Somewhere Out In Space
Encyclopedia
Somewhere Out in Space is an album by German
power metal
band, Gamma Ray
. It was released on August 25, 1997 and is the band's fifth studio album. Continuing in the tradition of the previous four albums, it contained yet another different lineup, but would also be the first album to feature the band's current members. The album featured Dirk Schlächter
on bass for the first time since his guest appearance on Heading for Tomorrow
, Henjo Richter
on guitar and Dan Zimmerman on drums.
The track "Watcher in the Sky" was recorded by Iron Savior
and appears on their self-titled 1997 album
. It features Piet Sielck
on guitar and additional
vocals, and Thomen Stauch on drums.
The track "No Stranger (Another Day In Life)" was originally written as a contribution to Michael Kiskes solo album, but since Kiske rejected it as "too heavy" Hansen instead decided to record it with Gamma Ray.
"Miracle" is effectively a stylized version of "Man On a Mission" from "Land of the Free", Gamma Ray's previous album. It has very similar lyrics, an identical chorus, and similar chord progressions, but at a slower tempo.
The song "Men, Martians and Machines" begins with the "five tones" from the film Close Encounters Of The Third Kind
played on strings.
Japanese Version Bonus Track
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
power metal
Power metal
Power metal is a style of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. The term refers to two different but related styles: the first pioneered and largely practiced in North America with a harder sound similar to speed metal, and a...
band, Gamma Ray
Gamma Ray (band)
Gamma Ray is a power metal band from Hamburg, northern Germany, founded and fronted by Kai Hansen after his departure from the German power metal Helloween. Hansen is the current lead vocalist, guitarist as well as the chief songwriter of Gamma Ray. The band is known as one of the most prominent...
. It was released on August 25, 1997 and is the band's fifth studio album. Continuing in the tradition of the previous four albums, it contained yet another different lineup, but would also be the first album to feature the band's current members. The album featured Dirk Schlächter
Dirk Schlächter
Dirk Schlächter is the bassist of the power metal band Gamma Ray.- History :Dirk got in touch with music for the first time joining a music school at the age of 8. At the age of 11 he got his first acoustic guitar followed by an electric guitar at the age of 15. At the age of 19 he turned to bass...
on bass for the first time since his guest appearance on Heading for Tomorrow
Heading for Tomorrow
Heading for Tomorrow is the first studio album released by German power metal band, Gamma Ray on 19 February 1990 by Noise Records. In 2002 it was re-released with a different cover as part of the Ultimate Collection box-set...
, Henjo Richter
Henjo Richter
Henjo Oliver Richter, in Hamburg, West Germany, is a guitarist and keyboardist in Gamma Ray, the German power metal band formed by Kai Hansen.-Biography:...
on guitar and Dan Zimmerman on drums.
The track "Watcher in the Sky" was recorded by Iron Savior
Iron Savior
Iron Savior is a German power metal band that formed in Hamburg, Germany in 1996. Following a period of several years working behind the scenes in music production, multi-instrumentalist and producer/engineer Piet Sielck joined with former Helloween bandmate Kai Hansen and then-drummer for Blind...
and appears on their self-titled 1997 album
Iron Savior (album)
- Track listing :-Personnel:Iron Savior* Piet Sielck – vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, production* Kai Hansen – guitar, vocals, additional production* Thomen Stauch – drums, additional productionAdditional musicians...
. It features Piet Sielck
Piet Sielck
Piet Sielck is a power metal guitarist and vocalist. He is member of the power/speed metal bands Iron Savior and Savage Circus, as well as owner of the studio Powerhouse in Hamburg.-Early years:...
on guitar and additional
vocals, and Thomen Stauch on drums.
The track "No Stranger (Another Day In Life)" was originally written as a contribution to Michael Kiskes solo album, but since Kiske rejected it as "too heavy" Hansen instead decided to record it with Gamma Ray.
"Miracle" is effectively a stylized version of "Man On a Mission" from "Land of the Free", Gamma Ray's previous album. It has very similar lyrics, an identical chorus, and similar chord progressions, but at a slower tempo.
The song "Men, Martians and Machines" begins with the "five tones" from the film Close Encounters Of The Third Kind
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, and Cary Guffey...
played on strings.
Track listing
- "Beyond the Black Hole" (L:Hansen M:Hansen/Schlächter/Zimmermann) – 6:00
- "Men, Martians And Machines" (Hansen) – 3:52
- "No Stranger (Another Day In Life)" (Hansen) – 3:35
- "Somewhere Out in Space" (Hansen) – 5:27
- "The Guardians of Mankind" (Richter) – 5:01
- "The Landing" (L:Hansen M:Schlächter) – 1:16
- "Valley of the Kings" (Hansen) – 3:51
- "Pray" (L:Hansen M:Schlächter) – 4:45
- "The Winged Horse" (Richter) – 7:02
- "Cosmic Chaos" (Zimmermann) – 0:48
- "Lost in the Future" (L:Hansen M:Schlächter) – 3:40
- "Watcher in the Sky" (Hansen/SielckPiet SielckPiet Sielck is a power metal guitarist and vocalist. He is member of the power/speed metal bands Iron Savior and Savage Circus, as well as owner of the studio Powerhouse in Hamburg.-Early years:...
