Artist: Gamma Ray
Label: Noise Records
Release Date: 11/13/01
|
|
Title: No World Order Artist: Gamma Ray Label: Noise Records Release Date: 11/13/01 |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
|
3 | ||
|
4 | ||
|
3 | ||
|
|
Go to Reader Reviews | ||
Abyss's Review:
When it comes to German power metal, you either get it or you don’t. And let’s face it, it’s not the easiest thing to get. The bands in this genre generally seem to embrace every stereotype that was made fun of in This is Spinal Tap, and they do so with a pride that few of us can understand. I mean think about it, I know of black metal fans that make fun of how cheesy German power metal is, and these are guys that wear corpse paint and capes! But it is for precisely this reason that I respect power metal. When it was popular, there were very few power metal bands I liked, and now that it’s fallen out of favor, I find myself falling in love with it’s over the top attitude, and with the players’ attitude of “to hell with what’s cool, this is what we love.”
"Most of the songs have very strong vocal melodies, although they are often not utilized fully, and the completed songs come up a bit short." One of the few power metal bands that I was into from the start was Helloween. Their knack for melody was infectious, and made any subsequent cheesiness more than bearable. Kai Hansen’s Gamma Ray, while not achieving the heights of his former band, is able to remind me of what I loved about them. Most of the songs that are on this latest album have very strong vocal melodies, although they are often not utilized fully, and the completed songs come up a bit short. The album does have its share of moments, however, and followers of this band shouldn’t be disappointed. There are some cool riffs here as well. “Damn the Machine” and especially “Eagle” come out with some headbanging guitar work that gets your head-hinge going.
“Follow Me” and “New World Order” make use of vocal melodies that are so sweet they’re syrup, and the whole album reeks of quality, even if I personally can only listen to it for a few songs at a time. One word review: Good.
Death's Review:
Gamma Ray is back with an excellent example of top-notch German power metal that draws on classic elements of bands like Judas Priest, Savatage, Iron Maiden and, to a lesser extent Queen (check the opener "Induction," and think about the Flash Gordon soundtrack), as much as it expresses the modern power metal sound forged in varying ways by bands like Primal Fear (which features ex-Gamma Ray vocalist Ralph Scheepers), Stratovarious, and Blind Guardian. Of course, any listing of other bands in an attempt to describe portions of the Gamma Ray sound necessarily must include mention of Gamma Ray guitarist/vocalist Kai Hansen's other, prior act, Helloween. The last influence is apparent from the opening notes of track two, the very cool "Dethrone Tyranny". Fast picking, double-bass drums and layer backing vocals rule the track--a traditional power metal fan's delight. My favorite track comes next, "The Heart of the Unicorn," which is the best example of the Painkiller-era Priest style this side of Primal Fear, and Hansen's vocals sound like Halford with just enough of a sore throat to give the high pitched stuff a rawer edge. It truly is excellent material, and lives up to the Helloween/Gamma Ray legacy admirably.
"An excellent example of top-notch German power metal that draws on classic elements of bands like Judas Priest, Savatage, Iron Maiden and, to a lesser extent Queen." "Heaven or Hell," the first "single" which follows, is sugary-sweet and is quite Helloween-esque, with elements of Iron Maiden and early Queensryche thrown in for good measure. The quasi- title track, "New World Order," reminds me a lot of a cross between Judas Priest's "Better By You Better Than Me" and "Invader," both from Stained Class, especially in the opening guitar riff. But trust me, this stuff is by no means a ripoff--for one, Hansen has been playing this style for years, for the other, the songs are indeed expressed with originality, just with a healthy respect for the classics.
Other subsequent tracks display similar classic-style influneces. "Damn the Machine" sounds like mid-tempo, classic 80's speed metal / thrash metal combined with classic -era Accept and features a very odd but very cool sounding bass distortion variation midway through the tune. "Solid" has a thrashy, NWOBHM feel yet also really reminds me of Priest (think "pounding the world, like a battering ram," etc. when listening to the verses), and "Fire Below" has more of hard rock vibe (think Dio-led Rainbow's "Man on the Silver Mountain" when hearing the opening riff, then think of Halford singing for an 80's hair band for the verses and chorus-- personally, the song evokes Dokken's "Into the Fire" for me, but that may just be a lyrical thing ("Into the fire below!")). The album finishes up with "Follow Me," a driving, Helloween-style melodic guitar song with some atmospheric keys under the guitars just before the cool-sounding solo, "Eagle," a downtuned, twin-guitar thrasher which reminds me of Priest's "Painkiler" mixed with Halford's "Resurrection," and "Lake of Tears," which starts with a clean guitar intro and quickly morphs into a full-on "power ballad" to end the album. All of these songs sound like other things, but all of them are at the same time undeniably Gamma Ray, and none are in any way particularly objectionable. In short, if you like classic metal, you'll like this album.
"In short, if you like classic metal, you'll like this album." Any review of No world Order is incomplete without giving props to Herve Monjeaud's outstanding Maiden-esque cover art. In the end, while quite derivative of classic metal (especially Priest), this is an outstanding release. Sure, some of the more overtly sweet, layer, sing-along choruses can be a bit much for my tastes, and thus the album gets four skulls and not five. But I do like the album and I do like Gamma Ray. If you've been a fan in the past, if you enjoyed the last Primal Fear record, or if you love old Priest and are looking for something new, this record is for you.
Hel's Review:
You know, I realize I've watched too many "Gargoyles" cartoons, but for the longest time, I was convinced that the Illuminati were a creation for the show. Considering how many of the other storylines are grounded in classic legend, I should have known better. Thank you, Gamma Ray, for clearing that up for me once and for all. I wonder if they watch a lot of "Gargoyles" too? I suspect they might…I'm sorry to say that this was the most enlightening thing I found on the album. Don't get me wrong, it's great power metal fare, but I'd really had about all the power metal I could take for quite some time before I got to this record, so perhaps you should take anything particularly negative I might say with a large grain of salt. But we can consider ourselves lucky it wasn't more nu-metal, eh?
No World Order really is a solid power metal album, and fans of the genre will undoubtedly be convulsing with pleasure. Me, not so much. After all, we've already established that I have issues in this arena of late. But, hopefully, I will never so far gone that I cannot recognize outstanding musicianship when I hear it, and Gamma Ray certainly has that. The guitar sections, in particular, are quite impressive.
"No World Order really is a solid power metal album, and fans of the genre will undoubtedly be convulsing with pleasure." Certain parts of this record evoke a very vivid image in my mind: 2 sweatt guitar players wearing loose-sleeved shirts and leather vests, standing side by side dipping and raising their guitar necks simultaneously to the beat of the riff. Other times, I see long wooden tables with long wooden benches in a vast stone hall with smelly men wearing loose-sleeved shirts and leather vests, sloshing beer to and fro while they sing loudly with their steins held high over their heads. This is the kind of band that Gamma Ray is. Love it or leave it. For now, I think I need to be taking my leave. If you're in the mood though, you should stay and love it, for it is excellent in its way.
[- Metal Judgment Home -] [- Email Metal Judgment -]
©1999 Metal Judgment. All rights reserved.