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If
you know that Masterplan was formed by two former Helloween musicians,
Roland Grapow and Uli Kusch, and that Michael Kiske sings a duet with
Jorn Lande on “Heroes”, you can already guess what you can expect. The
album was produced by Andy Sneap (Machine Head, Testament) and mixed by
Mikko Kamilla (Stratovarius, Edguy). On top of that, there’s Norwegian
singer Jorn Lande (Ark, Millenium), with his unbelievable voice. I dare
compare him with Coverdale.
So
we get some speedy, very melodic, strong tracks sung in a superb way.
Especially Jorn brings this CD to a higher level, although you can’t
deny the important part played by an excellent “pumpkin” Roland Grapow.
After
an intro with a chorus effect there’s a strong rhythmic “Spirit Never
Die” that sets the tone for the rest of the album.
”Enlighten Me” has already been released as a single and is indeed a
very catchy track with a lot of variation. On that CD single, there was
a very special bonus track, a magical cover version of “Black Dog”. (Led
Zeppelin)
”Kind Hearted Light” is carried on a keyboard riff that stays around the
whole song and comes in front from time to time.
I can’t
mention it every song, but again the vocals are brilliant.
A special low guitarsound starts off “Crystal Night”, a heavy, melodic
track.
A
piano riff, some interaction between drums and a choirsound, the same
piano with vocals this time, strings joining in, followed by a very
beautifully sung chorus,... There’s no way to describe all the different
ingredients of this very progressive, even symphonic song.
”Heroes” brings back memories of Helloween, because of the duet with
Michael Kiske. Could this become the next single?
Back to speed in “Sail On”, in which the drums are outstanding.
”Into The Light” is a ballad with an acoustic guitar and yet again I
have to mention the splendid vocal performance.
All the monsters, demons and devils are released in “Crawling From
Hell”.
Eastern influences and some distortion on the vocals in the verse are
the important features of “Bleeding Eyes”.
The album finishes with a “Whitesnake” ballad.
The
songs are full of cliches, but the quality of the musicians and the
vocals make this unimportant.
It’s as
if their skill gives an originality to their music.
If
you like speed, power and very melodic songs, then make this your
Masterplan. If you missed them on their last tour with Hammerfall, you
get a second chance on some festivals during the summer.
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