Band:	Gamma Ray
Album:	Empire Of The Undead
Style:	Power metal
Release date:	March 28, 2014
A review by:	R Lewis

Disc I
01. Avalon
02. Hellbent
03. Pale Rider
04. Born To Fly
05. Master Of Confusion
06. Empire Of The Undead
07. Time For Deliverance
08. Demonseed
09. Seven
10. I Will Return
11. Built A World [European bonus]
12. Someday [Japanese bonus]
13. Avalon [live] [Digipack bonus]
14. The Spirit [live] [Digipack bonus]
15. Empire Of The Undead [live] [Digipack bonus]

Disc II [DVD Digipack version] [live]
01. The Spirit
02. Empire Of The Undead
03. Demonseed
04. Empathy
+ Tour Of Hamburg with Gamma Ray
+ Interview with Kai Hansen & Gamma Ray
+ To The Metal Promo Video
+ Live Videos From Skeletons & Majesties
    1 - Gamma Ray
    2 - Wings Of Destiny
    3 - Send Me A Sign [acoustic version]

The more 2014 goes on, the more it confirms that, this year, power metal is clinging to its heavyweights. After Iron Savior, Freedom Call, Sonata Arctica, Primal Fear and Edguy, now it's the time for Gamma Ray to unleash their opus.

Already from the 2013 EP Master Of Confusion many sensed that Empire Of The Undead promised to actually be something, as the two new tracks had shown a band in great shape and a definitely stronger sound compared to the more-than-half-disappointment that 2010's To The Metal was.

And Empire Of The Undead lives up to the expectations, showing a band that, though staying totally faithful to their trademark sound, isn't afraid to try something a little more elaborate or diverse. Respectively, the 9-minutes-long opener "Avalon", that is reminiscent, in length and impact on the listener, of that masterpiece that was "Rebellion In Dreamland" from 1995's Land Of The Free, and the Queen-esque "Time For Deliverance", the closest thing to a ballad in this otherwise restless album.

But, obviously, we are talking about a Gamma Ray album, and in-the-face power metal and haunting choruses is what we're getting. Empire Of The Undead is once again that mix of high-paced strength and happy epicness that we all learned to love. The guys deliver a great performance, with some surprisingly educated vocals kindly offered by Kai Hansen and the music reminding us how riff and drumming don't have to be that difficult to be effective and memorable.

As almost everything, Empire Of The Undead isn't flawless, since it sometimes falls in the "already heard" cliché, at times subtly while other times with blatant vividness, in particular with "Master Of Confusion" and "Seven", which happen to have almost the same main riff. Unless this isn't some kind of a clever move to recall tunes throughout the album, aiming at an embryonic ring composition, but I personally doubt that.

The fire that unfortunately tore apart the band's studio in Hamburg seems now to have positively rewarmed the inspiration of these guys, who may be aging according to the registry, but have released their youngest album since the marvellous run from 1995-2001, that went from Land Of The Free to No World Order.

Seems like "undead" was just the right topic for this album.