Kai Hansen

Infobox Musical artist
Name = Kai Hansen

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Img_capt = Tuska Open Air Metal Festival, 2005
Img_size =
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Kai Michael Hansen
Born = Birth date and age|1963|1|17
Hamburg, West Germany
Died =
Occupation = Musician, Songwriter
Genre = Heavy metal, power metal
Instrument = Vocals, Guitar
Years_active = 1978 – present
Label = 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.

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 speed 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.Fact|date=August 2007 "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.

inging style

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 'slithery' type of 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 been playing 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. Contrary to popular opinion, 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.

Trivia

* The character Ky Kiske from the Guilty Gear series of video games is said to have been named after Kai Hansen and Michael Kiske.

Discography

Helloween
* "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)

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"
** "Northern Rage" - additional vocals on "Heroic Deathe" and guitar solo on "Welcome Thy Rite"
* With Headhunter:
**"Parody Of Life" - guest appearance on "Cursed"

External links

* [http://www.gamma-ray.com/ Official Gamma Ray homepage]
* [http://www.helloween.org/ Official Helloween homepage]