Aeronautics [Limited Edition] [Import]

Aeronautics [Limited Edition] [Import]

Track Listings

1. Crimson Rider

2. Back For My Life

3. Wounds

4. I'm Not Afraid

5. Headbanger's Ballroom

6. After This War

7. Into The Arena

8. Dark From The Dying

9. Falling Sparrow

10. Black In The Burn

11. Treasure World

12. Multimedia Section

Aeronautics,Masterplan,Afm,Heavy Metal

Average customer rating:

Disappointing - makes the debut album look like a masterpiece

A few good songs, barter at half price.

to the 3rd power

A step down from their debut, but will still satisfy fans

Significantly below their debut

Aeronautics
Masterplan
Manufacturer: Afm
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Germany | Continental Europe | Europe | International | Styles | Music
General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
Hard Rock & Metal | Imports | Stores | Music
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ASIN: B0006PTTJM
Release Date: 2005-01-31

Tracks:

Crimson Rider
Back for My Life
Wounds
I'm Not Afraid
Headbanger's Ballroom
After This War
Into the Arena
Dark from the Dying
Falling Sparrow
Black in the Burn

Album Description

Masterplan is the masterly move of Roland Grapow (guitar) and Uli Kusch (drums) once members of the German band Helloween. Features the songs 'Headbangers Ballroom' & 'Back for my Life' Icarus. 2005.

Customer Reviews:

Disappointing - makes the debut album look like a masterpiece.......2007-06-27

Truly disappointing follow up to a strong debut. While IMO Masterplan's debut album wasn't a masterpiece, it was strong, melodic, hard, varying and contained some truly amazing tracks. 'Aeronautics' is very predictable, less melodic, more metal (mostly due to lot's of double-bass drumming) and uninspired concerning songwriting and lyrics. Even Jorn's vocals which were truly great on the debut album sound weak, bored and kind of buried in the mix. The lyrics also try too hard to be radio friendly and catchy and thus fail. There are of course some noteworthy songs such as 'Crimson Rider', 'Wounds' and 'Back In The Burn' but nothing mind blowing. All in all much weaker compared to it's predecessor on all aspects including production. No wonder why Jorn and Uli left the band after this release...

A few good songs, barter at half price........2007-04-27

I recently discovered Masterplan and enjoyed what I heard, but when I bought the CD I was disappointed to find I only enjoyed half the album...or less. Crimson Rider, Wounds, and Black in the Burn are the best songs on this album. The rest of the album sounds like music I can easily tune in on my American Radio, hardly distinguished Euro-progressive power metal. I guess I expected too much from a band with former members of Helloween. My former view of Masterplan has been altered to an average power metal band. I suggest buying an Edguy or Angra CD.

to the 3rd power.......2006-03-19

Living in the soggy NW, where power metal is almost passe', it took me awhile to hear about, pursue, and find this album. So my review is late and I won't go on and on. Think Coverdale meets Rob Rock on vocals, great riffs, great song structure, and great production. The only weakness may be the love of the double kick, although it mostly fits. Jorne Lande has an awesome voice and I love that he sings in a lower register. This is awesome European power metal. A really good album.

A step down from their debut, but will still satisfy fans.......2006-02-06

Long review short, Masterplan's sophomore album Aeronautics is a step down from their eponymous debut, but it will still please most of their fans, considering the amazing musicianship, vocals, and the incredible production it encompasses.

The album begins with crunch-filled riffs by Roland Grapow thickened with ferocious bass and pounding drums. "Crimson Rider" was inspired by a pilot who lost his life in France during WW1. It's a brief yet hard-hitting opener that flows into the more mid-tempo "Back for My Life" where Axel Mackenrott's excellent keyboards underpin Jorn Lande's dramatic vocals. Speaking of Mackenrott, his keyboard contribution to Aeronautics is tremendous. I will respectfully disagree with other reviewers who say this album has little keyboard utilisation. To me, Aeronautics has more prevalant synth arrangements than the debut and some songs actually seem like they were penned around keyboard-generated ideas. On "I'm Not Afraid", not only do Grapow and Kusch revisit their earlier Helloween days, the song also has an undeniable symphonic power metal backdrop. Mackenrott tightly knits a web of symphonic aura that lets Lande shift smoothly between his crystalline and more aggressive vocals. The song also has some of his best screams on it that get really intense at the end. "Wounds" is the band's take on classic Euro power metal with a lot of double bass drums, poppier harmony guitars, cathcy choruses, and an enjoyable guitar and synth interplay. "Into the Arena", while sonically heavier, also expands on mighty synth work, tastefully placed far back in the mix by Roy Z. Great bass from Jan-S Eckert and a driving guitar melody hold the song together while Jorn Lande gets to convince those who are still unconvcined that he is one of the best vocalists in the universe.

