a chorus which seriously bowls you over. Subsequently, the band soar up to an almost oriental-sounding solo part, changing key several times within the track."

A1  Empathy  
A2  All You Need To Know
Vocals [Featuring] – Michael Kiske  

A3  Time To Live  
A4  To The Metal  
A5  Rise  

B1  Mother Angel  
B2  Shine Forever  
B3  Deadlands  
B4  Chasing Shadows  
B5  No Need To Cry