April 04, 2007: About DVD, the new album, world tour and Kiske-Grapow-Hansen project.

Kai Hansen has personally described on the Rays' official website how the band does. The long-expected DVD is at last almost done! After many difficulties and problems, all that's left now is to compile the "home video" that the band, the crew and the fans filmed during the last tour, and to put it into the Bonus Section of the disc. The videocompany that does the DVD has long postponed the work but this time they won't get away that easy! The Rays hope to give the DVD live album to the fans before this summer.
And there's some more optimistic information about the new album: at present, the band has 14 songs composed, and Dirk Schlaechter is again among the authors! As always, the songs range from straightforward rockers to complex anthems. The heaviness, the melody, the power - it's all there, Kai promises. And that's not the final info, the band keeps composing more music! So, we can hope that the album won't just be finished this Autumn, but will also appear in worldwide sale!
After the album is released, there's going to be a world tour, and Gamma Ray seriously consider doing it together with Helloween! Nothing is completely decided, but probably it's gonna be 75-minutes set by Gamma Ray, then Helloween, and maybe some opening bands before them. And of course some songs will be played by the bands together, maybe with a good old jam in the end... But this is still preliminary information. Kai warns that it might as well not happen as desired.
Remember, some years back Roland Grapow told about his idea of a project together with Kai Hansen and Michael Kiske? Then every fan and journalist met his words with a lot of enthusiasm... but that was all that happened. Finally, there's some progress here! Kai, Michi and Roland has met, discussed the project and decided to really try and record an album. But now the work is in the very beginning: Roland and Kai have to find some ideas to compose some really different songs, that Michael Kiske will like and sing. That should be something entirely special, not the usual heavy stuff of which Hansen and Grapow are big masters. And don't forget that the main priority of Kai Hansen is still Gamma Ray, for Grapow it's Masterplan, for Kiske - his solo project... So the fans must prepare to wait some more years. But now there's some confidence that in the end it will be done!
And the last piece of info about the new album: one of the songs by Kai, called Insurrection, is going to be a long, epic track that presently takes all the time Kai can give it in the studio, from early in the morning till late in the night...

February 19, 2007: Rays are coming to Kiev!!!

According to the band's official website, as well as Extreme Power Festival's site, one of the headliners of this big event in Kiev will be... Gamma Ray! It's remarkable that just as our site became Ukrainian as well as Russian, we get the surprising news about Kiev! See the details about the festival at their website, www.extremepowerfestival.com. And let's hope that if it worked for Russia last year and the Rays finally came, it should work for Ukraine as well, or better!!

January 27, 2007: SOIGR is "officially" online again and we're remembering the last year's concert.

So, our website has completely returned to normal state. And we celebrate its official re-opening along with the first anniversary of Gamma Ray shows in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Hurray once again and let's drink to that!

January 11, 2007: The latest news about the live DVD and the new studio album.

According to www.gamma-ray.com, the double live DVD production is completely finished and it's expected to come out this Spring. The full title of the DVD goes thus: "Hell Yeah!!! The Awesome Foursome (and the Finnish keyboarder who didn't want to wear his Donald Duck costume) Live In Montreal". Apart from the Montreal show, the fans may expect lots of bonus stuff: footage of Rays on the road, band performances in Japan and at Wacken Open Air festival, and all the existing videos of the band!

And, most probably, that won't be the only release Rays will do this year. Since November Gamma Ray are already composing the new studio album, which is going to be called... Land Of The Free Part II!!! The Rays promise that both its concept and music will be a natural development of the 1995's Land Of The Free "part one". We can't wait the moment when we're able to see (or rather hear) for ourselves if it's true!

January 11, 2007: Our site is back to life!

Hurray!! After half a year of technical troubles our site is back! Moreover, it has become international: now, Somewhere Out In Gamma Ray is an Ukrainian & Russian website, as one can see from our new domain name ;-) We really hope that it won't be just a new address and a new hosting, and now the site is going to live and grow. Our editorial board sends everyone some late New Year greetings (we're not too late for Russian Old New Year, though, hehe), wishing everybody and ourselves some good news and good music from Gamma Ray!

March 29, 2006: The Rays will record a double DVD

According to the band's official site, www.gamma-ray.com, the Rays are going to film their performance in Montreal for a "Live" DVD (and tour schedule tells us it's going to be May 6th). Gamma Ray are planning to use several cameras and the best possible equipment for the recording. Besides the show, the double DVD-pack will include a roadmovie about their travel through America (and now the tour crew includes a cameraman with his camera). The bonus part will be "finished off" with history part, behind the scenes footage, video clips and other small joys for the true Rayniacs. The release is scheduled for September, in a way to celebrate the anniversary of Majestic's birth into the world.

