Empire of the Undead
| Empire of the Undead | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 28 March 2014 | |||
| Recorded | at Hammer Studios, Hamburg, Germany (partially) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 56:46 | |||
| Label | earMUSIC | |||
| Producer | Eike Freese and Dirk Schlächter | |||
| Gamma Ray chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| About.com |   [1] |
| AllMusic | [2] |
| Blabbermouth.net |    [3] |
| Metal Hammer | [4] |
| Metal Storm | [5] |
Empire of the Undead is the eleventh studio album by German power metal band Gamma Ray, released on 28 March 2014. It was their first album to feature new drummer Michael Ehré following Dan Zimmermann's departure in 2012.
Background[edit]
Kai Hansen revealed in an interview with Metal Blast in April 2013 that their upcoming album, Empire of the Undead, to be released in 2014, would have a "more thrashy" sound. In the same interview, Dirk Schlächter announced that the band would do a headlining tour following its release, in March or April 2014.[6]
Track listing[edit]
Credits via the album's liner notes.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Avalon" | Kai Hansen | Hansen | 9:21 |
| 2. | "Hellbent" | Hansen | Hansen | 5:22 |
| 3. | "Pale Rider" | Hansen | Michael Ehré | 4:23 |
| 4. | "Born to Fly" | Henjo Richter | Richter | 4:31 |
| 5. | "Master of Confusion" | Hansen | Hansen | 4:54 |
| 6. | "Empire of the Undead" | Hansen | Hansen | 4:25 |
| 7. | "Time for Deliverance" | Dirk Schlächter, Hansen | Schlächter | 5:10 |
| 8. | "Demonseed" | Hansen | Schlächter | 6:38 |
| 9. | "Seven" | Hansen | Hansen | 5:07 |
| 10. | "I Will Return" | Richter | Richter | 6:55 |
| Total length: | 56:46 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Someday" | Hansen[citation needed] | 3:59 |
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Built a World" | Hansen | Andy Portmann, Hansen | 4:22 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Avalon" (live from the final studio sessions) | 9:52 |
| 13. | "The Spirit" (live from the final studio sessions) | 4:19 |
| 14. | "Empire of the Undead" (live from the final studio sessions) | 4:27 |
Charts[edit]
| Chart (2014) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[7] | 46 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[8] | 104 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[9] | 71 |
| Czech Album Charts[10] | 5 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[11] | 12 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[12] | 89 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[13] | 13 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[14] | 52 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[15] | 26 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[16] | 21 |
Personnel[edit]
- Kai Hansen – Lead vocals, guitar
- Henjo Richter – Guitar, backing vocals, keyboards
- Dirk Schlächter – Bass, backing vocals
- Michael Ehré – Drums
References[edit]
- ^ Drago, Dan. "Gamma Ray - Empire Of The Undead Review". About.com. Archived from the original on 2014-07-11. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
- ^ Heaney, Gregory. "Empire of the Undead - Gamma Ray - Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
- ^ Van Horn Jr, Ray. "CD Reviews - Empire Of The Undead Gamma Ray - Blabbermouth.net". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
- ^ Kessler, Sebastian (2014-03-12). "Review of the Album of the Month April EMPIRE OF THE UNDEAD by Gamma Ray 2014 - METAL HAMMER". metal-hammer.de. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
- ^ Lewis, R (2014-05-10). "Gamma Ray - Empire Of The Undead review - Metal Storm". Metal Storm. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
- ^ "Gamma Ray Interview @ PPM 2013". Metalblast.net. 25 April 2013.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Gamma Ray – Empire of the Undead" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Gamma Ray – Empire of the Undead" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Gamma Ray – Empire of the Undead" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- ^ "Bravewords.com > News > GAMMA RAY Hits Highest Chart Position Ever In Germany With Empire Of The Undead". Bravewords.com. 2014-04-21. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
- ^ "Gamma Ray: Empire of the Undead" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Gamma Ray – Empire of the Undead". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Gamma Ray – Empire of the Undead" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- ^ "エンパイア・オブ・ジ・アンデッド". Oricon.co.jp. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Gamma Ray – Empire of the Undead". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Gamma Ray – Empire of the Undead". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
