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{{Infobox musical artist
[[image:Dirk.jpg|200px|thumb|Dirk Schlächter]]
| image = Gamma Ray-17 (53871104579) (cropped).jpg
'''Dirk Schlächter''' (born [[February 15]], [[1965]], in Bad Nauheim, [[Germany]]) is the [[bassist]] of the [[power metal]] band [[Gamma Ray]].
| caption = Dirk Schlächter performing live in July 2024
| name = Dirk Schlächter
| birth_name = Dirk Schlächter
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1965|2|15|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Bad Nauheim]], West Germany
| death_date = {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}}
| occupation = Musician
| genre = [[Power metal]], [[speed metal]], [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]]
| instrument = [[Guitar]], [[Bass guitar|bass]], [[vocals]], [[Keyboard instrument|keyboards]], [[piano]]
| years_active = 1985–present
| label = [[Sanctuary Records|Sanctuary]]
| associated_acts = [[Gamma Ray (band)|Gamma Ray]], [[Neopera]], [[Avalanch]]
}}

'''Dirk Schlächter''' (born 15 February 1965, in Bad Nauheim, West Germany) is the [[bassist]] of the [[power metal]] band [[Gamma Ray (band)|Gamma Ray]].


== History ==
== History ==
Dirk got in touch with music for the first time joining a music school at the age of 8. At the age of 11 he got his first acoustic guitar followed by an electric guitar at the age of 15. At the age of 19 he turned to bass guitar. During this time he played in bands called Blue Life, Sold Out, Louis Glover House Band and Drivin' Force.
Dirk got in touch with music for the first time joining a music school at the age of 8. At the age of 11 he got his first acoustic guitar followed by an electric guitar at the age of 15. At the age of 19 he turned to bass guitar. During this time he played in bands called Blue Life, Sold Out, Louis Glover House Band and Drivin' Force.


Dirk appeared as a guest musician on [[Gamma Ray (band)|Gamma Ray]]'s first album, [[Heading For Tomorrow]], playing bass on the track "Money" and parts of the track "The Silence". The rest of the bass-parts on the album were recorded by [[Uwe Wessel]]. Schlächter was hired to play bass with [[Gamma Ray (band)|Gamma Ray]] for their first tour, but as [[Uwe Wessel]]'s former band split up at this point Schlächter replaced him. Schlächter was then offered the job of second guitarist.
Then, at the age of 25, he went back to guitar only because he wanted to be in GammaRay as the band was looking for a second guitar player at that time. Dirk was only a guest musician in the beginning, playing bass guitar on Heading for Tomorrow, but in 1991 he finally joined Gamma Ray as a guitarist.


From this point on Schlächter became [[Gamma Ray (band)|Gamma Ray]]'s permanent second guitarist. He played guitar on the albums [[Sigh No More (Gamma Ray album)|Sigh No More]], [[Insanity and Genius]] and [[Land of the Free (Gamma Ray album)|Land of the Free]]. After the [[Land of the Free (Gamma Ray album)|Land of the Free]] album Schlächter was supposed to swap positions with bassist Jan Rubach, but instead Rubach quit the band. Schlächter took over the position of bassist and [[Henjo Richter]] became the band's new guitarist. The release of the album [[Somewhere Out In Space]] marked Schlächter's return to playing bass, a job he has had ever since.
Finally, Dirk returned to bass again in 1996 and he describes this change as follows:

"I have already played bass for a long time even though that's been a few years ago. When I first met Kai I was just a basser. So I also was supposed to play bass on the first tour we did, as the idea had been that Uwe Wessel and Matthias Burchardt were to be hired only as studio-musicians for the Heading For Tomorrow-album. Both of them were playing in a band which split up during the recordings of Heading for tomorrow then. Matthias gave up playing drums completely, and so of course, Uwe was really eager on playing the tour then. As I also do a bit of guitarplaying and as Kai now needed a second guitarist for the tour, I said to myself okay, it's for the sake of it and I play guitar in GammaRay although actually I'm a bassplayer. On the first tour I was still sort of holding back and paying all my attention to playing accurately. Once the second tour was done, I started to feel being a real guitarist again and I became much more confident with my instrument. In terms of guitarplaying, the Insanity and Genius-album was the absolute highlight for me then. The production in the studio with all the soloparts, guitar-gimmicks and all these funny sounds was a lot of fun. After all these tours however, some sort of strange feeling came up and I started wondering if I wasn't better at playing bass rather than playing guitar. I mean, in a band everybody should play what he's best at anyway. So I was already thinking about changing quite a while ago, but somehow things just went on the same way. After the Land Of The Free-tour I finally said then: I'm just not the sort of guitarist and ... it was just stirring me up. I just want to play bass again and also get a few steps further with my development as a musician. I think I've got quite a unique style of playing bass, same as Kai has his very unique style of playing guitar. After the Japanese tour of Land Of The Free I first talked to Jan about it and he absolutely understood what I meant. He also preferred playing guitar to playing bass. Consequently, all four of us talked about it then. Jan considered that even if he played guitar from now on the change would have a bit of a strange feel and so he didn't really liked the idea of doing it. Nevertheless we agreed to stay together and use the Spanish tour as a first test to see how it works. When we met again then for the first rehearsal it surprisingly came to the split. Jan was considering that he couldn't see any perspective in being in GammaRay any longer and so he was leaving. It really came as a surprise to all of us as we all had been looking forward to the change. We also would've given him the opportunity to do whatever he wanted, but in return he would've had to do a bit more again, perhaps more than playing bass involved. "
Schlächter is also the producer of Gamma Ray albums since [[Insanity and Genius]], along with the band's mainman [[Kai Hansen]].

