I was one of the few that lost interest in Helloween after Kai Hansen gave vocal way to Michael Kiske, but I did stick around through Keeper of the Seven Keys. I have been a casual follower of Gamma Ray since Heading for Tomorrow, and I’ve never really left unimpressed. For the power metal movement, Gamma Ray has some very ancient ties and they bode pretty well in careful spots for the latest EP, Skeletons & Majesties. It should be noted that a couple of these tracks are re-recordings of older tracks, but it’s worth a listen. As a rule I’m not a big fan of a band redoing its old material, but I keep an open mind where I can and feel it’s warranted.

“Hold Your Ground” shows its rebirth mettle from the very opening riffs, letting me know I’m in for something in the true power metal vein. This new version is a shredder that sounds very much like mid-era Gamma Ray ala Land of the Free without directly copying itself. Once “Brothers” pops in the music is the scene-stealer under those pretty rudimentary lyrics about us all being brothers in metal, etc. It’s a nice sentiment, but I certainly think anyone buying the CD and supporting the band understands the brotherhood without benefit of lyrical accompaniment. Still, it’s a pretty solid track. Hansen’s voice is still strong, as it has been over the last four full-lengths, and it shows tremendous resilience in the slowed “Send Me a Sign”, which utilizes an Aliotta-Haynes-Jeremiah-esque vibe along the lines of “Lake Shore Drive”; fans of this 1971 song will hear it, non-fans…go check it out, it’s a great tune! While Kai sounds jazzier in his vocal than the aforementioned performance by AHJ, it’s a fun little ditty that nestles nicely into the album’s pace. I think the more astute metal fans will dig this version without a lot of head-scratching or claims of selling out, so enjoy that.

There are some really enjoyable moments here, especially in the ballad “Rebellion in Dreamland”, which really sounds like it could be this enormous wall of sound with a cache of guitars and bombastic underneath, but Gamma Ray opts for the acoustic touch here; it’s a pacing track that borders on something Queen might have designed as a b-side along the way, which is not intended as a slight by any means; the acoustic slant for this one is just right. At nearly ten minutes, the mood of complete tranquility is well-fashioned. “Wannabees” is your typical hard rock/heavy metal anthem that loses me at the army-like march song chanting for just a minute, but recovers somewhat decently. A virtual throwaway track is the extended “Brothers”, and while it’s cool to hear it with an added minute-plus, it could have easily been left off. The ‘karaoke’ track of “Rebellion in Dreamland” just makes me cringe to think some talentless, lazy hack might rape this someday soon on American Idol, though I’m sure even Steven Tyler is too muddied in his own mire to recognize anything even remotely heavy anymore. That said I find this to be a filler track as well that was seemingly unnecessary if for nothing else but to fill space at the end of a CD.

All in all, I suppose I’d tell you to look up the band’s older albums if you’re not familiar with them at this point. If you are versed in all things Gamma Ray, then you might want to add this to your arsenal for completion. It seems a lot of bands are adding tracks without vocals these days; Grave Digger’s latest EP employs a similar foray into these sing-a-long tracks that leave me wondering why they couldn’t just dig up an old demo, outtake or write a quick new song. I’d much rather hear an acoustic version of something old or new than a song with the vocal track erased, but it what it is and this is okay for what it represents.              

TRACK LISTING

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*Comments:

1.  Hold Your Ground
2.  Brothers
3.  Send Me a Sign
4.  Rebellion in Dreamland
5.  Wannabees
6.  Brothers (Extended Version)
7.  Rebellion in Dreamland
      (Karaoke Version)

Total playing time:  43:58

Release Date: April 8, 2011
Label: Edel Music

Gamma Ray - Skeletons and Majesties EP

Reviewer: Chris

April 25, 2011