Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for Masterplan - MK II (2007)

The departure of two of Masterplan's greatest founding members was quite a shock for the metal community. People weren't sure if the band would keep going after losing those two talented members. For me, their 3rd album MK II is another perfect offering of power metal, leveling up the speedy heaviness while maintaining the catchy melody. Jorn Lande's replacement is another recognizable vocalist, Mike DiMeo (ex-Riot). He sounds as strong as he was in his former band, with great power in his voice!

Now what about who would replace their songwriting drummer Uli Kusch? He was founding guitarist Roland Grapow's Helloween bandmate. Uli left when Roland refused to pay for songs the former wrote and wrote his own instead. Fortunately, Uli's replacement Mike Terrana is quite prolific and masterful in his work.

The intro "Phoenix Rising" shows the synths rising before guitar melodies enter, marching into the first actual song... The fast speedy "Warrior's Cry" crashes in as the perfect metal anthem to start the action. It is followed by the short melodic "Lost and Gone". Next up, "Keeps Me Burning" is a heavy throwback to their debut with great emotion from Mike DiMeo. "Take Me Over" is more mid-paced, and the chorus is only enjoyable after having enough time to get used to it.

"I'm Gonna Win" has radio-friendly catchy melody. I wouldn't say it's soft, but it doesn't have the heaviness of the other songs, while heavier than their earlier melodic tracks. "Watching the World" has more of the speed and melodic keys prominent in their debut. Very well done! Then they really slow things down in one of the best tracks here, "Call the Gypsy". It's a short and mid-paced yet epic track, with everything from the Helloween-esque clock-ticking intro to Egyptian-ish riffing. "Trust in You" is an odd ballad. While it's not bad enough to affect the album's perfection, the vocals never really get me hooked.

It's brushed aside by this heavy track that I would consider the band's theme song, "Masterplan". It's one of the most awesome songs by the band, pounding through the guitars, bass, drums, and vocals, including everyone chanting the band's name. Epic! "Enemy" has some catchy rock, not the best but still OK. Closing things off is the 7-minute epic "Heart of Darkness" with its eerie Helloween-infused blend of guitars and keys. It's so dark and never having to resort to anything heavy and progressive.

Again I'm not going over the bonus tracks that aren't as glorious as the standard edition. Anyone who thought Masterplan wouldn't work without Jorn and Uli has proven wrong with this incredible enjoyable album. Another special delivery from this group of metal heroes!

Favorites: "Warrior's Cry", "Keeps Me Burning", "Watching the World", "Call the Gypsy", "Masterplan", "Heart of Darkness"