In 2013, he joined German symphonic metal band [[Neopera]].

From 2018 to 2022 he was the bassist of the Spanish band [[Avalanch]].


== Discography ==
== Discography ==
Gamma Ray
===Gamma Ray===
==== Studio albums ====
* Heaven Can Wait (1990) - EP
* ''[[Heading for Tomorrow]]'' (1990) (as a guest musician, playing bass on two tracks)
* Sigh no more (1991)
* ''[[Sigh No More (Gamma Ray album)|Sigh No More]]'' (1991)
* Insanity and Genius (1993)
* ''[[Insanity and Genius]]'' (1993)
* Land of the free (1995)
* ''[[Land of the Free (Gamma Ray album)|Land of the Free]]'' (1995)
* Alive '95 (1996) - live album
* Somewhere out in Space (1997)
* ''[[Somewhere Out in Space]]'' (1997)
* ''[[Power Plant (Gamma Ray album)|Power Plant]]'' (1999)
* The Karaoke Album (1997) - [[karaoke]] album
* ''[[No World Order (Gamma Ray album)|No World Order]]'' (2001)
* Powerplant (1999)
* ''[[Majestic (Gamma Ray album)|Majestic]]'' (2005)
* Blast from the Past (2000) - best of compilation
* ''[[Land of the Free II]]'' (2007)
* No world Order (2001)
* ''[[To The Metal]]'' (2010)
* Skeletons in the closet (2003) - live album
* ''[[Empire of the Undead|Empire Of The Undead]]'' (2014)
* Majestic (2005)


== External links ==
==== Live albums ====
* ''[[Alive '95]]'' (1996)
* ''[[Skeletons in the Closet (Gamma Ray album)|Skeletons in the Closet]]'' (2003)
* ''[[Hell Yeah! The Awesome Foursome]]'' (2008)
* ''[[Skeletons & Majesties Live]]'' (2012)


==== Extended plays (EPs) ====
* [http://www.gamma-ray.com/ Official Gamma Ray homepage]
* ''[[Heaven Can Wait (Gamma Ray EP)|Heaven Can Wait]]'' (1990)
* [[http://www.gammaray.net/index.html Japanese Official Gamma Ray homepage]]
* ''[[Who Do You Think You Are? (EP)|Who Do You Think You Are?]]'' (1990)
* ''[[Future Madhouse (EP)|Future Madhouse]]'' (1993)
* ''[[Rebellion In Dreamland (EP)|Rebellion In Dreamland]]'' (1995)
* ''[[Silent Miracles (EP)|Silent Miracles]]'' (1996)
* ''[[Valley of the Kings (EP)|Valley of the Kings]]'' (1997)
* ''[[Heaven or Hell (EP)|Heaven Or Hell]]'' (2001)
* ''[[Master of Confusion]]'' (2013)

==== Compilation albums ====
* ''[[The Karaoke Album]]'' (1997)
* ''[[Hansen Worx]]'' (1998)
* ''[[Blast from the Past (Gamma Ray album)|Blast from the Past]]'' (2000)
* ''[[Alright! 20 Years Of Universe]]'' (2010)
* ''[[The Best (Of) (Dirk Schlächter album)|The Best (Of)]]'' (2015)

==== Videos and DVDs ====
* ''Heading for the East'' (1990)
* ''Lust for Live'' (1993)
* ''[[Hell Yeah! The Awesome Foursome]]'' (2008)
* ''[[Skeletons & Majesties Live]]'' (2012)

