Helloween & Gamma Ray

I know they had Ralf Scheepers at one point. But I tend to not listen to those albums simply because it makes me uncomfortable. I know. It's weird.
 
Hi, I saw some re-released Gamma ray albums at a local record store, I think it was Heading for tomorrow and a CD version of Heading for the east! Does anyone know if these are just simple copies or proper versipns with extras? And are there more re-released Gamma ray albums on the market?

I need new copies of Somewhere out in space and Powerplant :)
 
Thanks to @Dityn DJ James I came upon this excellent reissue!! I have to get this. Beautiful artwork indeed!
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GAMMA RAY ANNOUNCE 25th ANNIVERSARY 2CD REISSUE OF "SIGH NO MORE"

Written by earMusic on 21 August 2015.

2015_sigh_anniversary_cd.jpg

"Sigh No More" (Anniversary Edition) will be released on September 25th, 2015 on earMUSIC.

... ...

When Gamma Ray started to work on their second studio album Sigh No More in spring 1991, the international heavy metal scene had just been plunged into their first and at the same time most serious crisis to date. Grunge was the flavour of the day and musicians sporting checked shirts and a grubby street look were fast becoming the new stars. At the beginning of September 1991, Nirvana’s hit ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ arrived on the scene and Kurt Cobain became the icon of a new musical genre. The old heroes were considered outdated, or at least so it seemed for some time.
Gamma Ray’s sophomore album “Sigh No More” sure didn’t sound outdated.

The Gamma Ray line-up consisting of Hansen, Ralf Scheepers, Dirk Schlächter, Uwe Wessel & Uli Kusch rented a holiday cottage on the Danish island of Rømø. They took only their “hand luggage”, i.e. drums, just a few guitars/bass guitars and small amps, as well as – to be able to record their ideas – two microphones and an ADAT recorder, a kind of predecessor of today’s digital studio programs.
Back in Hamburg, they continued to polish their ideas and started to look for the right producer. Gamma Ray had already enlisted the ideal choice for the mix of their 1990 debut Heading For Tomorrow: Tommy Newton.
During the preproduction, the band initially set about working on the songs full steam at the Karo studios in Brackel near Hamburg. Newton contributed his extensive experience to turn Sigh No More into a powerful and harmonious album and even tried new and unusual approaches.

When the album was released on 21 September 1991, the highlights were soon identified: the opener ‘Changes’ became a Gammy Ray classic, just like ‘Dream Healer’, the longest track on the album, and ‘One With The World’, supported by the first Sigh No More video clip, shot in the sand dunes on Rømø. ‘Rich And Famous’ was extremely popular, and the initially slightly inconspicuous ‘The Spirit’ developed into an insider’s tip among fans.

The 2015 anniversary re-release of Sigh No More includes, along with the ten original tracks, perfectly remastered by producer/sound engineer Eike Freese (Dark Age, Deep Purple), a number of previously unreleased recordings from the re-recordings with Kai on vocals, home demos and the pre-production at the Karo studios (among them ‘Heroes’, which later became the opener ‘Changes’), plus a number of selected live cuts.

Tracklist
CD1 – Studio album
The original studio album including its B-Sides. Remastered in 2015 by Eike Freese.
1. Changes
2. Rich And Famous
3. As Time Goes By
4. (We Won't) Stop The War
5. Father And Son
6. One With The World
7. Start Running
8. Countdown
9. Dream Healer
10. The Spirit
11. Sail On (Live)*
12. Changes (Live)

*Japanese Bonus Track


CD2 – Bonus CD
Including previously unreleased demo versions, alternative versions, instrumentals, live songs...
1. One With The World (Live at Wacken 2011)
2. Dream Healer (Live in Montreal 2006)
3. Changes (Blast From The Past version)
4. Rich And Famous (Blast From The Past version)
5. One With The World (Blast From The Past version)
6. Dream Healer (Blast From The Past version)
7. Heroes (Preproduction) **Alternative version of "Changes"
8. Dream Healer (Preproduction)
9. As Times Goes By (Preproduction – Kai on vocals)
10. (We Won’t) Stop The War (Preproduction – Kai on vocals)
11. Dream Healer (Demo – Kai on vocals)
12. Rich And Famous (Demo – Kai on vocals)
 
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I don't listen to Gamma Ray, except for when they play the beaches of Rømø. But that's a fantastic cover artwork!
 
