Kai Hansen

Kai Hansen
Tuska Open Air Metal Festival, 2005
Background information
Birth name	Kai Michael Hansen
Born	January 17, 1963 (1963-01-17) (age 46) Hamburg, West Germany
Genres	Heavy metal, speed metal, power metal
Occupations	Musician, Songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, Guitar
Years active	1978 – present
Labels	SPV
Associated acts	Gamma Ray Helloween Iron Savior Blind Guardian Avantasia HammerFall

Kai Michael Hansen (born January 17, 1963, in Hamburg, West Germany) is a power metal guitarist and vocalist.

Serving as founding member, lead guitarist, and vocalist of power metal band Helloween, and his own formed band Gamma Ray, Kai Hansen has been proven to be one of the most influential figures in power metal, and has sold millions of albums worldwide.

Biography

His musical career started in 1978 in a band called Gentry, alongside Iron Savior's co-founder and producer Piet Sielck. In 1983 he and Michael Weikath founded Helloween, where he was guitarist and singer until Michael Kiske took over the microphone for the albums Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 1 and Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 2. Hansen left the band due to the extensive touring in 1988-89 and went on to form his own power metal band Gamma Ray. Hansen also joined Iron Savior as guitarist in 1997, but quit after a few years to focus his efforts on Gamma Ray. He has now forged a very successful career with Gamma Ray, releasing several albums and playing sold out tours across the globe.

Kai participated in a large number of other projects. He appeared as a guest vocalist on Blind Guardian's albums Follow the Blind and Tales From the Twilight World. Together with HammerFall he recorded a cover version of Helloween's I Want Out. Kai played the role of Regrin the dwarf in Avantasia rock opera by Tobias Sammet.

In 2005, he toured with the young German power/viking metal band Stormwarrior from his home town of Hamburg as lead singer, playing material from his classic Helloween debut album "Walls of Jericho" - the favorite album and greatest influence of Stormwarrior.^{[citation needed]} "Stormwarrior featuring Kai Hansen" returned in 2007 to play at the Magic Circle Festival in Bad Arolsen and at the Wacken Open Air Festival.

In 2008 Kai Hansen featured Stormwarrior at Sweden Rock Festival 2008.

Singing style

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During his earlier years Hansen's singing style was reminiscent of many death metal vocalists. Rather than using a smooth and clear style (like his follower Kiske) Hansen sang with a raspy sound, interluded by high-pitched screams for dramatic effect. Beginning from 1995 onward Hansen has provided the vocals for his current band Gamma Ray.

Equipment

For almost 20 years, Kai has played ESP Guitars. He first started using them during his days with Helloween after hearing testimonials of ESP from artists such as George Lynch and Kirk Hammett of Metallica. Before Helloween, he had owned a white Ibanez guitar, and a Les Paul, then saved up for a Marshall amplifier by delivering newspapers.^[1] Contrary to popular opinion^[who?], he does not play Jackson Guitars and never has. His main ESPs are a pink ESP Custom guitar based on Jackson's Randy Rhoads model and two custom V models based on the classic Gibson Flying V shape. During the early '90s, Hansen had used Stratocaster models.

On the recent tour with Helloween he has been seen using a Korina Epiphone flying V with EMG's.^{[citation needed]}

Discography

Helloween

• Helloween (1985)
• Walls of Jericho (1985)
• Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 1 (1987)
• Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 2 (1988)

Iron Savior

• Iron Savior (1997)
• Unification (1998)
• Interlude (EP, 1999)
• Dark Assault (2001)

Gamma Ray

• Heading for Tomorrow (1990)
• Sigh No More (1991)
• Insanity and Genius (1993)
• Land of the Free (1995)
• Alive '95 (1996) - Live album
• Somewhere Out in Space (1997)
• The Karaoke Album (1997) - Karaoke Compilation album
• Power Plant (1999)
• Blast from the Past (2000) - "Best of" Compilation album
• No World Order (2001)
• Skeletons in the Closet (2003) - Live album
• Majestic (2005)
• Land of the Free II (2007)
• Hell yeah! - The awesome foursome - Live in montreal (2008)

Guest appearances

Hansen is known for making guest appearances on power metal recordings.

• With Angra:
  • Angels Cry – guitar solo on "Never Understand"
  • Temple of Shadows – vocals on "The Temple of Hate"
• With Blind Guardian:
  • Follow the Blind – vocals on "Valhalla"
  • Tales from the Twilight World – vocals on "Lost in the Twilight Hall," guitar solo on "The Last Candle"
  • Somewhere Far Beyond – lead guitar on "The Quest for Tanelorn"
• With Tobias Sammet's Avantasia:
  • The Metal Opera – as "Regrin the Dwarf" he has vocal parts in "Inside" and "Sign Of The Cross"
  • The Metal Opera Part II – he reprises his role and has vocal parts in "The Seven Angels" and "Chalice Of Agony"
  • The Scarecrow - lead guitar on "Shelter from the Rain"
• With Hammerfall:
  • I Want Out EP - vocals on "I Want Out" and backing vocals on "Man on the Silver Mountain"
• With Heavenly:
  • Coming from the Sky – vocals on "Time machine"
• With Stormwarrior:
  • Stormwarrior - vocals & guitar on "Chains Of Slavery" and "Heavy Metal is the Law" and narration on "Iron Prayers"
  • Northern Rage - additional vocals on "Heroic Deathe" and guitar solo on "Welcome Thy Rite"
• With Headhunter:
  • Parody Of Life - guest appearance on "Cursed"
• With Michael Kiske:
  • Instant Clarity - guest appearance on "New Horizons"

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kai Hansen

• Official Gamma Ray homepage
• Official Helloween homepage