Gamma Ray
Majestic

THE REVIEW

This is the first Gamma Ray album I've purchased, motivated by the excellent reviews I've read about it (and the fond memory of their live performance as an opener for the legendary Maiden about two years ago...). For this reason, I won't be able to say whether this latest work is better than the previous ones. However, I can certainly state that this album is an incredible blast.

It kicks off straight away with "My Temple", fast and epic, in pure power style; the following track "Fight" is no less, after a very brief string intro it continues with a very catchy and baroque chorus; the third track "Strange World" maintains the same level of epicness (with choruses, catchy riffs, and prominent keyboards). The beginning of the fourth track "Hell Is Thy Home" is something fantastic, with a riff that creates a super-fast gallop. As you continue listening, you become increasingly convinced that you hold a truly excellent work in your hands: tracks like "Condemned To Hell" (with a riff that is "harder" than the rest, reminiscent of Judas Priest), "Majesty" (which features an "Arabesque" melody and a tempo change halfway through, truly spot on to introduce the solo), and the final, sumptuous and lengthy "Revelation", further consolidate this idea. The singer and guitarist Kai Hansen is very convincing and in harmony with the epicness of the whole (his voice seems to me a cross between Kürsch and Kotipelto...), the drum work and the intertwining guitar make "Majestic" a true joy for the ears.

As is evident, Gamma Ray's latest work is convincing from all points of view: never a dull moment, truly pleasant and inspired melodies... in short, to all fans of bands like Blind Guardian, Helloween, Stratovarius and similar, I can only warmly recommend buying it blindly (you'll surely like it). For other metalheads... same.