There are some records where you barely need to hear a note before certain words start forming in your head. “Grandiose” is one. “Cinematic” is another. “Epic” is lurking somewhere too, probably with its fists in the air.
Masterplan have always lived in that world, though. That is what they do. They stand among the most durable and respected names in German power metal, formed in 2001 by guitarist Roland Grapow and drummer Uli Kusch after their departure from Helloween, and they have long since carved out their own identity. Huge melodies. Technical precision. A modern metal sound that still knows exactly where it came from.
Their self-titled debut arrived in 2003 and set the tone. Two decades on, “Metalmorphosis” does not so much reinvent them as underline why they mattered in the first place.
“Chase The Light” makes the point immediately. You cannot really do these reviews without using words like “grandiose” or “cinematic”, and Masterplan know that better than most. The guitars gleam, the chorus reaches for the heavens and the whole thing has that unmistakable German power metal polish. The guitar sound alone is testament to it: sharp, gleaming, absolutely perfect for the job.
“Electric Nights” is faster, tougher and full of that Euro class, the sort of thing that can only really work if the band believe in it completely. Luckily, Masterplan do. The chorus soars, the riffs have real purpose and, crucially, it never feels like empty bluster.
“Shadow Man” brings a little more groove and just a touch of eeriness, proving that there is more shade here than you might expect. That matters, because records like this can sometimes get lost in their own bombast. Masterplan are too experienced for that. They know when to push and when to let the song breathe.
“Bound To Fall” is from the top drawer, make no mistake. It has that sense of craft that only comes from musicians who have lived with this music for years. By the time “Pain Of Yesterday” arrives, the thought strikes you that these are simply men with a gift for this stuff. It is not forced. It is not cynical. It is just what they do.
The title track is effortlessly huge it sounds like it was built for festival stages, while “Through The Storm” has riffs that slice through the speakers and an uplifting feel that power metal, at its best, has always been able to deliver without apology.
“Ghostlight” might be the moment where the record plants its flag most proudly. If you could get your fists up and battle through all of these songs, then never more than here. It is ridiculous, obviously, but ridiculous in exactly the way this music should be.
Then comes “The Call”, and at over eight minutes it is worthy of finishing the record. It moves with near-prog overtones, the guitar work is utterly stunning, and the female vocal gives it another dimension entirely. It feels like the band saving something special for the end, and fair play, they have.
“Metalmorphosis” is not here to chase trends, modernise itself into nothingness or apologise for what it is. It is Masterplan doing Masterplan things: big, bold, melodic and made with absolute conviction.
Sometimes that is all you need.
RATING: 8/10
