MASTERPLAN – Streaming “Escalation 666”

German power metal act MASTERPLAN, featuring ex-Helloween guitarist Roland Grapow, is streaming the re-worked Helloween song “Escalation 666” in the player below. The song appears on the new album “PumpKings,” a release years in the making in which Grapow re-recorded a collection of classic Helloween tracks from the 1989-2001 era of Helloween, in which he was a songwriter.

The album is available via AFM Records. Check out “Escalation 666” HERE.

Masterplan is a German melodic metal band, with a style that spans from power metal, hard rock, including modern sound production and influences by many other music styles.

Band Members

Roland Grapow – Guitars

Rick Altzi – Vocals

Axel Mackenrott – Keyboards

Jari Kainulainen – Bass

Kevin Kott – Drums

At the end of autumn 2001 during Helloween’s “The Dark Ride Tour”. Roland Grapow, present in the band since 1989, and Uli Kusch from 1994, decided to form a side project. Shortly after this decision, both were fired from their long-time job in Helloween. Born the name “Masterplan” based on the idea that they would be master musicians with the future in their hands, in the words of the Headbanger – Gerardo Trevino Garza (Creator of the name), starts the newest power metal band of the new millennium. Roland subsequently invited for keyboards Janne Wirman, which at that time played in the band Children Of Bodom. For vocals, Russell Allen was invited but had to decline the invitation since he was firm in his own band Symphony X. A second invitation was made for Michael Kiske, who also rejected the proposal, claiming that he wanted to keep away from the metal scene. After contact with Norwegian band Ark famous album Burn The Sun and subsequently the album Worldchanger, singer Jørn Lande was invited. Jørn accepted the invitation, completing the band after about six months of the beginning of the project.

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, while keyboard player 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 since then 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.

Source: metalunderground

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