Thursday, August 7: Masterplan, "Into the Arena"
Masterplan came storming out the gates to memorable effect on their well-received debut, but just a couple years later they sounded somewhat deflated on Aeronautics. The energy and hooks were more muted and Jørn Lande sounded disengaged in parts, making the record feel like a comedown. Even in its harder moments something felt off, as “Into the Arena” should’ve felt like a surging anthem, and in its better moments came pretty close, but Uli Kusch’s usually propulsive drums hung back a bit even as Roland Grapow added some more crunch to his guitar. It was a solid and sturdy heavy rock tune that didn’t play to all of the usual power metal clichés, and Lande’s vocals were especially refreshing in that regard. But Masterplan no longer sounded like their hearts were totally in it, a perception that was shortly validated when both Kusch and Lande departed under a cloud of disappointment.
