52. Gamma Ray / Alive '95. 1995. 5/5.

Gamma Ray had been a growing entity within the metal world over the past five years since its inception, and had had its fair share of personnel changes along the way, including the major one before the release of Land of the Free, with lead vocalist Ralf Scheepers moving on. History records that after much decision making, band leader Kai Hansen took over the reigns of lead singer as well as guitarist, recorded that Land of the Free album, and the rest became history. Thankfully, this live album was recorded on that tour, which meant that a significant moment in the history of the band was recorded for future posterity.

This is a terrific live album, even more so because it is not bereft of any little errors. Hindsight also allows us to note that even though his singing on this album is fantastic, it also shows how much it has matured and probably even improved over the years since this was released. It was his first tour in a decade where he was expected to carry the full dual roles, and in many places he was still discovering how to sing these songs in a live environment, especially those that had previously been performed by Ralf. To be honest, it is a triumph.
The album covers most of the ages of the band, though the only disappointment for me is that there is nothing from the brilliant Sigh No More album. The songs from the Land of the Free album are superb, kicking off from the outset with "Land of the Free", then into "Man on a Mission" and "Rebellion in Dreamland". All three are tremendous live songs, with anthemic choruses and verses that allow the crowd to be fully involved from the beginning of the gig. This is also true of "The Saviour" which leads into "Abyss of the Void". Kai sets the crowd up nicely into "The Abyss", before crashing into the brilliant "Abyss of the Void", again with those anthemic chanting lyrics that make it such a gem in a live concert.
The songs from the Scheepers era are all done excellently by Kai on vocals too. "Space Eater" is a perfect live song, able to be played heavier and with greater enthusiasm. Given how wonderfully Ralf used to sing this song, Kai does an awesome job on this track. The same goes for "Tribute to the Past", in which Kai surpasses Ralf's vocals, and which the band here just tear it apart, leaving the studio version for dead. The other song from Insanity and Genius is "Heal Me", which Kai sang on anyway. "Heal Me" has never been one of my favourite Gamma Ray songs, it just has never had those qualities that endear me to it, though a always this version is adequate.
Into the back half of the album, and we have two favourite Helloween covers/tracks. My favourite Helloween song of all time is "Ride the Sky", and this version is perhaps the ultimate version ever. Kai revs up the crowd, and then the band crack into this at lightning speed and enthusiasm. And can Kai still hit those notes? My bloody oath he can!! Absolutely sensational. I still get goosebumps every single time I listen to it. This is followed by crowd favourite "Future World", complete with crowd participation section. Finally, to end the album the band does a cracking version of Holocaust's "Heavy Metal Mania" which top sit all off excellently.

This really is a brilliant live album, showcasing not only how good this band is, but how far it had come in such a short space of time. All the evidence is here as to why they have been, and remain, one of my favourite bands of all time.

Rating:  Give me wiiiiiiiiiiiiiings to fly!  5/5