Another shot straight to my heart! This year is, probably, the only year in my journalistic career that I beg for mercy! I reviewed tens of albums and all of them had something unique. On top of it, Gamma Ray, one of my favorite bands, released another heavenly made album.
No World Order came like a tornado to my already troubled CD player. The unbelievable Kai Hansen did it again and, as we all know, no one can stop him. Gamma Ray's upward course continues with this release and proves once more that the band belongs the pantheon of Power Metal music.
Believe it or not, I feel that if an album has the German Power Metal label on it then it's guaranteed that it is perfect! Am I wrong? Maybe, but just take into consideration that these guys have influenced almost every Melodic Power Metal band on earth and many would sacrifice anything to sound just likes them.
Musically the album has the classic Gamma Ray sound and if you are familiar with their previous releases then you know very well what I'm talking about. As everyone expects Mr. Hansen and Co provided us once again the best. The influences range from Helloween (of course) to the mighty Judas Priest (especially in Heart Of The Unicorn song).
This time the choruses and the vocal lines have improved, the riffs sound heavier and the production is powerful and diamond-like clear. This is an album that it's meant to be played loud. Dan Zimmerman is in great shape and he sounds as if he's having the time of his life, a feeling that is mostly intense in the Damn The Machine song.
The album's impact is extremely close to the band's early releases. Some songs strongly brings to mind the Land Of The Free and Powerplant albums. They are pretty fast and based on the guitar melodies, as always. Except Heart Of The Unicorn, another song that has the Judas Priest sound is Solid, both songs work congruously.
The lyrics are about the Illuminati, the mystical clan that is supposed to influence everything and everyone. Kai Hansen's obsession about the eerie and alien conspiracies is evident and seems to be the only subject that engages his mind. It has a conceptional background because the lyrics we have on the album are reflecting the Illuminati theory, Hansen says, in his interview with Metal Temple.
The Heart Of The Unicorn, Heaven Or Hell, Damn The Machine, Eagle and Lake of Tears (an awesome mid-tempo song) are the highlights of this new album, but of course the other tracks are exceptional also. To conclude, I can assure you this is a amazing album and a great surprise for the German Power Metal fans. But not only for them, if you are a fan of Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Helloween or even Black Sabbath your will love this new Gamma Ray release.