HELLOWEEN/GAMMA RAY Tribute Album 'HelloRay'

[Ragehead91]

Norway's GAIA EPICUS, Germany's KICKHUNTER (featuring HELLOWEEN bassist Markus Großkopf), Slovakia's SIGNUM REGIS (featuring former YNGWIE MALMSTEEN/GLORY singer Göran Edman) are among the bands who will appear on the forthcoming tribute album to HELLOWEEN and GAMMA RAY, "HelloRay - A Tribute To Helloween & Gamma Ray", tentatively due in late 2009 or early 2010 via Epicus Records.

According to a press release, this is a project made by bands who are fans and has been inspired by the music of these two great pioneers of melodic power metal. It will contain songs that were originally written and recorded between 1985 and 2007.

The tentative track listing is as follows:

01. Warrior (HELLOWEEN) - GAIA EPICUS
02. Where The Rain Grows (HELLOWEEN) - ARMORY
03. Sole Survivor (HELLOWEEN) - SIGNUM REGIS
04. Ain't Got Nothin' Better (HELLOWEEN) - KICKHUNTER
05. A Tale That Wasn't Right (HELLOWEEN) - DRACHEN
06. Just A Little Sign (HELLOWEEN) - RAMPART
07. Mr. Torture (HELLOWEEN) - AILLION
08. The Spirit (GAMMA RAY) - PARALLAX
09. (We Won't) Stop The War (GAMMA RAY) - TREASURE LAND
10. Heaven Or Hell (GAMMA RAY) - BURN UNIVERSE
11. Tribute To The Past (GAMMA RAY) - GUARDIANS OF MANKIND
12. Lust For Life (GAMMA RAY) - MIDAS FATE
13. Anywhere In The Galaxy (GAMMA RAY) - OPERA MAGNA
14. Leaving Hell (GAMMA RAY) - ROTTEN
15. Last Before The Storm (GAMMA RAY) - SONEM
16. Land Of The Free (GAMMA RAY) - DEIMOS

[Florian]

I hope it will not be as bad as the Eastern Tribute To Helloween...

[Ragehead91]

The tracklisting sounds interesting enough. And Gamma Ray songs without Hansen singing them is always good. I think it will make a nice addition to the other 2 tribute albums.

[Intiaani]

Interesting and versatile tracklist? Check.
Very unknown bands hardly anyone's heard and no guarantee of their talent and most of all song choices? Check.

I've only heard a little Gaia Epicus and of course our GR tribute band Guardians of Mankind. There should have been one or two bigger names here just to show the potential buyers those "lesser" bands mean business, too, so that the near-celebrities weren't ashamed of being on the same album with those.

[Ragehead91]

I think The Keepers of Jericho albums were great stuff and had a lot of well-known bands on them. What do you think about those 2 Tributes?

[Intiaani]

They were, are, good. Some songs really worked about as well as the originals, some were boring or somehow just didn't click. I think even the less namely Part II was actually better. My favorite has to be Dark Moor - Halloween on the first album, though. The idea itself sounds so right somehow if you've heard the album Dark Moor. ^^ And it's just as good you'd expect it to be.

[Ragehead91]

They were, are, good. Some songs really worked about as well as the originals, some were boring or somehow just didn't click. I think even the less namely Part II was actually better. My favorite has to be Dark Moor - Halloween on the first album, though. The idea itself sounds so right somehow if you've heard the album Dark Moor. ^^ And it's just as good you'd expect it to be.

I know Dark Moor. Everyone told me I shouldn't listen to them because they are "boring and unoriginal". Are they original? Not really. Are they boring? Hell no! Great Band!

[Mormegil]

I feared the tracklist would be only Keepers and Walls Of Jericho songs and maybe few songs like Valley Of The Kings and Land Of The Free from Gamma Ray, but it's sound really interesting actually. I agree that they should've gotten at least one big name though. Edguy perhaps?

Speaking about tributes, when is Stratovarius getting one? They have been quite influential and you can find shitloads of band on YouTube covering them.

[Ragehead91]

I feared the tracklist would be only Keepers and Walls Of Jericho songs and maybe few songs like Valley Of The Kings and Land Of The Free from Gamma Ray, but it's sound really interesting actually. I agree that they should've gotten at least one big name though. Edguy perhaps?

Speaking about tributes, when is Stratovarius getting one? They have been quite influential and you can find shitloads of band on YouTube covering them.

1. I agree. The Setlist is great and I think they looked at the other 2 tribute albums. I dunno if they were also released by Epicus, but it seems like it.

2. About the Stratovarius and Helloween Tributes and big Names:
They should make an All-Star Cover album like they did with "Numbers of the Beast" from Iron Maiden. That would be great.

[icecab21]

At least some of these bands have put out competent material so I’m looking forward to this. Some strange choices for the set list but that's a tribute record for you.

