Gamma Ray
Heading For Tomorrow: 25th Anniversary

Gamma Ray's fine 1989 debut, Heading for Tomorrow, represented not only a logical continuation of Hansen's work with his former band, but served as a veritable tour de force for the newly independent guitarist, who single-handedly produced it and wrote all but two of its tracks. Whether cranking out melodic thrashers like "Lust for Life" and "Hold Your Ground," flexing his mainstream metal muscles with consumer-ready numbers like "Heaven Can Wait" and "Money," or venting his loftier compositional kinks on the 14-minute magnum opus of a title track, Hansen displays a renewed enthusiasm for his craft that had been sorely missing as of late.