No World Order

Gamma Ray | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 13, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Metal-Is
• ASIN: B00005RGH4
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #369,834 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Induction

2. Dethrone Tyranny

3. The Heart of the Unicorn

4. Heaven or Hell

5. New World Order

6. Damn the Machine

7. Solid

8. Fire Below

9. Follow Me

10. Eagle

11. Lake of Tears

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly good amalgam of prog and power metal influences, April 10, 2002

By 

Just Bill (Grand Rapids, MI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: No World Order (Audio CD)

No World Order! is my first Gamma Ray CD. But it won't be my last.

Vocalist/guitarist Kai Hansen (formerly of Helloween) has a voice that's a cross between Hansi Kursch of the German symphonic metal band Blind Guardian, Nick Barrett of Britian's neo-prog favorites Pendragon and even (on "The Heart of the Unicorn") a bit of the screech of AC/DC's Brian Johnson.

But Kai's voice is better than all of the above-named artists. He sounds obviously non-American (much like Nick Barrett), but that doesn't detract from the songs.

On the contrary, Kai's voice soars above the instruments, reaching notes that surprised me (particularly on "Solid," the seventh track).

The first two tracks (the tone-setting "Induction" and the fast-paced "Dethrone Tyranny") sound so much like Blind Guardian that I'd swear I was listening to the latest BG release. The production sound is huge. And the vocals are layered one upon the other to create an anthemic sound that either pays tribute to Blind Guardian or rips them off shamelessly. Either way, it's a sound that you either love or hate. I happen to love it.

A friend of mine recently wrote, "I don't like Gamma Ray at all. Can't recommend them. It's all speed, mediocre chops, awful vocals." I almost didn't buy No World Order! because of his opinion.

Boy am I glad I didn't listen to his assessment. No World Order! has been my latest favorite disc, playing almost non-stop for two days. (And now I'm trying to get him to listen to No World Order! because I think he severely underestimated this German band.)

I find Gamma Ray to be exceptionally listenable and enjoyable. The songs are uplifting, well-crafted and creative. Even some of the guitar riffs took me by surprise. The title track, for instance. It begins with a killer riff and high-hat intro that sound more in common with Motely Crue than with speed metal of today.

As other reviewers have pointed out, No World Order! is about a secret society (the Illuminati) that tryannically rules the world. It's not necessarily the most original theme for a concept album, but it is one of the more realistic.

Other favorite tracks include "Solid," which has a Judas Priest-like guitar riff and soaring vocal.

"Fire Below" is another Judas Priest-like track. Great guitar riff. More like an '80s metal band than one from 2002. I like that. A lot.

No World Order! is a remarkable CD and one I recommend highly. The songs are melodic, upbeat and driving. The guitar solos are like those from the shredders of old: fast, furious and plentiful. Just the way I like them.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Their best post-Ralf Scheeppers album., January 21, 2002

By 

I. MUNOZ (Montreal, PQ, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: No World Order (Audio CD)

This is arguably the best album from Gamma Ray (GR) since Ralf Scheeppers left, and the second one after the "Heading For Tomorrow" -Of course, I exclude the "Blast From The Past", which is a "best-of..." release.

I perceive NWO as a return to the Hansen's roots of pure, simple and sincere power metal. It sounds as the Helloween of the époque of "Walls Of Jericho", but much more mature and refined. All along this CD you will enjoy the great vocals and choirs from Kai Hansen, the impressive guitar work (which does not abuse this time of our patience, but maintains the high-quality soloing!) of Richter and Hansen, the Zimmermann's drumming, the superb production and the solid musical arrangements.

All the songs are well-equilibrated and impressively played. Zimmermann's "Damn The Machine" and "Dethrone Tyranny" have a fresh sound, which adds a lot to the value of this album. "Solid", though childish, is a great tune that demonstrates Hansen's songwriting abilities, as well as the "Painkilleresque" "The Heart Of the Unicorn". Richter's "Helloweenesque" "Follow Me" is also very good and deserves to be mentioned. Finally, the ballad "Lake Of Tears" shows some Blind Guardian's influences and is effective in reaching some emotive peaks to close the album.

In general, GR has done a great job this time. I should mention however that you won't find any innovative composition here, nor very smart lyrics. I must also say that "Trouble" (from the Japanese version) is really a BAD song, and that "Heaven Or Hell" and "New World Order" are both a little bit cheesy and evident. Final score: Four stars. Nevertheless, this album is a must have for power metal fans, and mandatory for GR followers -like myself ;-) Just go for it now! -you won't regret after all ;-)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Album, October 13, 2004

By 

A metal fan "Tim" (St. Louis, MI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: No World Order (Audio CD)

I've been a Helloween fan since I bought Keepers Part 1 back in '87 and then Wall of Jerico after that. But I never gave Gamma Ray a chance until much later. I love Wall's music especially Kai and Mike's guitar, but I only tolerated Kai's vocal which sorta led me to stay away from Gamma Ray. Then 2001 game along and I visited Gamma's official web-site for the first time and listened to sound samples of there music and to my superise they were awesome. I rushed out to the mall and No World Order was the only release that the store had so I bought it and it changed my attitude of Kai. His vocals over the years have improved greatly and his guitar playing is better then ever. NWO became one of the faves and most listen too cd in my collection. Dethrone Tyranny displays his Helloween roots. A great melodic speed metal tune. The Heart of the Unicore sounds like something that came off of Judas Priest's Painkiller album (another much listened to album.) Heavy rhythms, high pitched vocals and killer solos. Other highlights include New World Order, Damn the Machine, and Solid. Lake of Tears is nice power ballad that really showed me how much Kai's vocals have evolved over the years. If you are new to Gamma Ray, buy this CD you won't be disappointed, (unless you're not a fan of melodic power metal.)