Gamma Ray
Land Of The Free

THE REVIEW

We are in 1995, and it's been five and a half years since the German guitarist Kai Hansen left the Helloween on bad terms due to differences of opinion, especially with Michael Weikath.
The band Gamma Ray, founded by Hansen, was seen by many as a kind of personal outlet and revenge against the ungrateful "pumpkins"; a way to tell them "Ok guys, you want to abandon the early power metal that brought us so much success to dedicate yourselves to more glam atmospheres? Then I'll leave and start my own band".
Said and done, Gamma Ray arrives... and let's say it, with the first 3 albums they were a half fiasco; diluted and bland Power that didn't even remotely recall the first Helloween. Has Kai Hansen lost his touch? What was he thinking?

No one ever managed to understand it...but the fact is that when this Land Of The Free came out, the fourth work of Gamma, everyone hailed it as a miracle.
The real Helloween were reborn thanks to Kai's magic.
A fantastic album that contributed to reviving Metal in those dark years, the ultimate pinnacle of Power.
This work almost seems like the follow-up to Walls Of Jericho by the early Helloween, or rather, the son that surpasses the father. Furthermore, Hansen returns to vocals and is clearly improved from when he sang with the "pumpkins"....phenomenal riffs, engaging structures, masterful solos and arpeggios. Everything Kai knows how to do is brought out with this work, writing almost all the tracks himself.

An arpeggio introduces the wonderful Rebellion In Dreamland, continuing with the ultra-powerful Man On A Mission, a masterpiece of power and melody, the 50 seconds of Fairytale make one angry because developing it into a full song could have resulted in another masterpiece, with All Of The Damned and Gods Of Deliverance closing the phenomenal first part of the album.
It's time for the ballad Farewell (featuring Blind Guardian's leader Hansi Kürsch, a great friend of Kai) that breaks the frenetic rhythm, but it picks up immediately after with other anthology-worthy Power tunes: Salvation's Calling, the title track Land Of The Free and Abyss Of The Void.
It continues with the only weak track of the album, which doesn’t damage the work at all, Time To Break Free, sung by the legendary Michael Kiske, former vocalist of the early Helloween.
The splendid and moving final track, Afterlife, is dedicated to the suicide of Ingo Schwichtenberg, former drummer of the first 3 Helloween albums, testifying to Kai's connection with his old band and the longing for continuity with that group.
An essential album for all lovers of Power and Metal in general, a must-have for nostalgics of the early Helloween.