Gamma Ray is an offshoot of legendary power metal band Helloween. Kai Hansen was the original founder/guitarist/singer of the band, but he got tired of his project in 1989. Moving away from the monolith that Helloween had become, he formed Gamma Ray, which was an almost carbon copy of his former creation. Focusing more on his songwriting abilities, he turned vocal duties over to another. However, as all things associated with Helloween seem to be, turnover happens, and Hansen took over vocal duties later on down the line, returning to the power metal scene the voice that started it all.

The band continued to put out new albums every few years, and was steadfastly determined to continue along the same path that Helloween had paved. Innovation and progression were for lesser bands, as Kai was determined to make sure the scene he created stayed alive. Of course, this could also be viewed as Kai only knowing one method, and anything that would challenge him would be a crushing defeat for the band. Would the prospect of yet another album change those opinions, or would the band move into new sonic territory and stake their claim as something more than the old guard?

"My Temple" kicks the album into gear with a thrashing riff over blaring double bass drums. The riff breaks down into a gallop as Kai Hansen's vocals emerge from the mix. His voice takes some getting used to, as it's not anything that would be deemed traditional. It's far mroe nasal than that of most singers, but it has undeniable charm. The chorus slows down to half time with a chorus overpowering Hansen's voice. The second verse features a completely different riff, this one slower and less power chord based. A bridge kicks in with a groove heavy muted riff and Kai reaching his upper register, seguing into a melodic and powerful solo, then reintroducing the opening thrash riff. The chorus makes a welcome return, tying the different sections of the progressive song together. The second time through, the chorus really shines as a melodic instrument.

"Fight" opens with string orshestration before launching into a melodic guitar assault. A simple muted riff builds the verse, as Hansen shows his melodic nature, taking unspectacular melodies and making them special. The chorus comes in call and response fashion, and the background vocals are jarring, and kill the momentum of the song. The solo is completely 80's style, opening up with Eddie Van Halen style tapping before settling into standard melodic fare. A bombastic choir follows into a bridge section, a quiet recital of the chorus, and then a return to the bombast.

"Strange World" begins with a drum kick and keyboard line in half time. The groove is immediately killed by the guitars which enter, though the new atmosphere is still good. Choirs are used effectively to build the unspectacular chorus into a far greater entity than it should be. [Memo to bands: background vocals cover up your bad melodies.] The song continues on without going anywhere, and at five minutes long, is a good minute longer thanit needs to be.

"Hell Is Thy Home" starts on a lightning speed guitar riff, then adding thundering double bass drums of equal speed. The verses feature a slow melody atop the thrashing instruments, creating an odd dichotomy. The chorus again slows things down, this time underutilizing choirs, not making any real impact on the listener. Another solo that begins with shredding before becoming melodic continues the lack of musical ideas, before sending the song home on the same unmemorable chorus.

"Blood Religion" begins with a clean electric guitar and uncharacteristic low vocals from Hansen, in the first mood shift of the album. This is short lived, as the electrics come crushing in, bringing a psuedo-operetic bombast found only on Meat Loaf albums. Hansen lets out a high pitched scream that only he and Dio can hit before the song settles into a mid-tempo groove that is refreshing for the band. This song is the most "power metal" of the songs on the first half of the record, and it shows that Kai forgotten about his days in Helloween quite yet. A spoken bridge completely kills the momentum of the song, stifling the groove while it was still fresh.

"Condemned To Hell" starts off with with a downtuned riff featuring pinch harmonics that could be featured on any Black Label Society album without missing a step. Luckily, Hansen doesn't recruit Zakk Wylde to sing on this song, which gives it an actual chance of being good. Unfortunately, the song doesn't build to anything great, as the chorus is another standard call and repsonse, featuring the same lousy background vocals as before.

"Spiritual Dictator" is another rousing melodic rocker, with nothing separating it from the rest of the crop of songs put out in recent times by Gamma Ray. The chorus attempts to be grand, but lacks the power to lift the decent melody into classic territory. The band was able to do that with the epic ballad "Lake of Tears" on the album "No World Order", but can't manage the task here.

"Majesty" sets an early mood with a slow, Sabbath-like riff before proving that the band has become a one trick pony. The folowing riff is different in that it has Middle Eastern influences, but it is ripped from the same page as all of the other riffs flowing from Kai Hansen's hands. When the guitars mute in the verses, they are absolutely gigantic, and should have been used more. The chorus slows down to a trudge, and again stops the song in it's tracks.

"How Long" places a subtle keyboard line behind the opening riff, giving the song an added dimension that has been sorely lacking so far on this record. The verse melodies might be the best heard so far, and they blend perfectly into a rousing and sing-a-long chorus that beats anything heard as of yet. While not soaring or epic, it projects an actual feeling, which is something nothing on this record has been able to do yet. The solo sounds like Kirk Hammet was brought in to record it, which isn't good, since it means that a wah pedal has been abused in the making of this record. However, that can be forgiven, as this is without doubt the best song on this record, and a worthy inclusion in the Gamma Ray permanent setlist on tour.

"Revelation" eschews Kai Hansen for the introduction, allowing a choir to have the first vocals, which does nothing to help. The track attempts to be an epic, but smacks of trying too hard. It almost has a chorus that is epic and sweeping enough, and the choir before the verses is a good idea to try to make that happen, but the verses lack anything epic. A couple of different tempos and melodies mark the middle of the song, and contribute to the 'epic' stature that the song strives for, but feel unnatural, and too worked.

The bottom line on this record is disappointing. All power metal bands seem to be of the impression that every album needs to have an epic song, which is completely wrong. Epics cannot be written with the intention of being epic. Epic songs take shape naturally, and feel like they were destined to be one cohesive piece of music that inspires. That's the problem with Gamma Ray right now. It feels as though every song that they write is trying to be an epic, which is cramping their style. The band does nothing to distinguish one song from another. Every song follows the same pattern, with the same sound. The album is not stopped evven from a ballad. Ballads may be cliche, but they work for a reason. An album cannot be speed all the way through without growing dull. Variety is needed, and that is something that Gamma Ray is lacking on this album.

I have to both applaud and question the production on this record. I don't recall ever hearing a mix that was better for the guitars. They sounded gigantic, crisp, and retained the band's signature tone. However, Kai's vocals were buried in the mix, not allowing his high pitched voice to cut through the music. The album has it's highs, as "My Temple" and "Strange World" are both good songs for the genre, and "How Long" is one of the highlights of the entire genre. [Is it something about the song title? Weezer recorded a demo for their 2002 album "Maladroit" by the same name, and it was a better song than many on the album.] However, the rest of the album feels like the band is going through the motions, which is not enough anymore. There's many young bands in the genre coming up who are putting more into their music, and Gamma Ray has been passed by. Even Helloween is constantly toying with their sound to keep themselves relevant. Gamma Ray could use a refresher course.

Rating: 72/100