Guitarist/vocalist Kai Hansen is venturing into solo territory. The Gamma Ray member will release XXX, his first solo project album. XXX is a reference to over 30 years of involvement in the world of heavy metal, as explained with the album's subtitle "Three Decades In Metal". The album will be released in August 2016 on earMUSIC.




After the achievements enjoyed lately with Unisonic and Gamma Ray's recent work Empire Of The Undead, Kai Hansen has started working on the album with no precise commercial masterplan.

This certainly was the reason for Hansen to communicate to his label the intention of donating the first advance payment he will receive for XXX - which in the meantime was shaping into a proper album - to the Wacken Foundation. A foundation which helps and supports young hard rock and heavy metal bands for over seven years now: Musicians full of hopes and dreams, exactly as Hansen had in the beginning of the 30 years story told on this album... in the hope that one day, somebody could tell another 30 years long magic story, also thanks to this album.

Together with Hansen, a band of musicians gravitating around the Chameleon Studio in Hamburg has formed spontaneously: Alex Dietz (guitar player of Heaven Shall Burn) on bass, Eike Freese (who already worked as engineer and co-producer with Hansen on the last Gamma Ray album) on guitar and drummer Daniel Wilding (Carcass). The four will be joined by various guests, ranging from friends to followers to heroes - some having played a significant part in Kai's career, some who have expressed the wish to join the project.

Kai and friends will do an exclusive one-time performance at this year's Wacken Open Air Festival, introducing the songs from the album to the audience for the first and only time.

Source:	ear-music.net
Band profile:	Gamma Ray