Their first full-length self-titled album Masterplan was released in 2003, produced by Andy Sneap. The band then consisted of Grapow and Kusch with Jørn Lande. The main part of the keyboard lines on the album were arranged and programmed by Roland and Uli. Keyboardist Janne "Warman" Wirman recorded some sessions for the album, but could not stay on as a full-time member due to his commitments to Children of Bodom. Axel Mackenrott replaced him on tour and soon after as a permanent member. Studio bassist Jürgen Attig (Casanova) helped with some bass lines on the recordings, but Grapow was the main bassist for the album. For tour and subsequent recordings, Jan-Sören Eckert was hired as a permanent member. The band received the "European Border Breakers Award" from the European Commission in 2004, for the debut album success around Europe.
In January 2005, Masterplan released their second album, Aeronautics once again produced by Andy Sneap and the band. After two successful albums and their respective tours, during the writing of the third album the band parted ways with vocalist Jørn Lande, citing "musical differences" as the reason for the split. The split was amicable enough that Jørn agreed to perform four previously arranged live appearances before departing although two of these were eventually cancelled by the promoters.
On 4 October 2006, Uli Kusch announced his departure from the band in an interview with Darkside.ru. Although not discussing the details of what had happened, he mentioned the democratic principles of making decisions in the band as one of the reasons of his leaving – according to him, it often made getting a consensus nearly impossible. Three days later, Masterplan announced their new line-up through their official web site: Grapow, Mackenrott, Eckert, with new members Mike DiMeo (Riot, The Lizards) and Mike Terrana (ex-Artension, ex-Rage, Metalium, ex-Axel Rudi Pell). The band toured with Saxon as an opening act for Saxon's Inner Sanctum tour.
The band's third album, suitably titled MK II, was released on 26 February 2007. It was produced this time by the band's actual leader, Roland Grapow himself, at his own studio in Slovakia. It was recorded in September and October 2006.
On 11 January 2009, Mike DiMeo confirmed on his MySpace page that he had parted ways with Masterplan. On 25 July 2009, the band finally revealed that Jørn Lande has made his return to Masterplan. On 16 April 2010, a single titled Far From the End of the World was released to precede the band's new fourth album, Time to Be King, once again produced by Roland Grapow. On 13 July 2011, the band announced on their official website that they were writing songs for a new album. The album was set to be released in March 2013.
In July 2012, it was announced that Martin Marthus Skaroupka (Cradle of Filth drummer) will play on the new Masterplan album. In early November, it was announced that Rick Altzi and Jari Kainulainen would replace Jorn Lande and Jan Eckert on the upcoming album. In November 2012, during an interview with Metal Shock Finland's Chief Editor, Mohsen Fayyazi, when talking about Jorn's departure from the band, Roland stated the following: "Everybody always expects something special from Jorn, but it's a very unstable situation. To keep happy it's not easy and to be honest I've not heard from him for 2 years. Don't get me wrong, we're still friends but we just don't have much contact."
On 21 February 2013, the new album was announced. The title of the album is Novum Initium and it was released on 14 June 2013 through German record label AFM Records.
In an interview made in Italy, on 16 September 2016, Roland Grapow confirmed the addition of At Vance member Kevin Kott as the drummer of the band replacing Martin Marthus Škaroupka whose commitments with his other band Cradle of Filth prevented him for playing shows with Masterplan.
They also announced the release of a new album consisting of re-recordings of Helloween songs written by Roland Grapow from the time he was in the band. The album, PumpKings, was released on 28 July 2017. Grapow stated that the album was not any kind of revenge for being fired from Helloween, or not being invited to their Pumpkins United World Tour in 2017: [fans] all thought it was kind of a revenge or something... now I remember. To me, it's just a relaxing situation [...] I never had this in my mind. It's just a bit coincidental because I delayed this album for two years and it came out at the same time when the reunion tour came.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masterplan_(band)
Studio albums
Masterplan (2003)
Aeronautics (2005)
MK II (2007)
Time to Be King (2010)
Novum Initium (2013)
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In the 1970s, a soul combo called Masterplan recorded "Clinton Park" and other tunes on the De-Lite label.
