Definitely an improvement over his stint as Helloween's vocalist on the Walls of Jericho album, Kai Hansen delivers a superb effort. It had been ten years since Kai last handled the dual vocal/guitar role, but on Land of the Free he sounds like he's been singing for years. Rather than searching for a new vocalist, guitarist Kai Hansen simply took over vocal duties. This was due to the distance between the homes of Ralf (who had also auditioned to be the new Judas Priest singer and was among the finalists for the job) and the rest of the band which seriously limited the practice time between the bands. The only moments where the band lets up on its power metal assault is on the album's ballad, Farewell, the ultimate Gamma Ray ballad.Īs I mentioned earlier, Gamma Ray had lost their vocalist, Ralf Scheepers. The elements found on the song are not forsaken after the ending of Rebellion in Dreamland fades out however, and carry on throughout most of the album. Effective riffing, top notch soloing, and powerful vocal lines make this cut irresistible to fans of the genre. The song, which is also the album's opener, starts off softly before evolving into an epic anthem that is nearly 9 minutes long. Rebellion in Dreamland, one of, if not THE best power metal song ever written, is a perfect example of this combination. The music on Land of the Free not only puts an emphasis on speed and melody, but also aggression and power. Turn the clock back 10 years, and you'll find a band rooted in that of German power metal. Today Kai Hansen and the boys in Gamma Ray generally craft a heavier variation of power metal, with many explicit classic metal influences evident in the music. How can I say this? Well, read on and find out. I've heard every Gamma Ray album and of the eight studio releases, Land of the Free is easily their best. Despite being 7 years removed from the release of the second Keepers album, coming off a sub par record in Insanity and Genius, and losing vocalist Ralf Scheepers, Kai Hansen and the Rays still manage to create an album that can hold its own against legendary metal albums such as Powerslave, Painkiller, and Rust in Peace, even eclipsing albums such as Keeper of the Seven Keys Pt 1.
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May 2023
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