GAMMA RAY 's roots lay in the surprising decision by guitarist Kai Hansen to split from HELLOWEEN during 1988 just as the German group had begun to reach the peak of their success with their 'Keeper Of The Seven Keys' concept albums, Hansen citing disillusionment with constant touring as the main reason for his departure. Prior to enjoying a high profile status with HELLOWEEN Hansen's formative Hamburg circuit bands had included ANCIENT CALL, then GENTRY alongside future HELLOWEEN personnel bass player Marcus Grosskopf and drummer Ingo Schwichtenberg. This unit in 1978 featured singer / guitarist Peter Sielck, Hansen, Grosskopf and Schwichtenberg. During 1980 the group evolved into SECOND HELL then IRON FIST before morphing into HELLOWEEN.

Post HELLOWEEN, teaming himself up with former TYRAN PACE vocalist Ralf Scheepers, Hansen quickly found almost instantaneous success again in a group that boasted bassist Uwe Wessels and drummer Matthias Burchardt in the initial line-up. GAMMA RAY's January 1990 Noise International debut album, 'Heading For Tomorrow', the title track actually being a re-work of SECOND HELL's theme song. The album tracks also featured additional drummer Tammo Vollmers, on the track 'Heaven Can Wait', and keyboards courtesy of Mischa Gerlach. The album garnered swift recognition due to the success of catchy single 'Space Eater', the video clip for which featured not Burchardt but Tammo Vollmers. GAMMA RAY stabilised by pulling in Dirk Schlächter on second guitar and filling the drum position by drafting ex-HOLY MOSES drummer Uli Kusch.

In Japan the record company was so concerned that HELLOWEEN fans might not recognise the GAMMA RAY title they obscured the band logo with a sticker simply stating 'Kai Hansen'. The album reached number 2 in the Japanese charts and sold in excess of 180'000 copies throughout Europe. An EP to coincide with September touring witnessed a re-recorded 'Heaven Can Wait', now with Kusch on the drums. Also included would be a brand new song, 'Who Do You Think You Are?' alongside three outtakes taken from the 'Heading For Tomorrow' sessions, 'Mister Outlaw', 'Sail On' and 'The Lonesome Stranger'. A further Japanese EP marked the start of a quirky tradition for GAMMA RAY in the Far East with a karaoke version of 'Heading For Tomorrow'. Demand for the group in Japan prompted a tour supported by fellow Deutsch-metallers RISK, also generating a 1991 concert video. The following year Hansen would find time to produce the 'This Is The News' demo session for MEGACE.

1991's 'Sigh No More', which was produced by VICTORY's Tommy Newton and continued the success, selling over 150'000 copies worldwide. Lyrically though, 'Sigh No More' alienated some fans with its strong anti-Gulf war sentiments. In mid 1992, upon the close of a second round of Japanese dates, both Kusch and Wessel quit. The drummer, following a 1993 stint with Punk band DIE SKEPTIKER, would eventually wind up in HELLOWEEN.

By early 1993 the band had recruited new members bassist Jan Rubach and drummer Thomas Nack joining the fold. GAMMA RAY's third album, 'Insanity And Genius', appeared the same year and, interestingly, the 1993 single 'Future Madhouse' features on the B side a seven minute version of the BIRTH CONTROL track aptly titled 'Gamma Ray'. The group drew together the bands RAGE, CONCEPTION and HELICON for a package tour dubbed "Melodic metal strikes back!" The band then engaged in a series of supports in Europe to MANOWAR. That same year Scheepers guested on the F.B.I. mini-album 'Hell On Wheels'.

Stunningly, Ralf Scheepers departed the group in 1994 after the rest of the band discovered he had applied for the job as vocalist for JUDAS PRIEST. Although GAMMA RAY was a success, the singer was still holding down a day job at an electronics company in Stuttgart and wished to accelerate his musical career. This left Hansen to handle lead vocal duties in addition to supplying guitar and Kai made his frontman debut on 1995's 'Land Of The Free' album, which also featured guest vocal parts from Hansen's ex-HELLOWEEN colleague MICHAEL KISKE as well as BLIND GUARDIAN's Hansi Kürsch. Scheepers turned up fronting PRIMAL FEAR, a band including SINNER mainman Mat Sinner and with more than a few similarities to Birmingham's finest. Meantime, Thomas Nack was operating a side project band oddly billed as TWORK in allegiance with former KINGDOM COME guitarist Heiko Radke.

