Customer Reviews

Blast from the Past

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Gamma Ray have done what they were supposed to do. They Mixed the Old songs and remastered them for this Best Of album, and they re-performed the chosen songs. Gamma Ray have had two vocalist since they were formed, current vocal Kai Hansen has a great voice and his screams are enough to get you moving. In this Best Of, we have all songs from the first album the last one (Powerplant). CD 1 is recorded in 2000 while CD 2 is mastered and it has much better sound quality than original recordings. If you are a Beginner, I say GET THIS! because re-done songs are done so well, and old recordings are mixed perfectly. Get Heading for Tomorrow first though, because this CD has 5 Heading for Tomorrow songs and they are slightly(-exept heading for tomorrow song is changed a little) different than original versions, you'll hear the difference and will be able to judge whose voice goes with which song.

Make no mistake - all bands should make "Best Of"albums as good as this one. There is so much new material on thisdouble-disc LP it could qualify as a new studio album.

Disc One has re-recorded versions of songs from the first three studio albums. Not only do they feature Kai on vocals, there are many arrangement changes, new guitar solos, and even a few new lyrics! I'll leave it to the listener to decide which are better, the originals or these new versions - but they are definately different from each other. These songs stand on their own, which sets this album apart from BOAs from other bands. As Kai Hansen says in the album booklet, these songs have been reinterpreted for Gamma Ray, circa 2000. Very cool.

Disc 2 has three more re-recordings from the "Land of the Free" LP. Subtle differences and better production quality enhance these songs. Plus, Disc 2 features "The Silence '95" previously available only on the "Silent Miracles" EP. The rest of the tracks are remastered selections from "Somewhere Out In Space" and "Powerplant".

All of the tracks were chosen by the fans through Gamma Ray's fanclub website... so it's a safe bet the track selection will be pleasing for most fans.

If you want an introduction to Gamma Ray, then this is your best bet. If you're a die-hard, long-time fan like me, get this album - there are plenty of new surprises to make it well-worth your money.

I first listened to this alubm about six months ago and thought it was decent. It was the first time I'd ever listened to Gamma Ray and only really checked it out because I had just begun listning to Iron Savior and I knew this was Kai's other band. On a whim the other day I went back and listened to it again and something strange happened. I actually remembered most of the songs. Considering that I had only heard this record once before half a year previously, only half paying attention while I was playing Diablo II no less, I was quite impressed. I'm not talking about just singing along by the end of the song, I knew what was coming next and I was singing from the very beginning. I can only chalk this up to Kai's ability to write extremely catchy and memorable songs, this guy really is a genius like everyone says. My personal experience aside, this is some of the best powermetal you can possibly find with great guitar and memorable melodic song structures. I've heard some people complain about Kai's singing ability but I've got no problems with it, he may not be one of the best around but he's certainly more than competent. My only gripe with the compilation is that the first disk is rather heavily laden with more melodic tracks and ballads. If you're a fan of the "happier" side of powermetal then this won't be a problem but I prefer the heavier driving style which is much more prevalent on disk 2. Great stuff.

The packaging of this album is really beautiful. The booklet with all the lyrics was a wonderful surprise, since seldom this is seen in a "Best Of..." release. The introductory words of Kai Hansen in the booklet are very concise and warm. I give to the presentation of the box five stars, in spite of that monster showing Iron Maiden reminiscences, which is something I don't like from the very beginning of Gamma Ray (GR).

The selection of GR themes is not bad, though I'm in the set of people that would prefer more diversity, mostly in the CD two, where all the pieces after the "The Silence" have the same "taste". Anyway, I like them all, and I think that mostly for Power Metal fans the entire album is a must-have. If you feel some nostalgy for the old Helloween, buy this album and you won't be disappointed. This album is a very good one, and Hansen has the right of even inviting Michael Kiske to be his vocal pal in "The Land Of The Free". I only have one bad think to point out: while the guitar work of every piece is really good and impeccable, I find many solos and riffs a tad boring, since they're too long and repetitive. This was a problem for me to 100% tolerate Helloween and Iron Maiden, and sadly Hansen brought the same thing to GR. However, I forgive him for the sake of good music.

