Land of the Free (Gamma Ray album)
Land of the Free is the fourth studio album by German power metal band Gamma Ray, released in 1995. Continuing a trend that would conclude with the band's fifth studio release, the lineup for the album was different from the previous one, as Land of the Free was the first Gamma Ray album to be released since the departure of Ralf Scheepers, leaving Kai Hansen to take up lead vocals. While not his first stint as a vocalist (Hansen had sung lead for Helloween until 1987 and had also recorded lead vocals on "Heal Me" from Insanity and Genius), it would be the first time he had performed lead vocals exclusively in 8 years.
| Land of the Free | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 29 May 1995 18 March 2003 (Re-release) | |||
| Recorded | 1994-1995, R.A.S.H. Studio Gelsenkirchen (Drums), Hansen Studio, Hamburg, Germany | |||
| Genre | Power metal | |||
| Length | 56:43 | |||
| Label | Noise | |||
| Producer | Charlie Bauerfeind, Kai Hansen, Dirk Schlächter | |||
| Gamma Ray chronology | ||||
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Additionally, bassist Jan Rubach was to swap positions with guitarist Dirk Schlächter. Rubach initially agreed, but then resisted making the move. Rubach and drummer Thomas Nack instead decided to leave Gamma Ray. Rubach left towards the tail end of Men on a Tour; Schlächter took over the bass duties and Henjo Richter took over as the second guitarist. Nack would complete the tour and then leave, with both Rubach and Nack rejoining their former band Anesthesia.
Michael Kiske (ex-Helloween) and Hansi Kürsch (Blind Guardian) were featured on the album as guest vocalists.
The track "Afterlife" was written as a tribute to Ingo Schwichtenberg, Kai Hansen's former bandmate in Helloween, who committed suicide prior to the album's release.
Along with most of the band's past catalogue, the album was re-released in 2003 with a different cover and expanded track list which featured three tracks that had either appeared as bonuses on various editions of the album (namely "Heavy Metal Mania", which was a Japanese bonus track on the original release) or were unreleased tracks.
The face of the figure in the cover is the same of the Helloween album Walls of Jericho.
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Metal Storm | 9/10[2] |
| Sputnikmusic | 5/5[3] |
Critics praised the album, with Antti J. Ravelin of AllMusic stating that it served "the definition of power metal well and is indeed one of the most metal albums of the late '90s".[1]
The album was ranked by Loudwire at fourth in their list "Top 25 Power Metal Albums of All Time."[4] ThoughtCo also named it in their list "Essential Power Metal Albums."[5]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rebellion in Dreamland" | Kai Hansen | Hansen | 8:44 |
| 2. | "Man on a Mission" | Hansen | Hansen | 5:49 |
| 3. | "Fairytale" | Hansen | Hansen | 0:50 |
| 4. | "All of the Damned" | Hansen | Hansen | 5:00 |
| 5. | "Rising of the Damned" | Hansen | Hansen | 0:43 |
| 6. | "Gods of Deliverance" | Hansen | Jan Rubach | 5:01 |
| 7. | "Farewell" (feat. Hansi Kürsch) | Dirk Schlächter | Schlächter | 5:11 |
| 8. | "Salvation's Calling" | Rubach | Rubach | 4:36 |
| 9. | "Land of the Free" (feat. Michael Kiske) | Hansen | Hansen | 4:38 |
| 10. | "The Saviour" | Hansen | Hansen | 0:40 |
| 11. | "Abyss of the Void" | Hansen | Hansen | 6:04 |
| 12. | "Time to Break Free" (feat. Michael Kiske) | Hansen | Hansen | 4:40 |
| 13. | "Afterlife" | Hansen | Rubach | 4:46 |
2003 bonus tracks
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Heavy Metal Mania" (Holocaust cover) | John Mortimer | Mortimer | 4:49 |
| 15. | "As Time Goes By" (pre-production version) | Hansen, Piet Sielck | Hansen, Sielck | 4:53 |
| 16. | "The Silence '95" | Hansen | Hansen | 6:29 |
- "Heavy Metal Mania" and "As Time Goes By (pre-production version)" also appear on the Rebellion in Dreamland EP.
- "The Silence '95" also appears on the Silent Miracles EP.
Anniversary Edition Bonus Disc
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Heavy Metal Mania" | |
| 2. | "As Time Goes By (Pre-production Version)" | |
| 3. | "The Silence '95" | |
| 4. | "Dream Healer (Instrumental)" | |
| 5. | "Tribute to the Past (Instrumental)" | |
| 6. | "Heaven Can Wait (Instrumental)" | |
| 7. | "Valley of the Kings (Instrumental)" |
Personnel
Gamma Ray
- Kai Hansen – lead vocals (all but 12), guitars
- Dirk Schlächter – guitars, keyboards
- Jan Rubach – bass
- Thomas Nack – drums, backing vocals
Guest musicians
- Sascha Paeth – keyboards
- Hansi Kürsch – co-lead (7) and backing (9, 11) vocals
- Michael Kiske – lead (12), co-lead (9) and backing (9) vocals
References
- Ravelin, Antti J. "Land of the Free - Gamma Ray | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- Deity, Fierce (June 20, 2005). "Gamma Ray - Land Of The Free review". Metal Storm. Retrieved August 1, 2011.
- Stagno, Mike (September 22, 2006). "Gamma Ray - Land of the Free (album review ) | Sputnikmusic". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved August 1, 2011.
- DiVita, Joe (July 5, 2017). "Top 25 Power Metal Albums of All Time". Loudwire. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
- Marsicano, Dan. "Essential Power Metal Albums". ThoughtCo. Archived from the original on October 29, 2018. Retrieved August 18, 2019.