

In the world of power metal, few names carry as much weight as Kai Hansen's. First making history three decades ago as a founding member of Helloween, the German guitarist-vocalist has also released ten studio albums with Gamma Ray, one of the most successful bands in the genre.

On May 31st, Gamma Ray will release 'Skeletons & Majesties,' a collection of re-recorded versions of songs from their classic albums. Noisecreep has the premiere of the brand new version of 'Brothers,' a track originally featured on their 'Insanity and Genius' [1993] album.

Listen to 'Brothers'







"I wrote the song back in 1993 along with our bassist [Dirk Schlächter] and Gamma's original vocalist, Ralf Scheepers. The theme of it is pretty simple and universal. It's basically saying that we are all brothers and sisters in rock and we could change the world if we try," Hansen recently told Noisecreep.

"Metal fans should all be one in mind and stick together since have a common love for this kind of music," he said. "We don't want anyone else telling us what we can or cannot do. That's the message of 'Brothers,' and it means a lot to me."

Since Hansen has been touring the world since the '80s, we asked him if the climate has gotten any better for heavy metal in the last decade.

"In the end it comes down to the need for hard music. That spirit of rebellion, especially in the youth, is still very much alive. If you go back to the '60s with the beat music and then into the '70s when metal first got big, there was always some type of rock that people turned to for an escape. The styles of hard rock and metal might change, but the message of rebellion is still the same."

'Skeletons & Majesties' comes out on May 31st via Armoury Records/Eagle Rock Entertainment.