Power Plant is the sixth full-length album from the German power metal band, Gamma Ray. The album was initially released in 1999, but was re-released along with most of the band's past catalogue in 2002 with bonus tracks and new covers. This album has a tight focus on the power metal genre.
| Power Plant | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover art by Derek Riggs | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 23 March 1999 | |||
| Recorded | November 1998 – January 1999 | |||
| Studio | Hansen Studio, Hamburg, Germany | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 63:32 | |||
| Label | Noise | |||
| Producer | Kai Hansen, Dirk Schlächter and Gamma Ray | |||
| Gamma Ray chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 8/10[2] |
| Metal Storm | 8.5/10[3] |
| Sputnikmusic | 3.5/5[4] |
Most notably for the band, it was the first album in which the lineup from one album to the next remain unchanged, with Kai Hansen on vocals and guitar, Henjo Richter on guitar, Dirk Schlächter on bass and Dan Zimmermann on drums.
The cover painting and illustrations are by Derek Riggs, creator of Iron Maiden's Eddie mascot.
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Anywhere in the Galaxy" | Kai Hansen | Hansen | 6:37 |
| 2. | "Razorblade Sigh" | Hansen | Hansen | 5:01 |
| 3. | "Send Me a Sign" | Henjo Richter | Richter | 4:07 |
| 4. | "Strangers in the Night" | Hansen, Dan Zimmermann | Zimmermann | 6:04 |
| 5. | "Gardens of the Sinner" | Zimmermann, Hansen | Zimmermann, Hansen | 5:57 |
| 6. | "Short as Hell" | Hansen | Hansen | 3:57 |
| 7. | "It's a Sin" (Pet Shop Boys cover) | Chris Lowe, Neil Tennant | Lowe, Tennant | 4:58 |
| 8. | "Heavy Metal Universe" | Hansen | Hansen | 5:25 |
| 9. | "Wings of Destiny" | Richter | Richter | 6:26 |
| 10. | "Hand of Fate" | Hansen, Dirk Schlächter | Schlächter | 6:12 |
| 11. | "Armageddon" | Hansen | Hansen | 8:48 |
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Long Live Rock 'n' Roll" (Rainbow cover) | Ritchie Blackmore, Ronnie James Dio | Blackmore, Dio | 3:46 |
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "A While in Dreamland" | Hansen, Schlächter | Hansen, Schlächter | 4:16 |
| 13. | "Rich and Famous" | Hansen | Hansen | 4:53 |
| 14. | "Long Live Rock 'n' Roll" (Rainbow cover) | Blackmore, Dio | Blackmore, Dio | 3:46 |
- "A While in Dreamland" also appears on the Silent Miracles EP.
- "Rich and Famous" also appears on the Japanese version of Blast from the Past.
Personnel
edit- Gamma Ray
- Kai Hansen – vocals, guitars, producer, engineer, mixing
- Henjo Richter – guitars, keyboards, artwork and booklet design
- Dirk Schlächter – bass, producer, engineer, mixing
- Dan Zimmermann – drums
- Additional musicians
- Piet Sielck – additional chorus on "Hand of Fate"
- Production
- Ralf Lindner – mastering at .Ham. Audio, Hamburg
Charts
edit| Chart (1999) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[5] | 45 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[6] | 32 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[7] | 25 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[8] | 31 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[9] | 51 |
References
edit- ^ Huey, Steve. "Gamma Ray - Power Plant review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- ^ Popoff, Martin (1 August 2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 167. ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9.
- ^ "Gamma Ray - Power Plant review". Metal Storm. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
- ^ Stagno, Mike (27 October 2006). "Gamma Ray - Power Plant". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Gamma Ray – Power Plant" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- ^ "Gamma Ray: Power Plant" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Gamma Ray – Power Plant" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Gamma Ray – Power Plant". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 September 2020.