GAMMA RAY played Germany in June 1995 on a touring festival billed the 'Summer Metal Meetings' including ICED EARTH, GRAVE DIGGER, GLENMORE, RUNNING WILD and RAGE, with the aptly titled 'Alive '95' record appearing the following year and featuring a cover version of NWoBHM act HOLOCAUST's 'Heavy Metal Mania'. The group would later record further cover songs, both JUDAS PRIEST numbers ('Victim Of Changes' and a Ralf Scheepers fronted version of 'Exciter') to two JUDAS PRIEST tribute albums.

In the Fall of 96 GAMMA RAY split with both Rubach and Nack, the duo reformulating their previous act ANESTHESIA. GAMMA RAY switched Dirk Schlächter from guitar to bass and in February 1997 recruited guitarist Henjo Richter and drummer Dan Zimmermann.

An EP, 'Valley Of The Kings', was released in May, this boasting the JUDAS PRIEST cover version 'Victim Of Changes'. GAMMA RAY hit back in August 1997 with a brand new studio album, the highly rated 'Somewhere Out In Space', also featuring Henjo Richter on guitars and keyboards, and excitedly toured in support of the 'meisterwerk'. The album included a cover version of URIAH HEEP's 'Return To Fantasy'. German dates included a headlining appearance at 'Heavy Oder Was?' magazine's 'Bang Your Head' festival in Tübingen, southern Germany before the group put in a bout of Euro touring bolstered by HAMMERFALL and JAG PANZER then headed over to Japan during October for a particularly lengthy tour, certainly by Japanese standards. These shows were promoted by a metal first, a full-blown collection of vocal-less tracks 'The Karaoke Album'. Competitions in the Japanese Rock media allowed winning contestants to sing with the band, karaoke during soundchecks.

Hansen also preoccupied himself outside of his main act by renewing ties with Piet Sielck from some of his earliest bands, GENTRY and SECOND HELL to forge IRON SAVIOR alongside Zimmermann. As well as issuing an album IRON SAVIOR also hit the road in Europe. Zimmermann joined FREEDOM CALL. Despite being recognised as a 'fun' project IRON SAVIOR's career rocketed and a succession of albums and tours ensued. Coincidently, IRON SAVIOR would later enroll erstwhile GAMMA RAY drummer Thomas Nack into the fold for the 'Interlude' album.

The 'Powerplant' album, issued in 1999, saw cover artwork from Derek Riggs, renowned for his IRON MAIDEN album sleeves. More surprising was the cover of 'Its A Sin', originally by THE PET SHOP BOYS. 'Powerplant' scored an impressive number 25 on the national German charts.

GAMMA RAY then released a 'best of' album with a twist. All the songs, voted for inclusion by the band's fans, were re-recorded. Both Hansen and Richter contributed to EDGUY's Tobias Sammet's mammoth AVANTASIA project album of 2000. In keeping with the EDGUY connection both Hansen and Schlacter would be on hand in the studio to mix TARAXACUM's conceptual 'Spirit Of Freedom's opus, conceived by EDGUY man Tobias Exxel.

GAMMA RAY returned in 2001 touting an album of freshly recorded material entitled 'No World Order'. With this set the group attained a number 23 placing in Germany, their highest chart position to date. Hansen had earlier in the year relinquished his post in side act IRON SAVIOR due to constantly conflicting timings between the two bands. Touring would see Mexican dates with MEGACE's Jörg Schrör filling in temporarily for an injured Dirk Schlächter.

Ardent fans would be enticed by Japanese versions of the 'Heaven Or Hell' single which featured an exclusive cover version of THIN LIZZY's 'Angel Of Death'. Headline dates in Germany during October, topping a billing featuring SONATA ARTICA and VANISHING POINT, saw HELLOWEEN's Martin Großkopf assisting his erstwhile band mate Kai Hansen by filling in for a still out of commission Dirk Schlächter.

