Los Angeles residents bathed in Gamma Rays
Hamburg-based Gamma Ray have long been one of my very favorite long-haired freak bands. All of their albums feature strong songwriting, muscular musicianship, and that tricky combination of variety and dependability which is so difficult for most to achieve.
Early next month, the Rays will sweep through So Cal for two live shows; on May 9 they will be in Santa Ana (performing at the Galaxy Theatre) and on the 10th they will settle on Hollywood, at the Key Club. These two dates will mark the first time that Gamma Ray have ever made a live appearance on the West Coast.
Don’t be frightened away — I can’t speak for the audience but I can speak for the guys on-stage. Gamma Ray are energetic, upbeat, bloody nice guys, and about the best musicians you could ever realistically expect to find. If you have even the slightest twinge of curiosity (or even if you don’t) I strongly urge you to stop by and see their show. This is not music where the bandmembers barf on the audience and sing songs about how they love Satan. This is fun, brisk (sometimes intensely brisk) guitar-based jams that should prove entertaining to any fan of rock music.
A quick history lesson: Gamma Ray were formed in the ancient times (1989) by Kai Hansen, who had surprised the rock world by announcing his departure from rising stars Helloween, then at the peak of their popularity. In my opinion, it was all downhill for Helloween from there, but for Kai and his new group, it was the establishment of one of the most enduring and well-regarded of all bands in this little niche of the rock world. Gamma Ray’s most famous album, Land of the Free, was released in 1995, and the following year, the current stable lineup of Kai, Dirk Schlächter, Henjo Richter, and Daniel Zimmermann was formed, the lineup you’ll see on stage in May.
Their newest album, Majesty, was released last year through Sanctuary, an angrier album by the band’s own admission, one which was preoccupied with the war in Iraq and the infuriating idiocy of President Bush. I love the album, and I love how the band stayed within the conventional fantasy/sci-fi/horror type themes established for their genre while still making an effective — and stinging — condemnation of the Bush administration’s international policies.
I’m going to be sitting down for a chat backstage on both Southern California dates for an interview I’ve been asked to do for their official fan club. We’ll be talking about the forthcoming DVD, the forthcoming album, and anything else I can dredge up from the recesses of my addled gray matter. If any of you have any questions you’d like to see answered, drop me an email and I’ll try to bring them up.
But, if nothing else, do make an effort to stop by and see the Rays on their all-too-brief pass through North America (all the cities and dates are at their official website). You’ll be glad you did. I promise.
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