February 02, 2006: After the show

So, the show's over, and it took us a while to get back to senses again! Despite all the doubts, Gamma Ray did finally come to Russia! The concerts in Moscow and St. Petersburg ended the whole era in the Russian rayniacs' history, the era of long and patient waiting. But now we live in the "after" of Gamma Ray's first ever visit to Russia, and bit by bit we gather, sum up our impressions, we try to realize what exactly did happen on January 27th and 28th. One thing is for sure - these shows have changed the lives of our rayniacs forever. Many fans share their impressions through concert photos over the Internet... Our site presents a photoreport from St. Petersburg (many thanx to @ndrew!) - you can see it HERE.
You can check out much more concert photos from Moscow and St. Petersburg at these sites: musica.mustdie.ru, www.metalcat.ru, fotovzgliad.narod.ru, www.heavymusic.ru, www.darkside.ru, lnphoto.livejournal.com, www.concertsphoto.com, fota.mota.ru

January 20, 2006: Henjo Richter had his hand bruised in Finland

As the official Gamma Ray website, www.gamma-ray.com, says, Henjo Richter had a little unpleasant accident. He fell off the ferry's stairs while traveling to Finland. As a result he got his hand badly bruised (no broken bones, luckily). He got all the medical treatment in time and now is at home, in Hamburg, recovering. The band promises that he'll be back on stage in Moscow at the latest. Meanwhile, no concerts are being cancelled - Henjo's place is temporarily taken by the guitarist of Guardians Of Mankind, a cover band and big friends of Gamma Ray. We're wishing Henjo to get well really soon, and hope to cheer his return to the stage in a week, face to face!

January 16, 2006: Gamma Ray to play at Wacken Open Air once again

This year the famous Wacken Open Air festival will be on 3-5 August, and Gamma Ray are already amid the participants! Perhaps we'll see a few surprises, too, just like in 2004... Meanwhile, the other bands intending to play at the fest are: Aborted, Atheist, Born From Pain, Cannibal Corpse, Children Of Bodom, Die Apokalyptischen Reiter, Ektomorf, End Of Green, Finntroll, In Extremo, Korpiklaani, Nevermore, Orphaned Land, Primal Fear, Soilwork, Subway To Sally.

October 14, 2005: Finally! The Rays in Moscow and St. Petersburg!

Our long, really long wait is coming to a happy end, as it seems!!! The rumours became information, the information got confirmed, and now it's on the official Gamma Ray website: the band is coming to Russia at last! There is going to be a gig in Moscow on January 27th next year, and in St. Petersburg on Jan. 28th. To be there is a must for every Russian rayniac!

September 23, 2005: Majestic is OUT!!!

Today, three days earlier than it was initially planned, Europe sees the release of Gamma Ray's eigth studio album - Majestic. Here in Russia the album will also be available really soon! Meanwhile we're starting to celebrate the new album of our favourite band...

September 19, 2005: More Tuska Open Air photos

There's another Tuska photoreport at our site now. We thank AnfiniL for the excellent shots! Check them out HERE.

August 30, 2005: "Majestic" photos

Gamma Ray's official website has uploaded the first photos from the new album's photosession. The festival room of Atlantic Hotel looks more like a majestic throne room, and the band perfectly fits into the truly royal surroundings. See the photos HERE.

July 27, 2005: Tuska Open Air - an exclusive photoreport

We're publishing an exclusive photoreport from Gamma Ray performance at Tuska Open Air festival on July 16th. Many thanks to Jenny, the co-founder of our website, for the professional shooting. Have a look at the photos HERE.

July 26, 2005: Supporting band for the European tour

The name of the band supporting Gamma Ray on their tour through Europe this autumn has been revealed. It's a young band coming from Romania and Germany, called Powerwolf. Also, as the first fan reports in the Internet say, the show of another young band, Stormwarrior, at Earthshaker festival has been rather magnificient. Not without help of Kai Hansen, their old friend, who came on stage with them - just as it had been promised... Together, they played such old hits of Helloween as Ride The Sky, Murderer, Phantoms of Death, Victim of Fate, Judas and Heavy Metal (Is The Law).

July 08, 2005: Majestic world tour

We've got the tourdates of the Majestic world tour, and we're happy for the rayniacs of Europe and Japan, and Gamma Ray themselves! Also, we can't help feeling a bit sad - the list includes France, Spain, Slovakia... but not Russia. But we aren't going to despair or cry... even less so now that the release of Majestic is getting near. On July 11th there's going to be the first presentation of the album in Hamburg. We hope, some interesting album reviews will follow soon!

July 08, 2005: Dan Zimmermann's offcical website

Daniel Zimmermann now has his own personal official website. Check it out, the address is simple and plain - http://www.dan-zimmermann.de. The info about Dan is available in English and German.

July 05, 2005: Kai Hansen, nordic warriors and ancient pumpkin history

Though the leader of the Rays has recently finished work on the new album and played a show in Balingen, he doesn't forget his young friends from Stormwarrior, either. On July 23rd the fierce warriors from Hamburg will hit the main stage of Earthshaker Festival, and they won't be alone. Kai Hansen is going to take part in their show. Just like on Christmas show last year, it is planned that the set-list will include several "ancient" Helloween hits from Walls of Jericho era, along with Stormwarrior songs.

July 02, 2005: The Rays' first show this year - Majestic set in action

Most of Gamma Ray fans already know that the band played at Bang Your Head festival in Balingen on 24th of June. It's their first show in many, many months. And finally, we know some details about the show. As Dirk Schlaechter writes on the website of Noise Records (the band's label), the Rays managed to play their complete set-list despite problems with the equipment that plagued them in the beginning. There was even a song from Majestic album, Blood Religion. The fan's response was more than positive... just like the band's feelings during and after the gig...

June 28, 2005: New album's track list

Gamma Ray official website has posted the track list of the new album of the Rays. So, Majestic will include songs: My Temple, Fight, Strange World, Hell Is Thy Home, Blood Religion, Condemned To Hell, Spiritual Dictator, Majesty, How Long, Revelation. There will be a bonus-track for Japanese edition of the album, but its name isn't yet known. The song names make us expect something mystical, even dark and really heavy. But we suppose that, as always, everything is gonna have a good share of humour and irony, if we know anything about Gamma Ray :)))