
Gamma Ray
Empire of the Undead
earMusic
2014
Among the rather unlucky news of “learning” about their home-studio getting completely wiped out by a mysterious fire, that really almost wiped it clean, from which very few things must have survived, among which – the “production” material of the new album! (That’s what one would call a lucky coincidence or a poorly written statement??!?) Gamma Ray are back on their feet with a new studio album and actually back on the road with one of the two “Rhapsody” bands (the one with Fabio Leone) to support it.
It’s obviously, sort of useless to say who the “Grand-father” of European Power Metal is and what he’s done but, I would dare say that in the past few years, most of the outings from his main band were pretty substandard unfortunately, with rather unimaginative, recycled ideas, performances that were at best passable and even some “portions” of the songs, possibly being “borrowed”. Now weather that was done subconsciously, or as a tribute, I dunno. I decline to think that Kai Hansen had to steal riffs, or had to copy them. He’s written some of the finest in the genre and has been copied a lot of times… he could have been a little lazy but still... “Empire of the Undead” actually seems to be the first pretty consistently strong and really “hearty” album from Kai and co in a long time... heck I haven’t thought that Kai has sounded this focuses since “Somewhere out in Space” and that was a long time ago. Obviously there were some pretty good songs and moments in between, but that would be the last really great album from start to finish, that I can recall. The rest, did tend to have really good moments, or on occasion were not so good.
Here the love of Kai and his band for all things Priest, Maiden, Rainbow and classic metal are restored and mixed with a healthy dose of “the good” side of “Kai’s” Hello/Gamma melodies resulting in a pretty interesting and very melodic album which delivers and is fun. It’s not as amazing as some of the bands best, but it comes as close as one could possibly hope and as I was expecting another rather mediocre album, it sort of caught me by surprised and it was a rather pleasant one.
“Avalon” is a huge long-winded and mid paced opener, clocking at a mighty 9:21 minutes, with symphonic choruses and epic riffing that finds the band tackling the Arthurian Legend in their own inimitable way. Pretty Epic.
“Hellbent” is double-bassing from start to finish, and screaming for vengeance and stink of Priest… obviously, bringing to your mind, images of early Helloween and the faster tunes of GR. Mighty and metallic and a bit cliché… but likable.
“Pale Rider” is a little bordering on self-mockery especially with some of its lyrics being a bit too campy, but its music is nothing but, as we have another mid tempo crushing metal beast… with lots of musicality and muscle.
“Born to Fly” is a nice if not a little too generic both musically and lyrically rocking metal song that goes for a slightly fast pace… but you know it’s pretty much the tune that you won’t mind, ie, you won’t skip, but you will not really get crazy over, since it’s nothing amazing… it’s pretty nice, but maybe a little too cliché – you know… it’s one of those template songs, Helloween have flights and eagles, Manowar, say kill, fuck and die… it’s cliché! Get it?!
I thought that “Master of Confusion” was pretty mediocre and boring and I can’t say that I’m really that much more impressed, I find the lyrics a little too cringeworthy, but… musically, it sort of works much more better in the context of the album.
The album’s namesake, “Empire of the Undead” just comes at 300 km/h straight into your face and is pretty enjoyable… awesome actually…. even if Kai is not a great singer, (but then again – he’s not the worst singer in the universe – far from it, it’s just that the years of screaming have not been kind to him – I mean they have not been kind to some really pro and really great singers) he has found a pretty decent way to mix his vocals in such a way that they are quite unobtrusive and quite fun to hear.
“Time for Deliverance” is a pretty good ballad, that may never take its place among some of the band’s better ones, but it still holds really well on its own.
“Demonseed” is a more basic track, that strips the lush orchestrations and is more brutal, thus winning in heaviness and changing the mood and pace for a bit.
“Seven” makes things a little faster, initially but then it also dies down for a spoken part, being conceptual an all, about Jesus, the Seven Sins and all that... pretty apocalyptic stuff eh?
“I Will Return” begins – with the governator’s quote “I’ll be back”.. (jees!) and is a pretty fast paced and at first futuristic sounding tune that however then becomes pretty classic sounding and that’s actually mentioned in a good way...
“Built the World” is provided as the European Bonus and from then on depending on what configuration you buy LP, CD, CD/DVD, box set, gets you different additional live in the studio tracks housed in differently colored variations of the rather uninspired and possibly rather hastily prepared cover.