) – 5:19 - "Rising Star" (Schlächter) – 0:51
- "Shine On" (L:Hansen M:Schlächter) – 6:52
Japanese Version Bonus Track
- "Return to Fantasy" (ByronDavid ByronDavid Byron -Early Life 1967-1969:From mid-60's to early 70's David Byron did a lot of session work for a company called Avenue Recordings singing lead and backing vocals...
/HensleyKen HensleyKenneth William David Hensley is a keyboard player , guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer best known for his work with Uriah Heep during the 1970s....
) - 5:16 (Uriah HeepUriah Heep (band)Uriah Heep are an English rock band formed in London in 1969 and regarded as a seminal classic hard rock act of the 1970s. Uriah Heep's progressive/art rock/heavy metal fusion's distinctive features have always been massive keyboards sound, strong vocal harmonies and David Byron's operatic vocals...
cover)
2003 Bonus Tracks
- "Return to Fantasy" (ByronDavid ByronDavid Byron -Early Life 1967-1969:From mid-60's to early 70's David Byron did a lot of session work for a company called Avenue Recordings singing lead and backing vocals...
/HensleyKen HensleyKenneth William David Hensley is a keyboard player , guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer best known for his work with Uriah Heep during the 1970s....
) - 5:16 (Uriah HeepUriah Heep (band)Uriah Heep are an English rock band formed in London in 1969 and regarded as a seminal classic hard rock act of the 1970s. Uriah Heep's progressive/art rock/heavy metal fusion's distinctive features have always been massive keyboards sound, strong vocal harmonies and David Byron's operatic vocals...
cover) - "Miracle" (Hansen) - 7:17
- "Victim of Changes" (AtkinsAl AtkinsAlan John "Al" Atkins is an English heavy metal vocalist, perhaps best known for his association with Judas Priest...
/Downing/HalfordRob HalfordRobert John Arthur "Rob" Halford is an English singer-songwriter, who is best known as the lead vocalist for the Grammy Award-winning heavy metal band Judas Priest. He is nicknamed the "Metal God" as a tribute to his influence on metal, and after the Judas Priest song of the same name from 1980's...
/TiptonGlenn TiptonGlenn Tipton is one of the Grammy Award-winning guitarists for the heavy metal band Judas Priest...
) - 7:23 (Judas PriestJudas PriestJudas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,...
cover)
- "Miracle" also appears on the Silent Miracles EP.
- "Victim of Changes" also appears on the Valley Of The Kings EPValley of the Kings (EP)Valley of the Kings was an EP released in 1997 by the German power metal band Gamma Ray prior to the release of their album Somewhere Out in Space...
.
Lyrical Concepts
- "Beyond the Black Hole" is about travelling the unknown space to discover black holes.
- "Somewhere Out in Space" is about the fictional series Star Trek.
- "The Landing" and "Valley of the Kings" is about the arrival of aliens on Earth millions of years ago.
- "Pray" is about the end of hope for human race be saved.
- "Shine On" is about the theory that extraterrestrial life came on Earth long before and planted the seeds of mankind.
Credits
- Vocals & Guitars: Kai HansenKai HansenKai Michael Hansen is a power metal guitarist and vocalist.Hansen is the founder, lead guitarist, and vocalist of power metal band Gamma Ray, and the co-founder and former member of German metal band Helloween. He is a prominent figure in power metal, and has sold millions of albums worldwide...
- Guitars & Keyboards: Henjo RichterHenjo RichterHenjo Oliver Richter, in Hamburg, West Germany, is a guitarist and keyboardist in Gamma Ray, the German power metal band formed by Kai Hansen.-Biography:...
- Bass Guitars: Dirk SchlächterDirk SchlächterDirk Schlächter is the bassist of the power metal band Gamma Ray.- History :Dirk got in touch with music for the first time joining a music school at the age of 8. At the age of 11 he got his first acoustic guitar followed by an electric guitar at the age of 15. At the age of 19 he turned to bass...
- Drums: Dan ZimmermannDan ZimmermannDaniel Hans Erwin Zimmermann is a heavy metal drummer currently playing in Gamma Ray. Dan joined Gamma Ray in 1997.-With Gamma Ray:*Valley of the Kings *Somewhere Out In Space...
Guest Musicians
- Vocals & Guitars: Piet SielckPiet SielckPiet Sielck is a power metal guitarist and vocalist. He is member of the power/speed metal bands Iron Savior and Savage Circus, as well as owner of the studio Powerhouse in Hamburg.-Early years:...
("Watcher in the Sky") - Drums: Thomen Stauch ("Watcher in the Sky")