KIA HANSEN, of GAMMA RAY and UNISONIC, released the album "XXX - Three Decades in Metal" in September 2016 to commemorate his thirty years in the Metal scene. Of course, this album also celebrates the other musicians Hansen works with. "XXX - Three Decades in Metal" comes in with ten tracks and a listening time of about 55 minutes. It's time to delve into 30 years in just under an hour. The opening track "Born Free" is the epitome of classic rock. It's nostalgic. It takes me back to the days of big hair, tight pants, and bellowing vocals. The drums, bass, and guitars work so seamlessly in this track. It's great to hear such a tailored track from start to finish, and one that throws so many elements into the mix.

"Enemies Of Fun," track two, let's us delve a little deeper into what kind of music has been produced over the last three decades. Bass riffage and the mixing of guitars get all the love in this track. It's a fun and high-energy track. Track seven, "Left Behind" takes the album down a few notches with a much slower and low-key track. The musicianship shines beautifully here. I think that this track, even being a slower one, allows the listener to appreciate all the types of music that has been created over the life of this album. It doesn't hurt that there are female associate vocals. The mixture of deeper male and higher female vocals have always been something I find to, if done correctly, heighten the quality of music. "All or Nothing" is another track that starts off with an orchestral ambiance. Another softer track that has a less hard hitting feel from the beginning of the album.  It has a lovely melody that hooks the listener from the beginning.

The final track, "Follow the Sun" is hard hitting with blast beats from the drums, two vocal tones the compliment each other, guitar riffage everywhere, and a dark bass line. This track ends the album in a commanding and mighty way. This track pulls out all the stops in creating one of the most musically interesting tracks on the album. "XXX - Three Decades in Metal" shows a bit of an evolution from the first track to the final track, but who isn't going to evolve and grow and experiment? I would recommend this album to any Metal lover, because it has something we all love somewhere weaved within.