To the Metal!

To The Metal! is the tenth full-length studio album by Gamma Ray. It was released on 29 January 2010. To promote the album, the band did a tour with Freedom Call and Secret Sphere. The album was recorded in Kai's own studio in Hamburg in autumn 2009. The band has recorded 12 songs. Ten of them were featured on the regular album release, while the other two were bonus tracks appearing on the different editions of the album. The band described some of the songs on the official website, revealing that there would be a full-throttle number called "Rise", a rhythmic and melodically diverse song called "Time To Live", and a multilayered anthem titled "All you need to know", featuring ex-Helloween frontman Michael Kiske. Other songs mentioned are "No Need to Cry", a song written by Dirk Schlächter about the death of his father, "To The Metal", a song they played on various festivals before the album release and the atmospheric and dense "Empathy". It is the last album featuring drummer Dan Zimmermann.

To The Metal!
Studio album by Gamma Ray
Released	29 January 2010
Recorded	at High Gain Studio, Hamburg, Germany
Genre	Speed metal power metal
Length	48:22
Label	earMUSIC
Producer	Dirk Schlächter and Kai Hansen
Gamma Ray chronology
Land of the Free II (2007) To The Metal! (2010) Skeletons & Majesties Live (2012)

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Empathy"	Hansen	5:04
2.	"All You Need to Know" (featuring Michael Kiske)	Hansen	4:00
3.	"Time to Live"	Richter	4:48
4.	"To the Metal"	Hansen	5:29
5.	"Rise"	Zimmermann	5:05
6.	"Mother Angel"	Hansen	5:20
7.	"Shine Forever"	Schlächter	3:53
8.	"Deadlands"	Hansen	4:23
9.	"Chasing Shadows"	Richter	4:23
10.	"No Need to Cry"	Schlächter	5:56

Bonus tracks on Collector's Edition (only on 7" Vinyl)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
11.	"Wannabees"	Zimmermann
12.	"To the Metal" (demo version)	Hansen

Bonus tracks on Japanese pressing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
11.	"One Life"	Hansen	5:07
12.	"Wannabees"	Zimmermann	3:48

Album versions

1. Regular jewel case CD
2. Limited edition featuring an additional DVD (including the making-of)
3. Red vinyl in gatefold packaging
4. Collectors' edition featuring CD and 7" vinyl with 2 unreleased tracks, completely hand-signed

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Gears of Rock	[2]
BurnYourHears	[3]
BW&BK	[4]

The critical reception to this album has been mostly positive, with some critics praising the musicianship and the drumming in particular. Others have praised the band for their consistency and for remaining 'one of heavy metal's most unsung heroes'.[5]

Charts

Chart (2010)	Provider	Peak position	Certification	Sales/ shipments[6]
German Albums Chart[7]	IFPI/Media Control	24	-	-
Greek Albums Chart[8]		2	-	-
Finland Albums Chart[9]		31	-	-
Sweden Albums Chart[10]		25	-	-
Switzerland Albums Chart[11]		55	-	-
Belgium Albums Chart[12]		94	-	-
France Albums Chart[13]		96	-	-

Personnel

• Kai Hansen - lead vocals (all but 2 and 10), guitar
• Henjo Richter - guitar, keyboards
• Dirk Schlächter - bass, lead vocals (10)
• Dan Zimmermann - drums

Guest musician

• Michael Kiske - lead vocals (2)

Technical personnel

• Dirk Schlächter, Kai Hansen — production and engineering
• Hervé Monjeaud — cover painting

References

1. Freeman, Phil. "Review: To the Metal". Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-03-30.
2. "Review: Gamma Ray – To The Metal".
3. "Gamma Ray - To The Metal!".
4. "GAMMA RAY - To The Metal".
5. "Gamma Ray to the Metal Review - Review of to the Metal by Gamma Ray". Heavymetal.about.com. 2010-03-16. Retrieved 2012-03-12.
6. Certification award levels IFPI. Retrieved August, 2009.
7. "Album Top 50 - Alle Musikvideos - Chart". MTV.de. Retrieved 2012-03-12.
8. Steffen Hung. "Gamma Ray - To The Metal!". greekcharts.com. Archived from the original on 2013-07-23. Retrieved 2012-03-12.
9. Steffen Hung (2010-09-17). "Gamma Ray - To The Metal!". finnishcharts.com. Retrieved 2012-03-12.
10. Steffen Hung. "Gamma Ray - To The Metal!". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 2012-03-12.
11. Steffen Hung. "Gamma Ray - To The Metal!". swisscharts.com. Retrieved 2012-03-12.
12. "Gamma Ray - To The Metal!". ultratop.be. Retrieved 2012-03-12.
13. Steffen Hung. "Gamma Ray - To The Metal!". lescharts.com. Retrieved 2012-03-12.