GAMMA RAY „“Hell Yeah! The Awesome Foursome” DVD”

Music: Power Metal
Country: Germany
Web site: www.gammaray.org
Cool Songs: Blood Religion, Valley of the Kings, Rebellion in Dreamland

Since Kai Hansen left power metal progenitors, HELLOWEEN, he has help steadily build GAMMA RAY into one of the best and most famous power metal bands in the world. “Hell Yeah! The Awesome Foursome” (which also contains the über-long subtitle “And the Finnish Keyboarder Who Didn’t Want to Wear His Donald Duck Costume”) provides visual evidence of the group’s worth. Consisting of two discs at over four-and-a-half hours of footage, this DVD contains just about everything a GAMMA RAY fan could possibly want…and then some.

Disc 1 contains a two-hour concert filmed in Montreal, Canada during their first North American tour in 2006. The second disc includes video clips, a road movie that documents the “Majestic” North American tour in 2006, live clips from Wacken appearances in 2003 and 2006, “Historay”-a collection of home movie footage taken from every era of the band’s existence, as well as an unplugged performance in Japan.

Both discs weigh heavy on live performances, capturing performances in medium sized clubs such as the Canadian show, and massive audiences at Wacken. Each member of GAMMA RAY, especially Hansen, shows a considerable amount of energy, which transfers into the crowd quite well. The group’s big choruses get each crowd singing along and clapping their hands. Hansen and Richter trade off magical leads and speedy riffs. Often Hansen’s golden voice and superb guitar skills push his name to the forefront, but the fill work of drummer Daniel Zimmermann definitely deserves credit. Each show has top-of-the-line lighting, and their sound comes across well. Richter’s guitar is a little low in the mix at the Canadian show and Hansen fails to hit full vocal crescendo in a couple parts, but mostly their sound is top notch.

The first disc is the more entertaining of the two. GAMMA RAY plays some of their best material here, which cannot be said about the video clips. They took the first couple videos from their early material, which leaves much to say. The videos are typical metal videos, having little connection to the theme of each track. The sci fi themes laid out in “Eagle” were the most impressive of all the videos.

The road movie documented how the band lived on the road during their North American tour. This portion showed the various foods the band ate, fans, North America’s natural beauty, backstage and tour bus shenanigans, and the multitude of cultures someone would encounter on a cross-country journey across North America. The “Historay” segment offered much of the same, although they took the footage from each era of the band’s history. Some of the more memorable footage came from a tour they did in Japan. A Japanese TV show aired footage of GAMMA RAY playing in Tokyo. Also of note is the band’s Egyptian-themed stage set during their shows in the far east.

All the footage found on “Hell Yeah!” proves why GAMMA RAY is one of the premier power metal bands in the world. The live album companion, which can be purchased separately or together as a boxed set, does not do the group justice like watching them perform. “Hell Yeah! The Awesome Foursome” is a visual gem that all fans of power and heavy metal should own!

note: 8.5/10

Tracklist

Disc 1
1. Welcome
2. Gardens Of The Sinner
3. No World Order
4. Man On A Mission
5. Fight
6. Blood Religion
7. Heavy Metal Universe
8. Dream Healer
9. Heart Of The Unicorn
10. Fairytale [acoustic version]
11. The Silence
12. Beyond The Black Hole
13. Valley Of The Kings
14. Somewhere Out In Space
15. Land Of The Free
16. Rebellion In Dreamland
17. I Want Out [Helloween cover]
18. Send Me A Sign
Disc 2
1. History
2. Road Movie USA 2006
3. Unplugged In Japan
4. Heavy Metal Universe (Video)
5. Space Eater (Video)
6. One With The World (Video)
7. Rebellion In Dreamland (Video)
8. Gamma Ray (Video)
9. Eagle (Video)
10. Send Me A Sign (Video)
11. One With The World (Live at Wacken 2006)
12. Last Before The Storm (Live at Wacken 2006)
13. Rebellion In Dreamland (Live at Wacken 2006)
14. Heavy Metal Universe (Live at Wacken 2006)
15. Somewhere Out In Space (Live at Wacken 2006)

Line-up

Kai Hansen – Vocals & Guitar
Henjo Richter – Guitar, Keyboards
Dirk Schlächter – Bass
Dan Zimmermann – Drums
Alessio Gori – Live Keyboards