BW&BK; recently caught up with GAMMA RAY frontman Kai Hansen to discuss the band's new album, Land Of The Free II. The following is an excerpt from the interview, with Hansen discussing their upcoming tour with HELLOWEEN, the band he co-founded:

“If you had asked us years ago about doing this the answer would have been ‘No, we don’t think so,’" says Hansen. "Things need time and a few drinks (laughs). That’s actually what happened. We’ve had many occasions where we’ve met on tour and at festivals, and we’ve even done some jam sessions, and all this led to a point where we all recognized that both bands were basically in the same boat. We’re fighting for something we like, and if there’s a competition it’s a healthy one. It’s better to team up than to put each other down. So it was just a natural thing when we saw that our schedules were pretty much the same, because when we met at the festivals and got talking we always said it would be cool to do a tour together. Helloween and Gamma Ray are historically connected, both bands play the same type of music…done differently, but anyhow… so we saw this as a good opportunity."

It also makes good business sense...

“Absolutely, and especially for Gamma Ray. Helloween is a very big name, and I guess there are some people that don’t know what the fuck Gamma Ray is. For us it’s a good chance to say hello to those people."

As for Gamma Ray getting the perceived support slot on the tour, sadwhiched betweenopeners AXXIS and Helloween, Hansen says he's fine with it:

"We had a discussion about all this when things were settled about what the status of the band was. In the end it’s very hard to argue about that because there’s no real proof as to who’s more popular, so we just took the numbers from the last tours we did. I always say that Helloween had the Keeper bonus for their last tour, but Helloween is the bigger name. The way I look at it we’re not an opening band, we’re a Very Special Guest. We’ve got a good amount of time to play and that’s fine with us."

Watch for the full story in BW&BK; #109.

Gamma Ray's upcoming tour schedule with Helloween is as follows:

November

16 - Budapest, Hungary at Petofi Hall
17 - Belgrade, Serbia at SKC
18 - Sofia, Bulgaria at Festivalna Hall
21 - Istanbul, Turkey at Venue TBA
23 - Thesaloniki, Greece at Principal
24 - Athens, Greece at Cultural Center Hellinikos Kosmos
27 - Rome, Italy at Tendastrisce
28 - Milano, Italy at Alcatraz
29 - Dietikon, Switzerland at Stadthalle

December

1 - Lichtenfels, Germany at Stadthalle
2 - Bremen, Germany at Aladin
4 - Gothenburg, Sweden at Liseberghallen
5 - Oslo, Norway at Rockefeller
7 - Lund, Sweden at Mejeriet
8 - Stockholm, Sweden at Arenan
10 - Tampere, Finland at Pakkahuone
11 - Helsinki, Finland at Kaapelitehdas
14 - Plzen, Czech Republic at Hala Lokomotiva
15 - Zlin, Czech Republic at Hala Novesta
16 - Pardubice, Czech Republic at CEZ Arena
18 - Kosice, Slovakia at Cassosport Sport Hall
19 - Bratislava, Slovakia at PKO
21 - Langen, Germany at Stadthalle
22 - Kaufbeuren, Germany at All Karthalle

January

6 - Paris, France at Elysee Montmatre
7 - Tilburg, Holland at 013
8 - London, UK at The Forum
10 - Antwerp, Belgium at Hof Ter Lo
11 - Tuttlingen, Germany at Alte Festhalle
12 - Karlsruhe, Germany at Europahalle
13 - Oberhausen, Germany at Turbinenhalle
15 - Barcelona, Spain at Razzmatazz
17 - Lugo, Spain at Recinto Ferial
18 - Bilbao, Spain at Rockstar Live
20 - Madrid, Spain at La Riviera

February

8 - Fukuoka, Japan - Drum Logos
9 - Hiroshima, Japan - Club Quattro
11 - Osaka, Japan - Namba Hatch
12 - Nagoya, Japan - Diamond Hall
14 - Tokyo, Japan - Kosei Nenkin Hall
15 - Tokyo, Japan - Kosei Nenkin Hall