Some words appart deserve the vocal works of Kai Hansen, which are particularly brilliant in the remakes of those songs that Ralph Scheepers sang once. In spite of Hansen limitations (compared to Scheepers' skills, of course!), Hansen's vocals rock! I remember Kai Hansen in the first Helloween EP, and I can see a very positive evolution. Now in GR he's really great!

This album can be qualified as a classic of modern times. I give four stars and a half to it. The half I don't give is because of those little defects I just signaled above. This is a carefully crafted production that resumes ten years of GR works. Buy it if you like good guitars and good vocals, and simple music that seems to be complex. Kai Hansen is a genius, and he really deserves respect. Kudos for him!

With the exception of Iron Maiden's double disc Best of the Beast, this is perhaps the 2nd finest 2 CD heavy metal retrospective ever created, packaged and released. Uniquely created since the band with it's most current and stable lineup over the years went back in a re-recorded the best songs from their debut Heading for Tomorrow to 1995 Land of the Free. All sounding so mush better and fitting accordingly into Gamma Ray's style of power metal they crank out today. A bonus track is also include to make the package more tempting for older Gamma fans as well as 3 songs each from Somewhere and Powerplant to round out this 2 disc, baeutifully package anthology with a booklet enclosed with pics and lyrics. A definite must own for all fans of Power Metal

Don't be fooled by those old song titles. This is not a "greatest hits" album. All the songs on disc 1 are all new recoreded. Kai Hansen re-did all the songs sung by Ralf Scheepers.

What a thrill to listen to Kai's voice on those old songs... Don't miss this one. Think of it as a new album from Gamma Ray.

My only complaint about this cd is that it does not list what cd a particular song on it came from i.e. it has no "taken from the .... cd" info...

Perhaps this is because the songs are "technically new" as Kai Hansen re-did the vocals and made a few other musical changes.

However, it would be nice to know anyway as it is the song that matters, where a great vocalist and added touches can make a great song much better, but great vocalist and added touches really can not do much to improve a bad song.

Given what was said above, knowing what cds these songs came from could encourage purchacing such cds that the songs originally came from.

The enclosed booklet, which prints the lyrics and photos, these songs were chosen by a poll of Gamma Ray fans.

As I have the Somewhere Out In Space cd... the re-doing of older songs; superior re-mastering of more recent songs; plus the addition of a bonus cut (not a superior song in my opinion); Gamma Ray, as other reviews have shown, have created a cd will appeal to those who have never bought a Gamma Ray cd before, appeal to those who have all GR cds and appeal to people like myself who have one or two GR cds.

This may be the way other "greatest hits" cds are packaged in the future.

Have to give it 10/10 for ingenuity

This is a masterpiece! Power Metal a level higher! This was my first Gamma Ray album, and I'd say it's the best! Oh, sure Land Of The Free's got some great songs, not included on this album, however, this take the BEST songs and places it in neat order, redone, ready to please your ears.

I've only been this impressed three times before: Dream Theater - Images & Words; Ayreon - Into The Electric Castle; and Fates Warning - A Pleasant Shade Of Grey.
Now, I can add Gamma Ray - Blast From The Past to that list!

Great highlights on this epic is Armageddon and The Silence. Mind you, by NO means does that mean the rest 'bites'. It sure doesn't!

Most songs on here are more than six-minutes in length, and one even exceeds fifteen-minutes! I personally cannot find anything wrong with this gem, as it is a requirement for any music fan's library.
My recomendation? Buy this damn good CD right now!

Funny - This is actually the first album by Gamma Ray that I've bought...and somehow it feels like I don't have to buy any other. This album seems to contain every good song that they have ever made + a lot of new material. Perhaps I like Disc 2 a little better because I'm a sucker for the faster songs. The average tracktime is 6+ minutes but somehow songs seems so much shorter because they are so varied. Value, Oh yes ! Both CD's are crammed with it ! Fans of well produced and well played speed/power-metal better buy this gem !

This well put together package includes some of Gamma Rays best offerings. The first thirteen tracks have been re-recorded by the current Gamma Ray lineup and all the rest of the tracks have been re-mastered. It is great to hear drummer Daniel Zimmermann play some of the band's music from past CDs. The production sounds great and I really enjoyed the guitar work of Henjo and Kai throughtout this CD. This is my favorite Gamma ray lineup and the new versions of older tracks sound really good. This is a "best of" CD that any fan of Gamma Ray should not miss.