ULI KUSCH (MASTERPLAN, EX HELLOWEEN)
Sav reviews the latest album by one of his favourite bands, Masterplan, and drummer Uli Kusch answers Sav's 10 Questions
Masterplan
-Aeronautics
Crimson Rider / Back For My Life / Wounds / I’m Not Afraid / Headbangers
Ballroom / After This War / Into The Arena / Dark From The Dying / Falling
Sparrow / Black In The Burn
Helloween must be kicking themselves after being fired former members
Uli Kusch and Roland Grapow went on to join forces with former Ark &
Milenium chanter Jorn Lande and aided& abetted by Jan S Eckert &
Axel Mackenrott they formed Masterplan.
In 2003 masterplan released their self titled & stunning debut, acclaimed by fans and critics alike, in 2005 they released ‘Aeronautics’ the question is could they top their debut.
The answer is most definitely yes with what I would regard so far as my metal cd of the year! Opening with one of the best tracks I have heard in years Crimson Rider this is just stunning and lets you know that these guys mean business. The drums on this track are blistering and its one hell of a meaty drum sound, this is a great song to start the day with.
The single ‘back in my life’ is a great hard rock tune very much in the whitesnake mould, followed by the more up tempo ‘wounds’. I’, not afraid starts slow and builds slowly before a great vocal from Jorn lifts it, it’s a great track. Next up is ‘headbangers ballroom’ named after the rock venue in Hamburg and is soooo catchy.
After this war a reworking of a track by keyboardist Jan that was destined for an Iron Saviour cd (his other band) is a great ballad perfectly executed ad not the usual I love my girlfriend/wife or I miss my wife/girlfriend, a great solo from Roland Grapow shows this guy aint just a speed merchant. Another stunning vocal performance from Jorn shows his Coverdale influence, but I’ll bet you Coverdale would love to be turning out material this good now.
Into the arena is the most ‘power metal track on the track, but again I cant fault it for that, some great changes keep the song head and shoulders above the normal galloping horses power metal. Dark from the dying followed by falling sparrow keep up the consistency with falling sparrow being the more up tempo of the two.
The closing track ‘black in the burn’ starts with a piano & vocal intro before bursting into a nine minute work of genius, sometimes with a cd you get a great couple of tracks at the start, then you get the filler and a decent enough end track, this in not the case with Aeronautics.
Whilst classed as power metal this cd goes far beyond that tag, With some great hard rock and metal tunes. The album is also not a clone of their 1st cd it shows a stronger more cohesive unit who know how to rock. The cd doesn’t have a weak point for me and avoids the usual power metal cliché’s which is a definite plus, even for a fan of the genre such as myself. Highlights are the already mentioned ‘crimson rider’, ‘after this war’ & the closing track a nine minute stomper called ‘black in the burn’. The musicians excel themselves with some stunning playing overall the production again like their debut is also top notch, I can’t fault this cd at all.
With so many acts out there peddling greatest hits packages great albums by bands like masterplan can be overlooked which is a shame because although bands like Saxon & the Scorpions have released stunning cds in the past year there are many more living of past glories who if released something as brilliant as this would be lauded, and that’s a shame.
For
more information
www.master-plan.net
www.ulikusch.de
Roll up…Roll up…………. Roll up…………………………..
I bid you welcome to the Headbangers ballroom…………With stunning riffs, fantastic vocals and some killer beats Masterplan’s 2nd cd Aeronautics landed on my doorstep earlier this year. Was this to be difficult 2nd album time for the power metal supergroup or would they rise to the occasion?
Masterplan tub thumper Uli Kusch also took time out to answer the www.imarocker.com 10 questions, a familiar name to many a metal fan, Prior to Masterplan Uli was the drummer with Legendary metallers Helloween and also played with former pumpkin Kai Hansen in Gamma Ray.
Come fly with me………………………………………………………….
Q.
How are you, where are you?
I'm very fine after a great gig in Germany at "Rock Hard"
Festival last weekend.
I am in Norway because I live here.
Q. What's currently happening in Uli kusch
/ Masterplan's world?
Having a break between festivals/gigs and enjoying the upcoming summer.
Tomorrow I go to Stockholm and visit the Wasa Museum...that's going
to be awesome.
Q.What has been the best concert by one of
your peers you ever
attended?
There has been a couple great once but The Rock Hard Festival last weekend
was one of the best locations for a midsize Metal Festival and the organization
was excellent. Cool was that the sun came when we started to play and
disappeared after our last song.
One other very impressing gig was 1996 in Brazil supporting Iron Maiden at the Monsters of Rock in front of 30.000 crazy fans.
Q. What was the first song you ever wrote/performed?
Q. Do you
remember the first place/ time you stepped on stage to play? What
happened?
The first song I wrote in my first Metal band "Violent Kids" back in 1983 called "Heavy Rock Battle", hee hee, and was an instrumental based on a Saxon inspiration.
My first gig was in Eupen/Belgium at a Playback contest. I was very nervous and fell backwards into the drums. But we didn't lost because of this;-) I think we performed "The Clash" or "AC/DC"...don't remember
Q.
What performer are you in awe of? Why?
Eric Singer is great to look at...depending on what band he is playing
with, I like to hear him to...
Q. What would be the high point & low point of your career?
To create something like Masterplan which is musically totally satisfying me.
Between Gamma Ray and Helloween I was a bit lost I have to say and almost started to work as a carpenter again...but finally I was lucky...
Q. What is you favourite city/town to have
a show in & Why?
There is no real answer to that but i like the City of Barcelona but
the venue sucks. And there are great venues but the town sucks...It's
never really perfect.
Q. If you could do something else what would it be?
I would do something creative. But being a carpenter was not that bad.
Depends on who you work with and if you can work independently and don't
have to carry tonnes of material during a day. Like repairing old furniture
or making some is great.
Q.
What colour is the sky in your world?
Most of the time it's blue but with some clouds here and there....
CHECK OUT MASTERPLAN'S WEBSITE HERE