With Helloweek 2025 fresh behind us, I thought it would be interesting to take a deep dive into the discography of another band that features Kai Hansen, namely Gamma Ray. Hansen started Gamma Ray shortly after leaving Helloween in 1989 with Ralf Scheepers, who would later become the frontman of Primal Fear. Gamma Ray started as a project, but quickly evolved into a band with a fairly solid line-up. Although Hansen is the only original member left, Dirk Schlächter has been part of the band since 1990, alternating between bass and guitar, while guitarist Henjo Richter joined in 1997.

Unsurprisingly, Gamma Ray tends to sound a lot like the material Hansen wrote for Helloween. After all, Hansen left Helloween because he stopped having fun, not because he didn’t like the music. His well-documented love for Queen is notably more prominent in Gamma Ray’s music, though, and they occasionally got more complex than Helloween was in the eighties. Also, once Gamma Ray started transforming into a band rather than a project, other members than Hansen increasingly contributed to the songwriting, adding a nice extra dimension to expand upon the sound Hansen pioneered.

As a young teenager, I rabidly devoured Gamma Ray’s music, and I still like most of it a lot. They are in many ways the quintessential European power metal band to me. Compared to Helloween, Gamma Ray is slightly more aggressive, and the extremely busy guitar arrangements were exactly what I was looking for as a youngster. Their excellent run of albums between 1995 and 2005 is perhaps the most impressive one in German power metal history. And yet, Gamma Ray’s discography is one of ups and downs, though even the lowest-ranking one is not without its share of highlights.

11. Heading for Tomorrow (1990)

In a way, I’m willing to overlook the inconsistencies of Gamma Ray’s debut album ‘Heading for Tomorrow’. Hansen sounds like a man unburdened by the constraints of his previous band here, and despite Ralf Scheepers being locked down as the lead singer, Gamma Ray was really more of a project than a band at this point. But that doesn’t mean listening through the entire album is enjoyable to me. There are a few great power metal songs here, the downright incredible opening track ‘Lust for Life’ in particular, but there are just as many throwaway tracks that are even sillier than Helloween at their worst. A decent debut, but Gamma Ray would get much better, and it wouldn’t take them long.

Recommended tracks: ‘Lust for Life’, ‘Hold Your Ground’, ‘Heading for Tomorrow’

10. To the Metal! (2010)

Stylistically, I should enjoy ‘To the Metal!’ much more than some of the albums that are higher on this list, most notably ‘Land of the Free II’. But although the riffs are slightly more aggressive this time around, the album is plagued by many of the same issues. In fact, multiple songs that start with really cool, borderline thrashy riff work culminate in happy choruses that kill all momentum the song built up. It’s not all bad though. The dark, brooding ‘Empathy’ opener might just be my favorite post-‘Majestic’ Gamma Ray song, and the album does pick up a bit of steam near the end. There’s just too much stuff that feels like Gamma Ray on auto-pilot here though.

Recommended tracks: ‘Empathy’, ‘Deadlands’, ‘Chasing Shadows’

9. Insanity and Genius (1994)

‘Insanity and Genius’ is… Weird. It is without a doubt the most experimental Gamma Ray album, even more so than ‘Heading for Tomorrow’, and that fearless “let’s throw everything against the wall and see what sticks” approach deserves a certain amount of respect. There are some fantastic power metal songs on here, though it needs to be said that the ones that were re-recorded for ‘Blast from the Past’ generally sound better in those arrangements. ‘Last Before the Storm’ in particular. A majority of the songs is fine on its own, but as a full album listening experience, ‘Insanity and Genius’ never entirely comes together, possibly because of too many consecutive experiments of varying quality in the middle.

Recommended tracks: ‘Tribute to the Past’, ‘Future Madhouse’, ‘Heal Me’

8. Land of the Free II (2007)

All these years later, I wonder if the simple fact that Gamma Ray chose to name their ninth studio album a sequel to arguably their best-loved album was the main reason why it disappointed me so much. It’s perfectly fine, though the fact that it’s a bit more upbeat definitely still makes me enjoy it significantly less than the preceding albums. Also, there are some silly moments that more or less take the sting out of a few songs. Which is a shame, because I quite enjoyed ‘Rain’ before Hansen asked where his Superman outfit is. ‘Land of the Free II’ is decent enough, and its highlights are great, but the album as a whole is still lacking.

Recommended tracks: ‘Real World’, ‘Leaving Hell’, ‘When the World’

7. Power Plant (1999)

‘Power Plant’ is a fan favorite, and the highlights are among the best work the band has ever recorded – ‘Send Me a Sign’ in particular is a melodic metal masterpiece, and a top three Gamma Ray song for me. And yet, there are so many songs on ‘Power Plant’ that I forget the second they are over. While the more streamlined approach to songwriting compared to its predecessor is welcome, there just aren’t many truly great songs on the album. After the first three songs, the next great song is closer ‘Armageddon’. Everything in the middle coasts along pleasantly enough, and the Pet Shop Boys cover ‘It’s a Sin’ is well done. ‘Power Plant’ is easily my least favorite of the classic Gamma Ray albums though.

