Customer Reviews

No World Order

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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 ;-)

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.)

I won't do a long review because all that really needs to be said about it is that this CD KICKS ARSE!

It starts out with 1:30 grand epic vocal intro to the Illuminati. From there it kicks into high gear and doesn't let up until the last track.

Gamma Ray does a masterful job at mixing high powered rythm's with epic vocals. The guitar work is sensational, ranging from crundhing headbangers (Damn the Machine, Fire Below, Heart of the Unicorn) to thrash (Dethrone Tyrany) to accoustic (Lake of Tears). Kai Hansen, as usual, displays a vocal range few others can claim. The sound quality and production is top notch. There's nothing I don't like about this CD. I think it's their best CD yet.

If you're looking for something new and different than you probably won't find it in NWO. But if you love classic Gamma Ray and want to hear power metal done to perfection, than you defintely won't want to miss this one. Superb!

Gamma Ray will always be compared somehow with Helloween, considering that Kai Hansen (guitar & vocals) of Helloween started this band...but there's lots of elements of modern prog bands and bombastic rock groups like Queen that make their influences clear within these songs.

this cd starts off with a great rousing intro that sounds majestic and gets the listener ready for this album, which is based on "the idea of a global conspiracy by powerful secret societies." - so say the liner notes. oh...i suppose the dollar sign shaped space ships on the cover should have given it away.

after the intro, the band dive into the anthemic (aw hell...there all anthemic, aren't they?) "Dethrone Tyranny." and the melodic power metal just keeps coming...the riffs are solid, the bass tight, the drums speedy, and the vocals soaring. all the songs keep a breakneck pace and powerful speed until the obligatory ballad "Lake Of Tears" closes out the album in fine lighter-in-the-air fashion.

overall, alot of these songs don't really grab me and stick with me; but, there's not much on here for the average Gamma Ray fan (or power metal fan) to gripe about.
next!

I knwo that hardcores fans of a band normally get too much excited about a new release by their favourite band, and say it's their best ever.

I'm not a hardcore Gamma Ray fan, because I do not own all of them official releases. I've got Insanity and Genius, Land of The Free, Somewhere Out in Space, Blast From The Past and, now No World Order. I must also say that sometime ago I got rid of Sigh No More, an album I did not like at all, and also that I never completely enjoyed Ralf Scheepes's vocals.

So, from the albums I own, NO WORLD ORDER is by far their best album. It tops even LAND OF THE FREE, because production is better, at the hands of Kai Hansen and Dirk Schlachter (the album was recorded at Kai Hansen'studios, at Hamburg). Also, this album has a more straight-a hard rock / metal sound, it's less progressive metal or totally power metal. THis can be testified by the HUGE amount of influences that one can notice along the songs, mainly Judas Priest.

I enjoyed all the tunes, except the last one, "Lake Of Tears" (I found it a really pedestrian power ballad).

Anyway, it's clear to me now that Gamma Ray totally blows away the competition of European power metal bands like Running Wild, Grave Digger, Stratovarius, Rhapsody, HammerFall, Nocturnal Rites, etc.

Let's be honest. We don't listen to Gamma Ray for innovation. Kai Hansen did his innovating years ago, when he helped father the evolution of metal we now call "power metal."

So how does a father of today's metal continue his legacy? By doing it better than everyone else, of course. NWO is without a doubt one of the best executed musical slabs ever created. The songs and the mix are so powerful you might feel as if you injected yourself with a dose of steroids after the first listen. My God, this is a masterpiece. Not because GR are treading new ground, but because they're taking the rock on which they stand and pulverizing it into rubble.

IMHO this is it. This is the pinnacle of GR. I don't think it's possible to play Power Metal with any more...well...."power," than this. At least not for this group of musicians. It's perfect, for them. And if you've never heard Gamma Ray, you can absolutely start with NWO and then branch out to other albums.

I should note that recently, I was priviledged to witness Gamma Ray at ProgPowerIII in Atlanta, GA. Hopefully there will be many more chances for everyone to witness one of their shows.

I could not wait for this record to be released. And when I finally got my copy, I was not disappointed. From the first notes, it feels like classic Gamma Ray.

This is a concept album set around a story about secret societies taking over the planet. Through great music, lyrics and performance Gamma Ray make the story into a world class record that is comparable with "Somewhere Out In Space". Furthermore, each song viewed on it's own does not lose it's appeal as it happens with songs from concept-albums by other bands. The even squeezed in a great ballad that fits right in.

If you are a power-metal, prog, or or heavy-metal fan, this album is definetely for you.

This CD has EVERYTHING a metal fan could want.....Power, Emotion, Chops, Excellent Writing....This is such a cool album. The guitar tone reminds me of Maiden's Piece of Mind Era!!! Every song is better than the previous....A no brainer for metal fans....

This is Gamma Ray's best effort to date. They slow down their pace a little and add more power to the guitars. Very clearly influenced by Judas Priest. There are no fillers or boring ballads on this CD just driving Heavy Metal. Even if you're not a fan of Helloween or Gamma Ray do yourself a favor and give this one a listen. You will not be dissapointed. Everyone of my Metal friends that have heard this love it!!