HELLOWEEN's KAI HANSEN Shares 'Welcome To Life' Single From Upcoming 'Born With A Hammer' Solo Album

With "Welcome To Life", Kai Hansen releases the second single from his upcoming solo album "Born With A Hammer". Following the powerful "Feeding The Beast", "Welcome To Life" reveals another side of the musician who, as co-founder of HELLOWEEN and founder of GAMMA RAY, has played a defining role in European heavy metal, and power metal in particular, for decades.

Driving guitars, striking changes in tempo and strong melodies come together in a direct blend of heavy metal, punk and rock and roll. As the second track on the album, "Welcome To Life" makes it clear early on just how diverse "Born With A Hammer" is set to be.

Lyrically, the song is about accepting life as it is, not dwelling on what is missing and making the most of what you have. Hansen combines this outlook with his unmistakable guitar playing, an infectious sense of spontaneity and the spirit of a road trip through life.

The official lyric video brings this idea to life as a Mustang tears through a heightened, hell-tinged world. Its imagery follows the song's shifting dynamics and puts its sense of freedom firmly on the road.

Raw, energetic, rebellious and unmistakably personal, "Born With A Hammer" brings together every side of Hansen's musical identity. Across 10 songs, the album moves between powerful heavy metal, punk attitude, hard rock drive, melodic hooks, and pure guitar-driven energy, carried by the songwriting instincts, guitar work, and unmistakable voice that have made Kai Hansen one of metal's most distinctive artists. Written without compromise and fueled by pure passion for heavy music, "Born With A Hammer" captures Hansen at full creative force: Direct, alive and unmistakably metal.

The album was produced by Eike Freese and recorded with a band that brings both firepower and history to the project. Alongside Freese on guitar, the lineup features Alexander Dietz (HEAVEN SHALL BURN) on guitar and Dan Wilding (CARCASS) on drums, who already stood alongside Hansen on "XXX - Three Decades In Metal", plus Tim Hansen (INDUCTION) on guitar.

Following the global success of HELLOWEEN's recent reunion era and world tours, "Born With A Hammer" opens a new chapter for Kai Hansen as a solo artist, bringing that energy into a record that stands firmly on its own.

"Feeding The Beast" track listing:

01. Feeding The Beast
02. Welcome To Life
03. Don't Care
04. Wait And See
05. Born With A Hammer
06. I.D.G.A.F.
07. End Of The Road
08. Triple Trouble
09. Invaders
10. Wonderland

Born in Hamburg, West Germany, in 1963, Hansen gained early recognition as a founding member of power metal titans HELLOWEEN. His musical path began in 1978 when he joined forces with future IRON SAVIOUR co-founder and producer Piet Sielck in the band GENTRY. Hansen co-established HELLOWEEN in 1983 alongside guitarist Michael Weikath, remaining until 1989 and contributing to one EP plus three studio albums, among them the influential "Keeper Of The Seven Keys" parts 1 and 2. Upon departing HELLOWEEN he launched the power metal outfit GAMMA RAY, which quickly rose to become one of the German metal scene's most enduring and active ensembles. Over the years he has recorded and performed alongside numerous kindred spirits, among them BLIND GUARDIAN, ANGRA, HELLOWEEN singer Michael Kiske, HAMMERFALL, STORM WARRIOR and UNISONIC. After rejoining HELLOWEEN in 2016, he returned to the biggest stages around the globe, while "Born With A Hammer" reveals another side of his creative drive.

Photo credit: Mathias Bothor