Gamma Ray-Heading for the East (1990) |
BUY IT |
General | Extras | ||
Category | Music |
Menu Animation & Audio Featurette-Review by Malcolm Dome DVD Credits Audio Commentary-Malcolm Dome |
|
Rating | |||
Year Of Production | 1990 | ||
Running Time | 89:51 (Case: 55) | ||
RSDL / Flipper | No/No | Cast & Crew | |
Start Up | Menu | ||
Region Coding | 4 | Directed By | Steve Payne |
Studio
Distributor |
Warner Vision |
Starring |
Kai Hansen Ralph Scheepers Uli Kusch Dirk Schlachter Uwe Wenzel Joern Ellerbrock |
Case | Amaray-Transparent-Secure Clip | ||
RPI | $34.95 | Music | Gamma Ray |
Video | Audio | ||
Pan & Scan/Full Frame | Full Frame |
English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) |
|
Widescreen Aspect Ratio | None | ||
16x9 Enhancement | No | ||
Video Format | 576i (PAL) | ||
Original Aspect Ratio | 1.33:1 | Miscellaneous | |
Jacket Pictures | No | ||
Subtitles | None | Smoking | No |
Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
Action In or After Credits | Yes, credits are played over the stage farewells. |
Gamma Ray were formed by guitarist Kai Hansen after quitting German metal band Helloween in 1989. Helloween were at their peak after the successful Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part 2 album, and Hansen's sudden departure stunned many fans and critics. Gamma Ray does sound a lot like Kai's previous band - one wonders what could possibly be the benefit of starting a new outfit that is a virtual clone of the one you left. Still, other sources of inspiration are obvious here - bands like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest clearly had some influence on Hansen's song writing - and the twin guitar harmonising in particular consistently reminded me of Iron Maiden. A lot of the songs presented here are from the band's first album, Heading For Tomorrow, and some of Hansen's earlier Helloween contributions are thrown in - one of which Hansen sings himself. These would have certainly been a treat for fans at the time.
The line-up of musicians in this performance is impressive, and would be labelled a metal supergroup by today's standards. Vocalist Ralph Scheepers has an astounding tone and vocal presence, and is one of the most recognisable voices in the genre. Scheepers went on to later form power metal outfit Primal Fear and at one point was rumoured to be Rob Halford's replacement in Judas Priest. Drummer Uli Kusch later joined Helloween himself, and more recently formed the excellent Masterplan, who - to totally confuse you - is now touring Europe with Gamma Ray.
The production as a whole appears a bit dated, and the flow of the live performance is interrupted by segments of grainy home video footage, but fans of the band or this era of metal will rejoice with this DVD regardless.
1. Lust For Life 2. Heaven Can Wait 3. Space Eater 4. Freetime 5. Who Do You Think You Are 6. The Silence | 7. Save Us 8. I Want Out 9. Ride The Sky / Hold Your Ground 10. Money 11. Heading For Tomorrow |
This is an adequate transfer, considering the age of the source material.
The video transfer is presented in 1.33:1, full frame.
The level of sharpness is generally good, but not up to the standard we are used to in more recent productions. Shadow detail is similarly unspectacular, with very few examples of truly solid blacks. There was no noticeable low level noise.
Colours are very bright and regularly show signs of bleeding, such as on Kai's arm at 25:20.
There are no MPEG artefacts to speak of, and aliasing is quite minimal. There is some considerable grain in the intermittent home video footage, but the most distracting artefact here are the frequent motion trails left by the bright stage lighting, but being an analogue production this is hardly surprising.
There are no subtitles available on this single layered disc.
Sharpness | |
Shadow Detail | |
Colour | |
Grain/Pixelization | |
Film-To-Video Artefacts | |
Film Artefacts | |
Overall |
There are two audio options; an English Dolby Digital 5.1 mix and an audio commentary.
Dialogue and vocal presence are very good in the concert mix, but suffer quite a bit in the home video footage. There are no issues with audio sync.
Surround usage is limited to some slight spill from the rhythm guitar and vocal, with cheering and crowd noise between songs to give the viewer that front row feel. The mix did feel a little unbalanced at times, and I often found myself straining to hear the rhythm guitar or keyboards over the guitar solos, but I suspect this is a matter of personal preference rather than an error.
The subwoofer kicked in to add some bottom end to the kick drum and bass guitar very effectively, without being at all overpowering.
Dialogue | |
Audio Sync | |
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts | |
Surround Channel Use | |
Subwoofer | |
Overall |
There are a couple of extras worth noting on this disc, but not much to get excited about.
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
The video transfer is adequate for a dated analogue production.
The audio transfer is a good surround effort.
The extras have little replay value for fans and casual viewers alike.
Video | |
Audio | |
Extras | |
Plot | |
Overall |
Review Equipment | |
DVD | Pioneer DV-525, using Component output |
Display | Panasonic TX76PW10A 76cm Widescreen 100Hz. Calibrated with Video Essentials. This display device is 16x9 capable. |
Audio Decoder | Built in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Video Essentials. |
Amplification | Denon AVR-2802 Dolby EX/DTS ES Discrete |
Speakers | Orpheus Aurora lll Mains (bi-wired), Rears, Centre Rear. Orpheus Centaurus .5 Front Centre. Mirage 10 inch sub. |