Gamma Ray – Alive ’95 (2017)

2017 is definitely a goood year for fans of Kai Hansen. Earlier this year we had the release of two live albums – Unisonic’s “Live at Wacken” and Kai Hansen and friends “Thank you Wacken”. We’ve also got another release from Kai Hansen due for release at the end of September – Gamma Ray’s fourth album, “Land of the free”. The same day, earMUSIC are also re-releasing another Gamma Ray album – Alive ’95.

As with “Land of the free”, this re-release has been remastered by Eike Freese and comes with a bonus CD.

Alive ’95 was recorded on the tour that followed the release of “Land of the free”, which was a turning point for Gamma Ray as it was the first album to feature Kai Hansen on lead vocals following the departure of Ralf Scheepers. This remastered version of the album sounds great and has really stood the test of time well. As it was recorded on the tour following the release of “Land of the free” then it’s no surprise that half the songs come from that album along with covers of songs from Helloween, Holocaust and Iggy Pop.

The second CD is a nice bonus as since Alive ’95 is the band’s first live album, there hasn’t been a live release featuring Ralf Scheepers on vocals, so to find that this second disc is made up of songs recorded live in 1193 with Ralf Scheepers is a real treat. He has a fantastic voice for this type of music with an impressive vocal range and lots of power and that’s clear to hear here.

It’s a great re-release with the bonus material making it an essential purchase for Gamma Ray fans.

Alive ’95 will be re-released on 29th September 2017

Track listing:

CD1

1. Land of the free
2. Man on a mission
3. Rebellion in dreamland
4. Space eater
5. Fairytale
6. Tribute to the past
7. Heal me
8. The saviour
9. Abyss of the void
10. Ride the sky (Helloween cover)
11. Future world (Helloween cover)
12. Heavy metal mania (Holocaust cover)
13. Lust for life (Iggy Pop cover) – Non-European bonus track

CD2

1. No return
2. Changes
3. Insanity and genius
4. Last before the storm
5. Future madhouse
6. Heading for tomorrow