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I was just listening to Land of The Free, and I have to say that I've just realized it's better then either of the original Keeper records. I've always been more of a Helloween guy, but mainly the Andi Deris era. I never really understood what was sooooooooo great about the Keeper albums. When I hear them I hear something good, not great. I can see why it would have blown people away at the time, as well as the influence it's had, but its not that great.

Every time I don't listen to Gamma Ray for awhile then listen to them, it takes me awhile to get back into them because of Kai's voice. Then I get used to it and realize how talented they are. As I recently listened to Land of The Free I realized how much better it is then Keepers pt. 1 and 2. I've always considered Weiki the better songwriter but this shows i may have assumed too quickly.

Just imagine what would have been if instead of leaving Helloween, Kai had stuck with them and after the one two punch of Keepers released Land of the Free with them, or something like it ;) of course it would have Kiske singing but I'm sure people would have love that.

I still prefer Helloween by far. Gamma Ray will never write an album like Gambling With The Devil, or Better Than Raw, but they've done some classic power metal. I've always thought Helloween would have been huge if they they stuck with it after Keepers. They were on their way to the top. They could have been as big as Maiden.

What do you all prefer, Land of The Free or Keepers PT. 1&2?
 
NotePad said:
I've always considered Weiki the better songwriter but this shows i may have assumed too quickly.
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I think that this assumption was wrong. Of course, taste differs, but

I Want Out
I'm Alive
Halloween
March of Time
Save Us
Twilight of the Gods
Murderer
Warrior
Ride the Sky
Judas
Phantoms of Death
Victim of Fate

All by Hansen, and most of it better than anything Weikath did and most of it is at least as good as material he did himself in Gamma Ray.

I never compared these three records, but I really don't think the Keeper albums are not that great. They are fantastic. There are a few less great songs on the Keeper albums (most of it non-Hansen), but the overall level of songwriting (and execution) remains high.
 
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As a full album, I think I prefer LOTF by a small margin, but taking them song by song it is also very tight.

As far as epics are concerned, I prefer "Halloween" and "KOTSK" to "Rebellion in Dreamland", although I love the latter.

I find it difficult to rule for either "I want out" or "LOTF" as regards speed songs.

Finally, the "fun" songs ("Future World", "Rise and Fall" and "Dr Stein") are more represented in Helloween's Keepers than in this particular Gamma Ray album, but "Time to break free" is excellent too, I can't decide.

Have you got other unanswerable questions like that? ;)
 
In regards to the two singers thing, that's what the power metal band Manilla Road does.

EDIT: spelling
 
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Yesterday I got Sigh No More, anniversary edition. I really love this album and I am very happy with this package. Some songs on it are a bit unusual, because they are kinda more rock than typically metal, but the atmosphere, and depth is quite unmatched. The musicality as well. :ok:
There's heaviness, intensity, nice soaring guitar solos and excellent instrumental passages and riffs.

My favourite two Gamma Ray records are this one and Land of the Free. I also like Somewhere out in Space and Powerplant very much. New World Order has the Painkiller-style Heart of the Unicorn, one of my favourites! All in all, I think I'd like to have some more anniversary albums! :)
 
Forostar said:
I think that this assumption was wrong. Of course, taste differs, but

I Want Out
I'm Alive
Halloween
March of Time
Save Us
Twilight of the Gods
Murderer
Warrior
Ride the Sky
Judas
Phantoms of Death
Victim of Fate

All by Hansen, and most of it better than anything Weikath did and most of it is at least as good as material he did himself in Gamma Ray.

I never compared these three records, but I really don't think the Keeper albums are not that great. They are fantastic. There are a few less great songs on the Keeper albums (most of it non-Hansen), but the overall level of songwriting (and execution) remains high.
Click to expand...

Blasphemy!

