Masterplan
Aeronautics

Uli Kush is a well-regarded heavy metal drummer, also equipped with notable compositional skills. For these reasons, he can boast a respectable resume. Two albums with the fledgling Gamma Ray in the early '90s, then he found a place in Helloween up to the controversial and dark The Dark Ride. In 2000, he was kicked out of the aforementioned band by leader Michael Weikath via an email (how classy) along with guitarist Grapow. The two did not get discouraged and decided to form a new band: Masterplan. What I am about to review is the second chapter of the band entitled Aeronautics, which continues in the sonic wake of the debut.

The music proposed by Uli & Grapow deviates massively from conventional power metal. We are in the presence of a group placed on a hypothetical boundary between hard rock and melodic metal. What I appreciate about their proposal is that they make simple, sad, immediate, and pleasant music. Unlike most bands in the field, they don't chase after the fast solo, the high note, and the double bass drum at all costs. The real added value is represented by the wonderful voice of Jorn Lande (ex Ark/Millenium...): sharp, rough, and passionate. The album is well produced and played by professionals who can boast at least a decade-long career behind them.

The result is that after 2 minutes, the dark crescendo of I'm Not Afraid is already stuck in your head, just like the melody of the chorus that you find yourself whistling. The same goes for the single Back To My Life. Without realizing it, you follow the gloomy atmospheres evoked by the excellent and heavy keyboard work, which, combined with the hypnotic whistling, the almost immobile pace of the rhythm section, and Jorne's low voice, fascinate you. Experienced enough to know that a product must be able to satisfy all fans of the genre to sell, they can't help but engage in a fast track that embodies all the clichés of modern power: speed and solos abound in the minimal Wounds which blatantly recalls Helloween for its rhythm (12/8), sound, and solo. But Masterplan is not a carbon copy and feels more at ease in the massive and dark mood of the cadenced Headbanger's Ballroom. The CD flows well with the gray-tinged ballad After This War, the catchy Into The Arena, the sinister Irreversal. The final suite, almost reaching 10 minutes, is an open construction site: starting slowly, a parenthesis of pure heavy metal before the neoclassical break with blazing solos and progression toward crazy rhythms. A slowdown follows, a new melodic acceleration before the final closing of the circle. A kind of Halloween or Keeper of the Seven Keys of the new millennium, with due distances.

What can I say? Nothing sensational, but Masterplan is a power metal band different from others. More melancholic in melodies, deliberately less grandiose (or showy) technically in their compositions compared to many illustrious colleagues, they have given me a few good hours of pleasant music. I consider Aeronautics a great product.

Curiosity: to confirm Uli Kush's reputation as a nomad, he was also thrown out of the Masterplan he had founded, and now he is starting again with "Ride The Sky". What passion!!!