All in all, an unexpectedly good Gamma Ray album. I didn’t expect it that good old Kai had an entire album this good of actually pretty original stuff that was really this “good”! Not bad at all... now if he could keep it up like that… no one would complain!
It’s obviously, sort of useless to say who the “Grand-father” of European Power Metal is and what he’s done but, I would dare say that in the past few years, most of the outings from his main band were pretty substandard unfortunately, with rather unimaginative, recycled ideas, performances that were at best passable and even some “portions” of the songs, possibly being “borrowed”. Now weather that was done subconsciously, or as a tribute, I dunno. I decline to think that Kai Hansen had to steal riffs, or had to copy them. He’s written some of the finest in the genre and has been copied a lot of times… he could have been a little lazy but still... “Empire of the Undead” actually seems to be the first pretty consistently strong and really “hearty” album from Kai and co in a long time... heck I haven’t thought that Kai has sounded this focuses since “Somewhere out in Space” and that was a long time ago. Obviously there were some pretty good songs and moments in between, but that would be the last really great album from start to finish, that I can recall. The rest, did tend to have really good moments, or on occasion were not so good.
Here the love of Kai and his band for all things Priest, Maiden, Rainbow and classic metal are restored and mixed with a healthy dose of “the good” side of “Kai’s” Hello/Gamma melodies resulting in a pretty interesting and very melodic album which delivers and is fun. It’s not as amazing as some of the bands best, but it comes as close as one could possibly hope and as I was expecting another rather mediocre album, it sort of caught me by surprised and it was a rather pleasant one.
“Avalon” is a huge long-winded and mid paced opener, clocking at a mighty 9:21 minutes, with symphonic choruses and epic riffing that finds the band tackling the Arthurian Legend in their own inimitable way. Pretty Epic.
“Hellbent” is double-bassing from start to finish, and screaming for vengeance and stink of Priest… obviously, bringing to your mind, images of early Helloween and the faster tunes of GR. Mighty and metallic and a bit cliché… but likable.
“Pale Rider” is a little bordering on self-mockery especially with some of its lyrics being a bit too campy, but its music is nothing but, as we have another mid tempo crushing metal beast… with lots of musicality and muscle.
“Born to Fly” is a nice if not a little too generic both musically and lyrically rocking metal song that goes for a slightly fast pace… but you know it’s pretty much the tune that you won’t mind, ie, you won’t skip, but you will not really get crazy over, since it’s nothing amazing… it’s pretty nice, but maybe a little too cliché – you know… it’s one of those template songs, Helloween have flights and eagles, Manowar, say kill, fuck and die… it’s cliché! Get it?!
I thought that “Master of Confusion” was pretty mediocre and boring and I can’t say that I’m really that much more impressed, I find the lyrics a little too cringeworthy, but… musically, it sort of works much more better in the context of the album.
The album’s namesake, “Empire of the Undead” just comes at 300 km/h straight into your face and is pretty enjoyable… awesome actually…. even if Kai is not a great singer, (but then again – he’s not the worst singer in the universe – far from it, it’s just that the years of screaming have not been kind to him – I mean they have not been kind to some really pro and really great singers) he has found a pretty decent way to mix his vocals in such a way that they are quite unobtrusive and quite fun to hear.
“Time for Deliverance” is a pretty good ballad, that may never take its place among some of the band’s better ones, but it still holds really well on its own.
“Demonseed” is a more basic track, that strips the lush orchestrations and is more brutal, thus winning in heaviness and changing the mood and pace for a bit.
“Seven” makes things a little faster, initially but then it also dies down for a spoken part, being conceptual an all, about Jesus, the Seven Sins and all that... pretty apocalyptic stuff eh?
“I Will Return” begins – with the governator’s quote “I’ll be back”.. (jees!) and is a pretty fast paced and at first futuristic sounding tune that however then becomes pretty classic sounding and that’s actually mentioned in a good way...
“Built the World” is provided as the European Bonus and from then on depending on what configuration you buy LP, CD, CD/DVD, box set, gets you different additional live in the studio tracks housed in differently colored variations of the rather uninspired and possibly rather hastily prepared cover.
All in all, an unexpectedly good Gamma Ray album. I didn’t expect it that good old Kai had an entire album this good of actually pretty original stuff that was really this “good”! Not bad at all... now if he could keep it up like that… no one would complain!