===Neopera===

==== Studio albums ====
* ''Destined Ways'' (2014)

==== Singles ====
* ''The Marvel of Chimera'' (2013)

===Avalanch===
* [[Avalanch]] - ''The Secret'' (2019)
* [[Avalanch]] - ''El Secreto'' (2019)

===As a guest===
* [[Heavens Gate (band)|Heavens Gate]] - ''Hell for Sale!'' (1992)
* [[Angra (band)|Angra]] - ''[[Angels Cry (album)|Angels Cry]]'' (1993)
* Lanzer - ''Under a Different Sun'' (1995)
* [[Iron Savior]] - ''[[Iron Savior (album)|Iron Savior]]'' (1997)
* [[Freedom Call]] - ''Taragon (EP)'' (1999)
* [[Brainstorm (German band)|Brainstorm]] - ''[[Ambiguity (album)|Ambiguity]]'' (2000)
* [[Stormwarrior]] - ''Stormwarrior'' (2002)
* Stormwarrior - ''Heavy Metal Fire (EP)'' (2003)
* [[Bassinvaders]] - ''[[Hellbassbeaters]]'' (2008)
* Flashback of Anger - ''Splinters of Life'' (2009)
* Black Hawk - ''Straight to Hell'' (2010)
* In Arkadia - ''Wasteland Chronicles'' (2010)

== External links ==
* [http://www.gammaray.org/ Official Gamma Ray homepage]
* [http://www.gammaray.net/index.html Japanese Official Gamma Ray homepage] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070210043452/http://www.gammaray.net/index.html |date=2007-02-10 }}


{{Gamma Ray}}
{{Gamma Ray}}


{{Authority control}}
[[Category:1965 births|Schlächter, Dirk]]

[[Category:Living people|Schlächter, Dirk]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schlachter, Dirk}}
[[Category:German guitarists|Schlächter, Dirk]]
[[Category:German bass guitarists|Schlächter, Dirk]]
[[Category:1965 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:German heavy metal bass guitarists]]
[[Category:German male bass guitarists]]
[[Category:Gamma Ray (band) members]]

Latest revision as of 08:02, 18 October 2024

Dirk Schlächter
Dirk Schlächter performing live in July 2024
Dirk Schlächter performing live in July 2024
Background information
Birth nameDirk Schlächter
Born (1965-02-15) 15 February 1965 (age 59)
Bad Nauheim, West Germany
GenresPower metal, speed metal, heavy metal
OccupationMusician
Instrument(s)Guitar, bass, vocals, keyboards, piano
Years active1985–present
LabelsSanctuary

Dirk Schlächter (born 15 February 1965, in Bad Nauheim, West Germany) is the bassist of the power metal band Gamma Ray.

History

[edit]

Dirk got in touch with music for the first time joining a music school at the age of 8. At the age of 11 he got his first acoustic guitar followed by an electric guitar at the age of 15. At the age of 19 he turned to bass guitar. During this time he played in bands called Blue Life, Sold Out, Louis Glover House Band and Drivin' Force.

Dirk appeared as a guest musician on Gamma Ray's first album, Heading For Tomorrow, playing bass on the track "Money" and parts of the track "The Silence". The rest of the bass-parts on the album were recorded by Uwe Wessel. Schlächter was hired to play bass with Gamma Ray for their first tour, but as Uwe Wessel's former band split up at this point Schlächter replaced him. Schlächter was then offered the job of second guitarist.

From this point on Schlächter became Gamma Ray's permanent second guitarist. He played guitar on the albums Sigh No More, Insanity and Genius and Land of the Free. After the Land of the Free album Schlächter was supposed to swap positions with bassist Jan Rubach, but instead Rubach quit the band. Schlächter took over the position of bassist and Henjo Richter became the band's new guitarist. The release of the album Somewhere Out In Space marked Schlächter's return to playing bass, a job he has had ever since.

Schlächter is also the producer of Gamma Ray albums since Insanity and Genius, along with the band's mainman Kai Hansen.

In 2013, he joined German symphonic metal band Neopera.

From 2018 to 2022 he was the bassist of the Spanish band Avalanch.

Discography

[edit]

Gamma Ray

[edit]

Studio albums

[edit]

Live albums

[edit]

Extended plays (EPs)

[edit]

Compilation albums

[edit]

Videos and DVDs

[edit]

Neopera

[edit]

Studio albums

[edit]
  • Destined Ways (2014)

Singles

[edit]
  • The Marvel of Chimera (2013)

Avalanch

[edit]

As a guest

[edit]
[edit]
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