Soulburn
Masterplan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It comes in purity, yeah
Arrive with peace
Untouched by man's decease
Awake and not aware, no no
Feel the soul burn
Pathfinder
They treat him right but he knows they're wrong
He sees in silence
They tell him 'stop', but he wants to move on
Spread the wings to fly them
He hopes for someday soon
And the world is like a shiny diamond
The way it glitters if you polish it right
And if the light should turn and leave you blinded
Take the dream and give it one more try
Feel the soul burn
Papa says no time to loose
Go fast if you want to make the headline news
The road to stardom can be painful and long
In the spotlight the heat is on
You'll be playing in the fire
And the world is like a shiny diamond
The way it glitters if you polish it right
And if the light should turn and leave you blinded
There'll be treasures on the other side
And the piper will play till sundown
As the preacher prays for it to rise
And if the wind should blow and leave you stranded
Sailing ships will always pass you by
Feel the soul burn
Pathfinder
Into the storm a child is born
Pathfinder
They'll make you burn
Pathfinder
And the world is like a shiny diamond
The way it glitters if you polish it right
And if the light should turn and leave you blinded
Take the dream and give it one more try
And the piper will play till sundown
While the preacher prays for it to rise
And if the wind should blow and leave you stranded
Take a breath and give it one more try
The song Soulburn by Masterplan is an insightful take on the journey of self-discovery and resilience in the face of adversity. The lyrics revolve around finding one's path and following it through thick and thin. The song opens with the lines "Out of the wind and into the light, it comes in purity, yeah. Arrive with peace, untouched by man's decease. Awake and not aware, no no" which could be interpreted as a metaphor for being born into this world uncorrupted, without the weight of societal pressures, and being pure in spirit. The next lines "Feel the soul burn, Pathfinder" can be seen as a call to action, to follow one's innermost urges and not be afraid to take risks.
The second verse talks about the singer facing opposition from those around him. He is aware of the consequences of his actions but is steadfast in his resolve to follow his path. The lines "They tell him 'stop', but he wants to move on. Spread the wings to fly them. He hopes for someday soon" show perseverance in the face of opposition.
The chorus can then be seen as a reminder to polish one's dreams and not to give up, even when the going gets tough. The lines "And if the light should turn and leave you blinded, take the dream and give it one more try" convey the idea that no matter how insurmountable an obstacle may seem, one should never lose hope and keep pushing forward.
Line by Line Meaning
Out of the wind and into the light
Moving from the darkness into the brightness
It comes in purity, yeah
Innocence and clarity arrived
Arrive with peace
Come in tranquility
Untouched by man's decease
Free from human corruption
Awake and not aware, no no
Conscious but ignorant
Feel the soul burn
Embrace the passion burning within
Pathfinder
One who discovers their own way
They treat him right but he knows they're wrong
They are kind to him, but he recognizes their incorrectness
He sees in silence
Observes without expressing
They tell him 'stop', but he wants to move on
They command him to halt, yet he desires progression
Spread the wings to fly them
Expand yourself to bring others with you
He hopes for someday soon
He desires the future to come quickly
And the world is like a shiny diamond
The environment is beautiful like a precious stone
The way it glitters if you polish it right
The condition sparkles when cared for correctly
And if the light should turn and leave you blinded
When the illumination disappears and blinds you
Take the dream and give it one more try
Endeavour to resurrect the objective once more
Papa says no time to lose
The authority figure states that time is limited
Go fast if you want to make the headline news
Proceed quickly if you desire to be newsworthy
The road to stardom can be painful and long
The journey to fame can be difficult and extended
In the spotlight the heat is on
Under the attention, the stress is intensified
You'll be playing in the fire
You will experience the dangers of the circumstance
And the piper will play till sundown
The musician will perform until dusk
As the preacher prays for it to rise
As the religious leader requests for its ascension
And if the wind should blow and leave you stranded
If the air currents leave you marooned
Sailing ships will always pass you by
You will be overlooked by incoming opportunities
Into the storm a child is born
A fresh start emerges from the chaos
They'll make you burn
Others will ignite your spirit
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JORN LANDE, ROLAND GRAPOW, ULRICH KUSCH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind