Masterplan is the German power metal band Masterplan's self-titled debut album, released in 2003 by AFM Records. The album received many good reviews and entered the charts at high positions. The album was voted album of the month in Sweden Rock Magazine, Rock Hard and Heavy, Oder Was?! in Germany and Metal Factory in Switzerland. The band received the "European Border Breakers Award" in 2004 from the European Commission, for the album sales around Europe.
By the time their first full-length and self-titled CD was released in 2003, keyboard player Janne "Warman" Wirman was replaced by Axel Mackenrott. Wirman recorded some session keyboards for the album, but could not stay on as a full-time member due to his commitments to Children of Bodom. The main keyboard lines of the album were arranged and programmed by Grapow and Kusch. Missing a proper bass player, Grapow recorded the bass parts, with some help from session bassist Jürgen Attig (Casanova). Permanent bassist Jan-Sören Eckert joined shortly after the album's release. Despite not playing on the album, Mackenrott and Eckert both appear in the album sleeve.
Michael Kiske, the former Helloween bandmate of guitarist Roland Grapow, duets on track "Heroes".
In 2005, Masterplan was ranked number 491 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.
All songs were written by Masterplan, except where noted.
"Enlighten Me" is the first single by Masterplan, taken from the present album. Despite the band picture on the sleeve, all keyboards are played by Janne Warman, and Jürgen Attig plays bass on tracks 3 and 4, with Grapow playing the bass on the remaining three tracks.
Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog" cover was included on The Music Remains the Same: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin, a tribute album by Locomotive Music (Spain).
^ Breusch, Matthias. "Rock Hard". issue 189. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
^ "Masterplan receives European Border Breakers Award". Archived from the original on 2013-03-14.
^ "Janne Wirman replaced by Axel Mackenrott".
This page was last edited on 25 October 2018, at 05:15 (UTC).