GAMMA RAY would announce their first ever American show, billed as special guests to countrymen BLIND GUARDIAN, at the annual Atlanta 'ProgPower' festival. In the meantime Sanctuary Records would weigh in with a heavyweight re-release schedule of the first six GAMMA RAY albums all including extra tracks. 1989's debut 'Heading For Tomorrow' added 'Mr. Outlaw', 'Lonesome Stranger' and 'Sail On', sophomore effort 'Sigh No More''s bonus tracks would be 'Heroes', a pre-production version of 'Dream Healer' and 'Who Do You Think You Are? Whilst 1993's 'Insanity And Genius' came complete with an extended take on 'Gamma Ray' a cover of JUDAS PRIEST's 'Exciter' and a liver version of 'Save Us'. As for more recent outings 1995's 'Land Of The Free' boasted the inclusion of HOLOCAUST's 'Heavy Metal Mania', a pre-production rendition of 'As Time Goes By' and 'The Silence', the 1997 album 'Somewhere Out In Space' added 'Return To Fantasy', 'Miracle' and another JUDAS PRIEST cover in 'Victim Of Changes' and lastly 1999's 'Powerplant's bonuses comprised of 'A While In Dreamland', 'Rich And Famous" (2000 version) and RAINBOW's 'Long Live Rock n' Roll'.

GAMMA RAY would schedule tour dates in June as support to MOTÖRHEAD, the August Moscow 'Long Live Rock n' Roll' festival upfront of headline shows across Eastern Europe. August found the band at the 'Soyorock 2002' festival in Kyung Gi Do, Korea, the 'Bloodfest' UK festival, the 'Spodek Mystic' event in Katowice, Poland. GAMMA RAY's headline European dates, commencing in October, would be dubbed the 'Skeletons In The Closet' tour with a set list compiled from fan requests. A live album of the same title, recorded at shows in Barcelona's Razzmatazz and Strasbourg's La Laiterie, then ensued. Support act for these dates would be PARAGON. Whilst in North America for the Atlanta, Georgia 'ProgPower' festival the band announced a solitary Canadian show at Montreal, Quebec's Le Medley in mid November with strong support from EIDOLON and FORGOTTEN TALES.

GAMMA RAY acted as guests to IRON MAIDEN for European gigs in October of 2003. Kai Hansen guested on the 2004 album from high profile Brazilian Prog-Metal band ANGRA. That December GAMMA RAY commenced work on a new album entitled 'Majestic'. Finalised in May of 2005, 'Majestic' would be the last recording made at Hamburg's Hansen Studios. September and October European touring saw support from countrymen POWERWOLF and Swedes NOCTURNAL RITES. On keyboards would be Eero Kaukomies of Finnish GAMMA RAY tribute band GUARDIANS OF MANKIND. Interestingly, Kai Hansen made it clear in interviews during this period that he would be keen to pursue a full-blown HELLOWEEN reunion.

During a run of South American gigs Kai Hansen celebrated leading Brazilian band ANGRA's 14th anniversary by appearing with them onstage in São Paulo. Bad luck hit the band when performing on a Baltic Sea cruise boat concert between Stockholm and Helsinki in mid January when guitarist Henjo Richter fell down a stairwell, badly injuring his arm. The tour continued, with Kasperi Heikkinen, also of GUARDIANS OF MANKIND, acting as substitute. A live DVD, the novelly titled 'Hell Yeah! The Awesome Foursome (And The Finnish Keyboarder Who Didn't Want To Wear His Donald Duck Costume) Live in Montreal', was filmed at the band's May 6th concert at the Medley venue in Montreal, Quebec.

GAMMA RAY announced Australian dates, supported by LORD, for December. In a bold move, HELLOWEEN frontman Andi Deris hinted at a full-blown European tour alongside GAMMA RAY for the summer months of 2007.

The band's 2008 album 'Land Of The Free II', a conceptual continuation of the group's 1995 classic 'Land Of The Free', entered the German Media Control chart at no. 54. The album also landed on the Swedish chart at no. 57 and Norwegian chart at no. 98.

The band played the THIN LIZZY, SAXON, UFO, MOTÖRHEAD and HEAVEN AND HELL headlined August 2009 'Wacken Open Air' festival in Germany.