Two songs that immediately caught my attention were "Dark from the Dying" and the last song "Back in the Burn". I feel this kind of songwriting is what the guys are best at, and maybe they should try to steer clear of the more formulaic, semi-hard rock and semi-power metal tracks. The darker the songs, the more effective Masterplan becomes. "Dark from the Dying" even features some Beyond Twilight type of multi-tracked vocal harmonies (again carefully hidden under more melodic undercurrents). It is broken up in the middle by a synth lead to develop added atmosphere and reaches its apex with soaring vocals until the song fades out. "Black in the Burn" almost sees 10 minutes and is the band's most complex and textured number. Open piano notes and a capella vocals become more engaging as guitars, bass, and drums join them respectively. Roland Grapow plays changing rhythms galore (we want more of this!) and the song is comprised of tons of melodic movements. Though I could certainly do without the lyrics in the chorus ("When the news are heard / About the fallen bird / Sing my song so you can remember / I just wanted to be here forever you see / To create my soaring melody"), this is easily Masterplan's most courageous songwriting experiment on Aeronautics. Another song whose lyrics I find terribly cheesy is the ballady "After the War", starting with great acoustic guitars that morph into a bluesy hard rock lead towards the end. However, the lyrics, rather than conveying thought, feel like they were put together based on the fact that they rhymed well with each other. I know the guys in Masterplan can do better than that.

The production of Roy Z is absolutely fantastic. Warm, slick and incredibly powerful. The drum and bass tone is perfect and Grapow's guitars sound heavier than the debut. That said, I still prefer the first album, and have to repeat myself: Masterplan is still the worst band Jorn Lande has been in. You don't believe me? Listen to Ark and Beyond Twilight, and see what this guy is truly capable of. Sadly, considering the music of his current band, he'll never get to demonstrate this side of his talent in Masterplan.

Significantly below their debut.......2005-07-16

I have read several glowing reviews, and I am with the few others on Amazon that regard this sophomore effort as a disappointment. The mix is a bit unusual. The hard rock of the first CD is more power metal on this CD, but I am not bothered by the change. I think that the quality of the songwriting is inferior. Aeronautics starts with a real bang: Crimson Rider, Back For My Life, Wounds, and I'm Not Afraid (the first four songs) give you the impression that this album could contend with the top CDs of the year. The quality dips a tad with Headbanger's Ballroom, then nosedives with the next three songs. Falling Sparrow has a catchy chorus and the last song Black in the Burn feels too long at over 8 minutes.

Average customer rating:

Masterplan, masterpiece, masters of metal
AN EXCELLENT BAND GETTING BETTER AND BETTER
The best of the best
Really great album!!

Aeronautics
Masterplan
Manufacturer: Afm
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0006PTTJW

Tracks:

Crimson Rider
Back for My Life
Wounds
I'm Not Afraid
Headbanger's Ballroom
After This War
Into the Arena
Dark from the Dying
Falling Sparrow
Black in the Burn

Customer Reviews:

Masterplan, masterpiece, masters of metal.......2005-03-26

Another Masterplan album that leaves you smiling from one ear to the other. Definitely, when Helloween kicked out guitar Roland Grapow and drummer Uli Kusch, they threw away the best 40% of the band. Just compare it with Helloween's last and forgetful release "Rabitt don't come easy". In fact, the two fired "apprentices" are finally free from Helloween's style boundaries to create a masterpiece where the songs are all excelent and remarkably different, yet bearing the same signature of a band filled with talent, love for metal and inspiration.