Recommended tracks: ‘Send Me a Sign’, ‘Anywhere in the Galaxy’, ‘Armageddon’

6. No World Order! (2001)

If there is something like a median Gamma Ray album, ‘No World Order!’ would be it. The album contains everything one has come to expect from a Hansen-fronted Gamma Ray album, with maybe a slightly more aggressive tone, especially when compared to its predecessors. ‘No World Order!’ is probably the first Gamma Ray album I bought on release day, and even back then, as an uncritical teenage fan, something didn’t sit right with me about the blatant plagiarism on some of the tracks, either from their own past (umpteenth ‘I Want Out’ rewrite ‘Heaven or Hell’) or from other artists (‘Solid’). Also, some songs just miss the mark, especially near the end. When ‘No World Order!’ hits, however, it hits hard.

Recommended tracks: ‘Eagle’, ‘Dethrone Tyranny’, ‘The Hart of the Unicorn’

5. Empire of the Undead (2014)

When ‘Empire of the Undead‘ was released, it felt like a breath of fresh air after two decent, but ultimately disappointing Gamma Ray albums. Through the years, I have gradually started appreciating the album even more. There are one or two songs that could have been left on the cutting room floor, but the overall sound is the perfect balance between surprisingly aggressive riffs and melodic themes. Gamma Ray certainly sounds revitalized here, and a bit cynical as well, which in my opinion always improves their sound. ‘Empire of the Undead’ has a certain bite and energy that I thought Gamma Ray had lost, and it still sounds great.

Recommended tracks: ‘Seven’, ‘Avalon’, ‘Hellbent’

4. Somewhere Out in Space (1997)

As the first Gamma Ray album to fully embrace the space theme, and one that contains its fair share of live staples, ‘Somewhere Out in Space’ having the status of a fan favorite is justified. But dear lord, this can be a messy album at times. The arrangements are unbelievably busy, and some songs feature transitions that are jarringly abrupt. When ‘Somewhere Out in Space’ is good, however, it is some of the best European power metal released in the nineties. The melancholic epic ‘The Winged Horse’ is a top three Gamma Ray song for me, but it doesn’t get talked about all that much. That may simply be the case of there being so much material on the album, though, most of it being great.

Recommended tracks: ‘The Winged Horse’, ‘Valley of the Kings’, ‘Somewhere Out in Space’

3. Majestic (2005)

‘Majestic’ was the last of what is generally considered to be Gamma Ray’s string of classic albums, and it’s one of their best in general. While it didn’t spawn as many live staples as earlier albums, the songwriting quality is consistently high, and there is a dark, cynical intensity to the album that benefits the overall sound, though crucially, the band isn’t as obvious about it as they are on many of their other darker albums. Instead, they focused on writing the best material they possibly could at the time, and it paid off. There is a nice variety of tempos and styles, and I genuinely think ‘Majestic’ is better than some of the fan favorites.

Recommended tracks: ‘Majesty’, ‘Hell Is Thy Home’, ‘My Temple’, ‘Blood Religion’

2. Sigh No More (1991)

Back when I was getting into Gamma Ray, their sophomore album ‘Sigh No More‘ was by far their most hated album, and I never understood why. Maybe because it is completely devoid of the silliness that the surrounding albums had, but that is a massive benefit to me. Yes, ‘Sigh No More’ is certainly a dark album by Gamma Ray standards, with multiple sarcastic looks at the geopolitical landscape of the early nineties. It also contains some of Gamma Ray’s most impressive songwriting to date. The album is full of fantastic riffs and strong melodies, that just happen to be a bit more melancholic than before. I also feel like public opinion glosses over the fact that there is still a lot of fantastic speedy power metal here.

Recommended tracks: ‘Dream Healer’, ‘As Time Goes By’, ‘One with the World’

1. Land of the Free (1995)

Since it is the blueprint for what Gamma Ray would be for the rest of their career, I suspect that nearly every fan of the band has ‘Land of the Free’ at least in their top three, and most of them likely in the top spot. More importantly, though, the album is home to a consistently amazing set of songs. There isn’t a single weak song on ‘Land of the Free’. Whether it’s blazing power metal like the title track or ‘Man on a Mission’, epics like the incredible opening track ‘Rebellion in Dreamland’, or more hard rocking stuff like ‘All of the Damned’: this is what European power metal should sound like. It’s quite a bit more creative than what most imitators of this album do as well. ‘Land of the Free’ belongs in every power metal collection.

Recommended tracks: ‘Rebellion in Dreamland’, ‘Man on a Mission’, ‘Land of the Free’