Description

When Gamma Ray took to the stage at the Hamburg Docks on 25 September 1993 to record the show for their scheduled live video ldquoLust For Liverdquo at that time available only on VHS cassette, the musicians Kai Hansen, Ralf Scheepers, Dirk Schlaumlchter, Jan Rubach and Thomas Nack immediately enthralled their fans with their furioso performance.The Docks saw them unleash the primeval energy which had built up during the lavish studio production of their third studio album ldquoInsanity And Geniusrdquo. The opener acuteTribute To The Past immediately proved why Gamma Rayrsquos shows have been considered a Mecca for metal fans worldwide since the group was launched in spring 1989 as powerful and haunting as the band may sound on their studio albums ndash live on stage, Gamma Ray have always surpassed their studio performances.Naturally, for Gamma Ray the Hamburg show in September 1993 was special in every respect. Not only because it took place in the grouprsquos home city but also because the band presented their new lineup to their fans for the first time. On top of all that, the set list that night was impressive along with brandnew numbers such as acuteTribute To The Past, acuteInsanity And Genius acuteLast Before The Storm and their back then current single release acuteFuture Madhouse, Hansen, Scheepers, Schlaumlchter and new additions Rubach and Nack also delivered a breathtaking Helloween medley featuring the songs acuteI Want Out, acuteFuture World and acuteRide The Sky. In addition, Kai Hansen performed acuteHeal Me as a vocal duet with Ralf Scheepers, already hinting at the personnel change which was to follow a few months later.What nobody anticipated that night at the Docks this was to be the bandrsquos last official recording featuring Scheepers. A few months later, Gamma Ray parted ways with their frontman from the south of Germany, Hansen doubling as vocalist ever since and the show at the Docks being the first time since his 1985 Helloween debut album ldquoWalls Of Jerichordquo that he simultaneously played the guitar and sang lead vocals in a band.ldquoLooking back more than 20 years, you canrsquot help but smile,rdquo Hansen confesses. ldquoWe were like things possessed, playing almost every song either too fast or too hard, some of them both. We sounded like some kind of metal tornado. There was pure euphoria among the band members at that time.rdquoThe 2016 anniversary rerelease of ldquoLust For Liverdquo was mastered by producersound engineer Eike Freese Dark Age, Deep Purple and will be available on CD for the first time. Gamma Ray CD is available for home delivery from Vinyl Records London, only £11.99