Grapow is riffing like Judas Priest, soloing like a humble Malmsteen and composing like Adrian Smith. Uli Kusch is a monster drummer despite being an arrogant son of a b**** with the fans. Keyboards complement the song perfectly, increasing the song's feeling, no soloing like Stratovarius or too grandiose like Nightwish. But the name of the game is Jorn Lande. The best description of his voice is David Coverdale singing Dio-like songs with James LaBrie (Dream Theater) feeling and interpretation. His voice always seems perfect, whether he is screaming for vengeance or whispering about love. You have to listen to believe.

- Crimson Rider is a great and fast opener with perfect chorus and guitar solo.
- Back For My Life (first single) starts singing melancholic and move to a chorus that asks God for redemption followed by tetric keys. Spooky and great.
- Wounds is very melodic, mixing current Helloween rythm, Jorn Lande voice and Stratovarius keys, a great song.
- I'm Not Afraid is very interesting, one of my faves. Epic opening, slow evolution and a hair band, poppy chorus that will make you sing from the first time, all adding to a slow, melodic and long guitar solo.
- Headbanger's Ballroom is what you expect, but even better: heavy riffing, aggressive vocals, tetric keys, and a Helloween-like solo that could be the national anthem of any country.
- After This War is slow, thoughtful, melancholic where Lande explores his Coverdale vocal style and Grapow soloes with great feeling.
- Into The Arena is one of Lande's finest songs, where he explores a more raw singing, following a steady, heavy and rythmic guitar and drum playing.
- Dark For The Dying is long, dense and heavy song that Lande uses to vary his style all along.
- Falling Sparrow is my fave. Very melodic, full of tempo variations with a sad feeling bridge and chorus that sent shivers down the spine and makes you sing it all the time.
- Black In The Burn starts with Lande's desperate voice, evolving and growing in heaviness and speed to a great melodic metal fast chorus.
- Treasure World (on some editions only) agains sees Lande on a Coverdale mood and the band alternates epic and acoustic parts over an overall slow, long and thoughtful song.

My advice: buy Aeronautics and the band's first release (Masterplan). You won't regret it.

AN EXCELLENT BAND GETTING BETTER AND BETTER.......2005-03-14

In order to do a review, i try to be objective first.Well, the music here is much more elaborate in it's arrangements and vocal melodies, but without falling in a technical metal aproach.
Unfortunately, this album touch me in several subjectives ways so i stop being objective from now on.My ears are always craving for some touching melodic fest within the metal frame.In Kamelot i found this characteristic and also Sonata Arctica; Angra; Symphony X; Helloween and Blind Guardian give me that too.The debut album from Masterplan of course has plenty of melodic hooks galore (and by the way it's one of the best debuts in Metal Hystory...check it out!)but in this work the band has really surpase themselves in every way! What a great vocalist Jorn Lande is, man.Roland is at his shredding best, truly in top form.I never heard him so good in Helloween.Maybe they didn't push him enough!And Uli is doing some great varied stuff here, his work here is the best since The Time Of The Oath from Helloween.The choruses of all the songs are catchy as hell but without being pop-like, chessy or corny.As much as i liked the debut, there were several filler in there and in this i don't find any.Only high quality stuff throughout.My favourite song anyway is Wounded, one of the most power metal oriented tracks.Also: Crimson Rider; Back For My Life and Falling Sparrow are awesome album highlights.But i repeat: all of them will make an everlasting impression on you, like they did on me.
Highly Recommended.

The best of the best.......2005-03-11

Masterplan is one of the best European band on metal scene today.
Great vocal,beautiful melodies and unbeliveable guitars.
My favorite band of all.I recomend both Masterplan's albums to every metal fan.You won't regret the purchase!

Really great album!!.......2005-03-05

This band just gets better and better! This new album is chock full of great power metal numbers that will get your head banging' and your brain thinkin'! The best song on here is WOUNDS. It's got a great guitar solo in the middle and a simply awesome percussion sound. The lead singer has improved much since the last album. If you are looking for some new progressive-power metal, then give this a try. The import price is worth it!