Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A metallic classic, August 21, 2000
When I heard "Tribute to the Past" for the first time a couple of years ago, I knew I had to buy this album. It has to be one of the greatest heavy metal songs ever recorded....every second is pure heavy metal bliss. But it's by no means the only classic on this masterpiece of a record....."No return", "Gamma Ray" and the title track are all melodic heavy metal at its best. This is also the most progressive of all GR albums, just listen to songs such as "Heal me" and "the Cave Principle". Songs like these have been missing from their more recent works. The only letdown of the CD is the 3r track, 'Last before the storm', which is a your standard, predictable metal song. But all the other 10 tracks are GREAT. This is definitely one of the most underrated heavy metal albums of all time, easily the best Gamma Ray record out there. Though Kai's not a bad singer, his vocals are no match to Ralf's and in my books Gamma Ray has never been the same since Ralf left. But this album is a classic, I recommend it to anyone who has a thing for great melodies, skillful musicianship, powerful vocals and all those things that make Gamma Ray a metallic powerhouse.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Back on Track, August 28, 2006
After their somewhat uneven second album Sigh No More, German power metal gods Gamma Ray came roaring back with their 1993 album Insanity & Genius.
Insanity & Genius is an extremely solid album full of melodic power metal anthems. Soon to be departing vocalist Ralf Scheepers gives an energetic performance, and founder Kai Hansen's guitar work and songwriting are every bit as good as they were on the band's debut. No Return, Future Madhouse, and Heal Me are some of the album's better songs, as is the excellent title track. The band's cover of Birth Control's "Gamma Ray" is the album's highlight. Kai & company make it seem as though the song was written just for them. This is top notch power metal all the way, and it only gets better from here!
I suppose it goes without saying that Gamma Ray would appeal to Helloween fans. Fans of the more recent power metal bands like Sonata Arctica, Freedom Call, Edguy and Hammerfall also owe it to themselves to check out Gamma Ray, and Insanity & Genius is a good album to start with.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Ralf will be missed......, November 1, 2005
After the letdown of "Sigh No More" and the departure of Uwe Wessel and Uli Kusch, newcomers Thomas Nack and Jan Rubach join Ralf Scheepers, Dirk Schlchter and Kai Hansen to craft one of Gamma Ray's most underrated albums, "Insanity & Genius". The album starts out with "Tribute to the Past", a raucous tune that proves Nack and Rubach have the skills to hang with Kai & Co. From there it moves onto "No Return" and "Last Before the Storm", decent enough songs that seem to lack that little extra something to move them beyond your typical power metal songs.
"The Cave Principle" is Gamma Ray's first foray into a semi-alternative sound, and tends to plod along in an unimaginative way. "Future Madhouse", the first single off the album, is a catchy power metal frenzy that returns the band to its "Heading for Tomorrow" roots. The cover version of Birth Control's "Gamma Ray" is well done and translates well to the band's genre.
Next come two of the best Scheepers-era songs, "Insanity and Genius" and "18 Years". "18 Years" especially, has Scheepers singing his heart out and hitting notes that defy human physics. The man is THAT damn good.
The album goes downhill in my opinion with "Your Turn is Over", but is picked up by one of the best songs on the album, the quirky yet powerful "Heal Me". Schlchter sings lead on "Turn", quite badly at that, while Hansen handles the vox on "Heal Me". "Turn" breaks up the continuity of the album and makes you wonder just how much better it might have sounded with Ralf singing it, but Kai saves the day with his singing and playing on "Heal Me". "Brothers" rounds out the album, an anthemic finale that signals Scheepers' departure from the band.
Overall the album is infinitely better than "Sigh No More", and returns the band to its power metal roots that it departed from on "Sigh". It's unfortunate that Scheepers (who was looking to become Judas Priest's new vocalist at the time the album and tour got underway) departed after the album, as Nack and Rubach infused the band with a much needed spark. If you can get the re-release so much the better; it contains three bonus tracks: A longer version of "Gamma Ray", as well as an awesome cover of Judas Priest's "Exciter" and an even more awesome cover of the Helloween classic "Save Us", which Ralf handles as well as, if not better than, Michael Kiske. Highly recommended.
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