One thing though is despite the fact that I prefer Weiki's songwriting, Hansen writes a lot more songs. Including Gamma Ray. I think the reason for this is because Helloween has way more songwriters then Gamma Ray. With the Keepers albums, most was written by Hansen and Weiki. When Hansen left they got another drummer, a songwriter, another guitarist, a songwriter, and Kiske started writing more. The same with the current lineup, all songwriters.

But anyways, Hansen has written song great stuff like I want out, I'm alive, just to name a few. But Weiki wrote Eagle Fly Free, I'm alive, Dr. Stein, The Keeper song, and Rise and Fall (an all-time fave of mine). I also hate to admit this, but Nowadays with Gamma Ray Hansen rips off a lot of classic bands like Maiden and Priest.

And when comparing Gamma Ray to what Weiki has written post-keeper 2, I prefer Weiki by far.
For example,
Kings Will Be Kings
Falling Higher
Salvaion
Burning Sun
The Saints
And the majority of The Master of The Rings albums

As you can see I'm a much bigger fan of the Andi Stuff than Kiske era.

So yea......Michael Weikath for the win!!! A lot of his songs have awesome guitar duels too :)
 
NotePad said:
Rise and Fall (an all-time fave of mine)
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o_O That's one of the cringiest power metal songs ever IMO.

NotePad said:
And when comparing Gamma Ray to what Weiki has written post-keeper 2, I prefer Weiki by far.
For example,
Kings Will Be Kings
Falling Higher
Salvaion
Burning Sun
The Saints
And the majority of The Master of The Rings albums
Click to expand...
You actually think those songs are better than, say:
Rebellion In Dreamland
Somewhere Out In Space
Beyond The Black Hole
Anywhere In The Galaxy
Dethrone Tyranny

And you also forgot many Weikath stinkers like:
Laudate Dominum
The Tune
Nothing To Say
Get It Up
Can Do It
 
NotePad said:
Rise and Fall
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HA HA HA HA. (sorry, couldn't resist)!
NotePad said:
I also hate to admit this, but Nowadays with Gamma Ray Hansen rips off a lot of classic bands like Maiden and Priest.
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He indeed does. But when we go back in time he did very strong stuff.

Lots of Weiki songs have these predictable Eagle Fly Free chord progressions. Apart from songs on Master of the Rings, in most cases I prefer the Grapow, Kush, Deris, Grosskopf songs over the Weikath songs from the respectable albums. Notable exceptions:
- Steel Tormentor: Love this song. Power and Mission Motherland are good too!
- Giants: one of my all time favourite Helloween songs. Best song released in 1993 (in music).
- Number One: kind of lazy, dragging cheesy chorus, but the couplets are good and the instrumental midpiece is really haunting. Simple but deep stuff.

Weikath wrote the worst songs from the pre-Kiske era, and imo also from both Keeper album, although the title track is nearly as good as the best Hansen songs on that record.

Before the War > Kings Will Be Kings
Push, Revelations, A Handful of Pain, Hey Lord, Don't Spit on My Mind: best songs from Better Than Raw (all non-Weikath)

Weikath's contributions to The Dark Ride? The two worst, most forgettable songs from the album.
He wrote the worst songs from Keeper of the Seven Keys: The Legacy.

I forgot a bit what he did afterwards, but in my memory it was not better than the material his bandmates came up with.

What are my favourite Weikath songs? In chronological order:

The Notable Nine:
Eagle Fly Free
Dr. Stein
Keeper of the Seven Keys
Number One
Giants
Sole Survivor (Deris/Weikath though)
Where the Rain Grows (Deris/Weikath though)
Steel Tormentor (Weiki/Deris)
Mission Motherland (Weikath/Helloween)

Other memorable songs:
Starlight (Weikath/Hansen)
Cry for Freedom (Weikath/Hansen)
How Many Tears
Power
Falling Higher
I Can (Deris/Weikath though)
Midnight Sun

NotePad said:
And when comparing Gamma Ray to what Weiki has written post-keeper 2, I prefer Weiki by far.
Click to expand...
Opinions differ. But I say "no way" to that.
 
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