Gamma Ray-Majestic, 2005

There was a point last year when I knew that both Gamma Ray and Helloween had albums coming out soon. I firmly expected that one of the two would be the best album of the year, but I was wrong. They weren't bad, in fact both were in my top ten, but neither quite hit the great level I was hoping for. I think that Gamma Ray progressed some over the previous albums and I was expecting more of the same this time around. About 1/3 of the songs are great and the rest is decent to good. I think the band excels at straight ahead fairly fast tracks. However their more mid-tempo songs sound a bit dry or take some time to warm up and get going. It almost comes across like they are more comfortable with the faster tracks and not as much with the others, but they throw them in to have a balance. Maybe it's just that they reached a peak and it's going to be difficult to grow unless they change styles a little or integrate something new into the mix. They are doing some songs very well, but overall they are not doing a whole lot that they have not already done. I think power metal of this sort is tough because it's hard to say where a band can possibly go to expand. Especially for a band like this that have been around for 15 years and a player like Kai Hansen who has been doing this for well over 20 years. I think I was hoping almost every song would be a highlight, but that didn't happen. It's a good album overall, but I find myself reaching for the skip at times both to get to a great song and to get past a song that is merely decent. Maybe they have peaked or maybe they have another great album left in them ready to come out in a year or so.