Trivia / Gamma Ray

• Limited Special Collector's Ultimate Edition:
  • The digipack version of Land of the Free II subverts this, as it proudly proclaims "Limited First Edition" on the cover, yet it doesn't have anything to be limited for. Technically, it represents the first pressing of the album and is a way to tell apart the first and second/third/etc. pressings of LOTFII, despite having no functional difference.
  • To The Metal, on the other hand, plays this straight, offering up a limited hand-signed version with CD and vinyl that went out of print shortly afterwards.
• The Pete Best: Before settling with its long-lasting lineup (guitarist/vocalist Kai Hansen, guitarist/later bassist Dirk Schlächter, guitarist/keyboardist Henjo Richter and drummer Dan Zimmerman), the band had many other members:
  • Drummer Matthias Burchard only played in Heading For Tomorrow and the EP Who Do You Think You Are? and then faded into obscurity.
  • Burchard's replacement, Uli Kusch, played in Sigh No More, left, and joined Helloween, Kai's previous band, with whom he played until he and guitarist Roland Grapow departed in order to form Masterplan.^note He's also notorious in that he's the only member of Gamma Ray, aside of Kai himself, who played with both Gamma Ray and Helloween.
  • The third drummer, Thomas Nack, played in Insanity & Genius and Land Of The Free before leaving in order to join Iron Savior... a band led by Piet Sielck, who co-founded Helloween alongside Kai.
  • Vocalist Ralf Scheepers sang in the first three albums before departing for a failed audition for Judas Priest and forming Primal Fear alongside some members of Sinner.
  • Bassist Uwe Wessel played in Heading... and Sigh... and left only to fade into obscurity.
  • Wessel's successor, Jan Rubach, played in Insanity... and Land..., and left. The arrival of Henjo Richter to the band motivated Schlächter to switch instruments, from guitars to bass, occupying Rubach's place.
• Self-Remake: Blast from the Past, a two-CD album of versions. The first CD is composed of re-arrangings of Ralf Scheepers' era-songs with their then-current (and eventually long-lasting) lineup of Kai Hansen-Henjo Richter-Dirk Schlachter-Dan Zimmerman.
• What Could Have Been: According to Dirk Schlachter, "To Mother Earth", from Land Of The Free II, was going to appear in Majestic, the previous album.

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