Heading for Tomorrow is the debut studio album by the German power metal band Gamma Ray, released on 26 February 1990 by Noise Records.
Background
The album was recorded between September 1989 and January 1990 at Horus Sound Studio in Hannover, Germany. It was produced by Kai Hansen, who had previously co-founded the influential power metal band Helloween. Following his departure from Helloween, Hansen formed Gamma Ray and assembled a lineup that included vocalist Ralf Scheepers, bassist Uwe Wessel, and drummer Mathias Burchardt.
Track Listing
The album contains ten tracks on the original CD release, with a total length of 53 minutes and 59 seconds. The title track, "Heading for Tomorrow," is the longest song on the album at 14 minutes and 29 seconds. The CD version includes a cover of Uriah Heep's "Look at Yourself." The album was re-released in 2002 and 2015 with bonus tracks, and a 25th Anniversary Edition in 2015 included a second disc of demos, live recordings, and instrumental versions.
Personnel
- Ralf Scheepers – lead vocals
- Kai Hansen – guitars, vocals, producer
- Uwe Wessel – bass
- Mathias Burchardt – drums
- Dirk Schlächter – bass on tracks 4 and 5
- Tommy Newton – guitar solo on track 8, backing vocals, mixing
- Mischa Gerlach – keyboards, piano
- Piet Sielck – additional keyboards, backing vocals
Chart Performance
The album charted in several countries, reaching number 31 on the German Albums Chart, number 24 on the Japanese Oricon chart, number 45 in Sweden, and number 29 in Switzerland.
Reissues
In 1990, a video album titled Heading for the East was released, recorded during the album's tour. In 2002, Heading for Tomorrow was re-released with a different cover as part of the Ultimate Collection box-set, and later separately. The 2015 Anniversary Edition featured expanded bonus content.
