GAMMA RAY's KAI HANSEN: Why Adding Second Singer FRANK BECK Was Necessary

December 26, 2015

German power metallers GAMMA RAY recently recruited Frank Beck as their second lead singer. Beck and GAMMA RAY leader Kai Hansen (ex-HELLOWEEN) split all lead vocals on the band's recent "Best Of The Best Party Tour", which celebrated the 25th anniversary of the release of GAMMA RAY's debut album, "Heading For Tomorrow".

Speaking to Spark TV, which is part of the Czech monthly magazine Spark, Hansen stated about GAMMA RAY's decision to recruit Beck (see video below): "I'm gonna step back a bit and enjoy guitar playing a little bit more instead of being stuck to the microphone all the time on stage."

Regarding when GAMMA RAY decided to hire Beck as a full-time member, Hansen said: "It was [a] pretty short [time] before [the start of the 'Best Of The Best Party'] tour, actually, [that we finally said], 'Okay, we do it.' One of the reasons was that we were not sure if it was a good idea to do it for this tour, because it's [celebration of our] 25 years and people are very much used to my voice and so on. But due to some necessity, because shortly before, we've been in South America and toured Japan, I found myself being completely damaged with the voice from air conditions and all that. So it was a kind of necessity to do something, and it made the decision kind of grow on us quickly. And so we just went, 'Okay, let's go for it now and just take the risk and hope that people accept it.' And so far the acceptance has been brilliant, absolutely great."

Hansen explained that adding a new lead singer to a band that has been around for a quarter of a century is a risky move, but one that will enable GAMMA RAY to grow and survive. "The band is very much recognized by me, but on the other hand, there's always space for something new," he said. "And I think we wouldn't have done it if we weren't sure about it."

Asked if Beck will contribute to the songwriting process on future GAMMA RAY albums, Hansen said: "Definitely! Sure. Of course. I mean, everybody has his influences, and they all are coming together while doing an album, so definitely Frank will add up to the GAMMA RAY sound. I mean, he grew up on the same roots that we did and likes the same kind of music. But still, there's always something that a new member brings in and that makes the music grow."

GAMMA RAY's eleventh studio album, "Empire Of The Undead", was released in March 2014 on CD, CD/DVD digipack, LP and digitally via earMusic.

Find more on Gamma ray
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).