[Florian]

They were, are, good. Some songs really worked about as well as the originals, some were boring or somehow just didn't click. I think even the less namely Part II was actually better. My favorite has to be Dark Moor - Halloween on the first album, though. The idea itself sounds so right somehow if you've heard the album Dark Moor. ^^ And it's just as good you'd expect it to be.

I know Dark Moor. Everyone told me I shouldn't listen to them because they are "boring and unoriginal". Are they original? Not really. Are they boring? Hell no! Great Band!

How can a band be original now? Everything is done I think!

[icecab21]

By playing something that the reviewer has chosen to ignore the 100000 other songs and bands that have done it before a band can be original in the mind of that reviewer

[emperor_black]

They were, are, good. Some songs really worked about as well as the originals, some were boring or somehow just didn't click. I think even the less namely Part II was actually better. My favorite has to be Dark Moor - Halloween on the first album, though. The idea itself sounds so right somehow if you've heard the album Dark Moor. ^^ And it's just as good you'd expect it to be.

I know Dark Moor. Everyone told me I shouldn't listen to them because they are "boring and unoriginal". Are they original? Not really. Are they boring? Hell no! Great Band!

I love Dark Moor. Have you listened to their new album?

[Intiaani]

At least I haven't heard a single song from that man singer yet. Actually I'm not that much into them, although the s/t is pretty good (and actually their only album so familiar to me I can actually even say whether it's good or not). I just thought they'd be perfect to play Halloween - and they were.

And I think Dark Moor has a bit of originality there, too. And they aren't a new band, so maybe it was easier to be more original back in the early, mid 90s. In any case, they put hints of their Spaniard folk things there so that it hardly even shows. And they are pretty... mysterious? Too bad I'm not that much into them - at least they are more original than the most "power metal bands".

I only used the ""s because I don't like stuffing music into boxes as those boxes pretty much limit the possibilities there are to make and like music...

About the upcoming HelloRay:

- The name is kinda silly because us Finns have a jesting greet "hellurei". We've also joked about this with a friend in the past: some Helloween / Gamma Ray fusion (band) should be called that. Well, now that it's actually happening, it sounds very stupid.

- I'm afraid there are once again going to be some mismatches in styles or simply some musical (especially singer) issues with the song choices. Most of those bands surely go, "We wanna play our favorite ballad A Tale That Wasn't Right (even though our singer can't do it)!" rather than "Let's just carefully pick a solid song that we can deliver well, possibly even come up with some pleasant changes that make it sound fresh, without still taking anything away from the song itself".

[Ragehead91]

They were, are, good. Some songs really worked about as well as the originals, some were boring or somehow just didn't click. I think even the less namely Part II was actually better. My favorite has to be Dark Moor - Halloween on the first album, though. The idea itself sounds so right somehow if you've heard the album Dark Moor. ^^ And it's just as good you'd expect it to be.

I know Dark Moor. Everyone told me I shouldn't listen to them because they are "boring and unoriginal". Are they original? Not really. Are they boring? Hell no! Great Band!

I love Dark Moor. Have you listened to their new album?

Yes! Great stuff! I liked Tarot a bit more honestly, but the new album is defenitly good.

[Babylon]

I think The Keepers of Jericho albums were great stuff and had a lot of well-known bands on them. What do you think about those 2 Tributes?

I didn't care for them TBH. I liked How Many Tears and Phantoms Of Death, but that's about it. A friend of mine told me I should check out Dark Moor's version of Halloween - never really been a fan of them, to begin with - nothing special and sorry but if you're gonna do a cover of this song, you should at least be able to pronounce "pumpkin".

[Ragehead91]

Before we start talking about pronounciation, please listen to the Eastern Tribute to Helloween. Then we can talk

[Florian]

The Eastern Tribute is a fucking shit.

[Ragehead91]

Especially I Want Out. I dunno what that guy was singing, but it wasn't I Want Out.

[Babylon]

Before we start talking about pronounciation, please listen to the Eastern Tribute to Helloween. Then we can talk

Haven't heard that one, but why do I get the feeling I am really not missing anything?

[hiro23]

Hmmm, might be interesting to check out

[Babylon]

This is my favorite Helloween cover ever, definitely.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DiOPN0xRME

[Intiaani]

This is my favorite Helloween cover ever, definitely.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DiOPN0xRME

Too bad I got there first. Is this a mere coincidence or are you trying to steal MY HONOR?

I wonder why did they get some crappy Iron Savior to do the Phantoms of Death cover as this guy already exists.

[Ragehead91]

This is my favorite Helloween cover ever, definitely.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DiOPN0xRME

I wonder why the guys who made "Eastern Tribute to Helloween" didn't pick him up for the CD. He would've fit on it just great XD

[Babylon]

This is my favorite Helloween cover ever, definitely.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DiOPN0xRME

Too bad I got there first. Is this a mere coincidence or are you trying to steal MY HONOR?

I wonder why did they get some crappy Iron Savior to do the Phantoms of Death cover as this guy already exists.

I didn't see that you had posted it, I'm sorry