Gamma Ray's Reviews
Blast From The Past (Average Rating: 8.94 out of 10)
Beautiful box, nice songs, great guitars and good vocals. (Rated this album with 8 out of 10)
Reviewed by
cartonpiedra
from Montreal, Canada
The packaging of this album is really beautiful. The booklet with all the lyrics was a wonderful surprise, since seldom this is seen in a "Best Of..." release. The introductory words of Kai Hansen in the booklet are very concise and warm. I give to the presentation of the box five stars, in spite of that monster showing Iron Maiden reminiscences, which is something I don't like from the very beginning of Gamma Ray (GR).The selection of GR themes is not bad, though I'm in the set of people that would prefer more diversity, mostly in the CD two, where all the pieces after the "The Silence" have the same "taste". Anyway, I like them all, and I think that mostly for Power Metal fans the entire album is a must-have. If you feel some nostalgy for the old Helloween, buy this album and you won't be disappointed. This album is a very good one, and Hansen has the right of even inviting Michael Kiske to be his vocal pal in "The Land Of The Free". I only have one bad think to point out: while the guitar work of every piece is really good and impeccable, I find many solos and riffs a tad boring, since they're too long and repetitive. This was a problem for me to 100% tolerate Helloween and Iron Maiden, and sadly Hansen brought the same thing to GR. However, I forgive him for the sake of good music. Some words appart deserve the vocal works of Kai Hansen, which are particularly brilliant in the remakes of those songs that Ralph Scheepers sang once. In spite of Hansen limitations (compared to Scheepers' skills, of course!), Hansen's vocals rock! I remember Kai Hansen in the first Helloween EP, and I can see a very positive evolution. Now in GR he's really great! This album can be qualified as a classic of modern times. I give four stars and a half to it. The half I don't give is because of those little defects I just signaled above. This is a carefully crafted production that resumes ten years of GR works. Buy it if you like good guitars and good vocals, and simple music that seems to be complex. Kai Hansen is a genius, and he really deserves respect. Kudos for him!
Buy this album on Amazon at $16.98
|
