''Somewhere Out in Space'' is an album by

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

power metal Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in contra ...

band,

Gamma Ray A gamma ray, also known as gamma radiation (symbol γ or \gamma), is a penetrating form of electromagnetic radiation arising from the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei. It consists of the shortest wavelength electromagnetic waves, typically ...

. It was released on 25 August 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 longest standing lineup. The album featured

Dirk Schlächter Dirk Schlächter (born 15 February 1965, in Bad Nauheim, Germany) is the bassist of the power metal band Gamma Ray and Avalanch from 2018. History Dirk got in touch with music for the first time joining a music school at the age of 8. At the ag ...

on bass for the first time since his guest appearance on ''

Heading for Tomorrow ''Heading for Tomorrow'' is the first studio album released by German metal band Gamma Ray on 26 February 1990 by Noise Records. In 2002 it was re-released with a different cover as part of the Ultimate Collection box-set. This re-released versi ...

'',

Henjo Richter Henjo Oliver Richter, (born 24 November 1963 in Hamburg, West Germany) is a guitarist and keyboardist in Gamma Ray, the German power metal band formed by Kai Hansen. Biography Henjo is a self-taught musician and started playing at the age of ...

on guitar and

Dan Zimmermann Daniel Hans Erwin Zimmermann (born 30 October 1966 in Nürnberg, West Germany) is a retired heavy metal drummer. Dan is best known as having been the drummer of German power metal bands Gamma Ray and Freedom Call from 1997 to 2012. He was a fou ...

on drums. The track "Watcher in the Sky" was recorded by

Iron Savior Iron Savior is a German power metal band that was formed in Hamburg 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 ...

and appears on their self-titled 1997 album. It features

Piet Sielck Piet Sielck (born 14 November 1964) is a German power metal guitarist, vocalist and producer. He is member of the power metal, power/speed metal band Iron Savior as well as owner of the studio Powerhouse in Hamburg. Early years Born in Hamburg ...

on guitar and additional vocals, and

Thomen Stauch Thomas "Thomen" Stauch (born 11 March 1970), also known by his nickname The Omen, is a German heavy metal drummer, mostly known as the co-founder and former drummer of Blind Guardian. Biography He began his career in 1984 the band Lucifer� ...

on drums. The track "No Stranger (Another Day in Life)" was originally written as a contribution to

Michael Kiske Michael Kiske (born January 24, 1968) is a German singer and lead vocalist for the German power metal band Helloween. Kiske has released four solo albums, two albums with the hard rock band Unisonic, has participated on various metal and rock ...

's 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 1977 film ''

Close Encounters of the Third Kind ''Close Encounters of the Third Kind'' is a 1977 American science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Richard Dreyfuss, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, Cary Guffey, and François Truffaut. It tells the story ...

'' played on strings.

Lyrical concepts

* "Beyond the Black Hole" is about travelling the unknown space to discover black holes. * "Somewhere Out in Space" is about the science fiction franchise ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...

''. * "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 the human race to be saved from extinction. * "Shine On" is about the theory that extraterrestrial life visited Earth long before and planted the seeds of mankind.

Track listing

*"Miracle" also appears on the ''Silent Miracles'' EP. *"Victim of Changes" also appears on the ''

Valley of the Kings The Valley of the Kings ( ar, وادي الملوك ; Late Coptic: ), also known as the Valley of the Gates of the Kings ( ar, وادي أبوا الملوك ), is a valley in Egypt where, for a period of nearly 500 years from the 16th to 11th ...

'' EP.

Credits

;Gamma Ray *

Kai Hansen Kai Michael Hansen (born 17 January 1963) is a German musician who is the founder, lead guitarist and vocalist of power metal band Gamma Ray. He is also one of the co-founders of metal band Helloween, which he rejoined in 2016. He is a prominent ...

– vocals, guitars, producer, engineer, mixing on tracks 4, 7, 9 *

– guitars, keyboards *

– bass, guitar, producer, engineer, mixing on tracks 4, 7, 9 *

– drums ;Guest musicians *

– vocals and guitars on track 12 *

– drums on track 12 ;Production *

Charlie Bauerfeind Karl Rudolf "Charlie" Bauerfeind (born 30 May 1963) is a German sound engineer and producer who has worked mostly with power metal bands such as Angra, Blind Guardian, Helloween, Primal Fear, Rage, HammerFall and Saxon. Works Production ...

– mixing *Ralf Lindner – mastering

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Somewhere Out In Space 1997 albums Gamma Ray (band) albums Noise Records albums Alien invasions in music Albums produced by Kai Hansen