The only thing I knew was that I wanted to go on making music and fulfil my vision of the songs I had,” says Kai Hansen about forming GAMMA RAY after leaving Helloween in 1988 – a vision that paid off.

For over 30 years and with a total of eleven studio albums, the Hamburg-based power metal band built around bandleader Kai Hansen has influenced and shaped the genre. The expressiveness of their music is also reflected in their energetic live shows, which was impressively captured on their long player “30 Years Live Anniversary” (2021).

With “Blast From The Past”, the German power metal icons GAMMA RAY return to their beginnings and revisit their first 10 years. The album with Kai Hansen on vocals is a cross-section of their studio albums released between 1990 and 1999.

“We said [to our fans]: ‘Choose three songs from each album'”, remembers Kai Hansen and the results formed “Blast From The Past”, originally released in 2000 and long out of print.

All songs have been remastered by producer Eike Freese for this reissue edition and it includes extensive linernotes by UK journalist Dave Everley (Kerrang!, Louder, Prog, Metal Hammer, amongst others). Based on an interview conducted with Kai Hansen, they provide an insight into the making of the album and the band’s history over the first 10 years.

Today, “Blast From The Past” with its iconic album cover by Derek Riggs (Iron Maiden) is finally available again. Along with the Limited 3CD Digipak Edition (including the rare “Skeletons & Majesties” mini-album as a bonus), the album is released digitally and for the first time ever on Vinyl LP.

In 20 powerful songs GAMMA RAY‘s Kai Hansen (lead vocals, guitar), Dirk Schlächter (bass), Henjo Richter (guitar) and Daniel Zimmermann (drums) underscore once again their status as one of the most important power metal bands of the last three decades.

Pre-order the album here: https://gammaray.lnk.to/BFTP

Who wants to get the chance to listen to another song taken from the upcoming album 30 YEARS LIVE ANNIVERSARY by one of Germany’s finest metal bands, GAMMA RAY? Here it is: The new video LUST FOR LIFE is out today available at https://youtu.be/ikbbZLdHHpI. It has been recorded during a show that has been arranged and recorded during the pandemic in 2020 to be streamed live due to the fact that shows had to take place without audiences. Make sure you don’t miss out pre-ordering the album!

This album is a very special release for GAMMA RAY. Germany‘s metal titans will not only celebrate their “30 YEARS LIVE ANNIVERSARY”. Furthermore, the show recorded for this album has taken place as a Live Streaming Event the band has arranged during the lockdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. “30 YEARS LIVE ANNIVERSARY” will be out as a limited 3xLP on coloured vinyl + Blu-ray (each of the 3 LPs on a different vinyl colour, not available in the US), a 3xLP on black vinyl + Blu-ray (will come without the Blu-ray in the US), a Digipak 2xCD + DVD, and a digital release of course.

All formats are now available at https://gammaray.lnk.to/LiveAnniversary!

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the German metal heroes GAMMA RAY decided to do a Live Streaming Event in 2020 and set up a big stage in the ISS Dome in Düsseldorf, Germany, on August 27. On their upcoming masterpiece “30 YEARS LIVE ANNIVERSARY”, the band would like to invite all of you to join their exclusive and only show in 2020 which has been streamed to all fans all over the globe. On September 10, This extraordinary show will be released as a double live album on both audio and video via earMUSIC. The first single taken from “30 YEARS LIVE ANNIVERSARY”, “LAND OF THE FREE”, will be out July 9 and is now available for pre-order at https://gammaray.lnk.to/LandOfFree