Gamma Ray (band)

History

In 1988, guitarist and songwriter Kai Hansen parted ways with Helloween after a four-year stint. He said the band had grown too big for him, though financial troubles and issues with their label Noise Records likely contributed. Hansen did some studio work with Blind Guardian, then in 1989 started a project with longtime friend Ralf Scheepers, who had sung for Tyran Pace. What began as a duo became a quartet with bassist Uwe Wessel and drummer Mathias Burchardt. This first Gamma Ray lineup naturally sounded a lot like Helloween at the time.

The original group put out the album Heading for Tomorrow in February 1990, followed later that year by the Heaven Can Wait EP, which featured new guitarist Dirk Schlächter and new drummer Uli Kusch. In February 1991, the band rehearsed for their second album in a small, remote Danish house. With fresh material ready, they worked with producer Tommy Newton to record Sigh No More, released that September. The album was much darker than its predecessor, with lyrics inspired by the ongoing Persian Gulf War. A 50-date world tour followed.

After a Japanese tour in early 1991, the rhythm section—Wessel and Kusch—left over a personal dispute. They were replaced by bassist Jan Rubach and drummer Thomas Nack, both from the Hamburg band Anesthesia. Gamma Ray then started building their own studio, delaying work on the next album until 1993. Insanity and Genius came out in June 1993, sounding more like Heading for Tomorrow than Sigh No More. That September, the band joined Rage, Helicon, and Conception for the Melodic Metal Strikes Back tour. This tour led to the double CD Power of Metal and the videos Power of Metal and Lust for Live, both released in December.