Gamma Ray - Land Of The Free (1995)

After starting so well with HEADING FOR TOMORROW, Gamma Ray's following two albums struggled a bit, but they return to form with this release, which came after the depature of Ralf Scheepers, the vocals being taken care of by Kai Hansen himself, his first effort as main vocalist since Helloween's WALLS OF JERICHO.
It starts with the rather bombastic "Rebellion In Dreamland", before the pedal is pushed to the floor as "Man On A Mission" takes hold in all its superfast glory.  Overall, the record is quite a winner, but it still hasn't done as much for me as it has for others.  For instance, the melodies of the title song and "Abyss Of The Void" are good, but sound too much like each other in the choruses.
Blind Guardian's Hansi Kursch's unmistakable voice makes a few appearances, as does former Helloween singer Michael Kiske, and maybe another listen or two might help me appreciate it more.
But, this release, which seems to focus on overcoming evil by salvation (in something), so one can "break free", just isn't quite as enjoyable as I had hoped.

***1/2