Customer Reviews

MK II

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Jorn is a great lead singer, however, Mike DiMeo is certainly no let down. He sounds just as manly as Jorn and is an excellent replacement. The first five songs that follow the Introduction (Phoenix Rising) stand out the most. The songs "Keeps Me Burning" and "I'm Gonna Win" are the types of songs with great timing and memorable choruses. I would not say that MKII is better than the first two albums or worse. They are all excellent (in my opinion) and this one is certainly no let down. "Heart of Darkness" stands out as the most bland song on the album. However, I'm sure many will like it, nonetheless. Perhaps there are about two fillers on the CD and maybe three depending on your taste. I would consider "Heart of Darkness" a filler, if that helps any for those who may have a varying opinion. Great music from a talented and mature sounding band. Cheers!

While the first Master Plan CD sounds like an 80s metal band (that is why I bought it) MK II has a more 90s metal giving it a very different sound. At first, I was turned off by my initial expectations but then one of the songs got stuck in my head. Before I knew it I was appreciating this album for what it is. It is different then the first album, and just as good.

MK II is the third album overall from power metal band Masterplan, and as the title suggests it's the first album from a new Masterplan lineup. The band went through some pretty dramatic lineup shifts between 2005's Aeronautics and MK II. Founding drummer Uli Kusch left, as did vocal titan Jorn Lande. Kusch was replaced by former Rage drummer Mike Terrana and the vocalist spot was given to former Riot singer Mike DiMeo.

I was skeptical going in to this album. How does a band get over losing a singer of Jorn Lande's caliber? I'm glad I gave the album a try though. Mike DiMeo is no Jorn Lande, but he seems to fit this band in a way that Jorn really never did. Aeronautics had its moments, but MK II is just a more cohesive, all-around impressive album. The band seems incredibly energized, and the result is 11 of their best songs ever (I can't quite count the throwaway introductory track "Phoenix Rising". The album is heavy enough that you can't question its "metalness", but is also very melodic. Roland Grapow is absolutely on fire here, and DiMeo's powerful vocal performance recalls his best Riot work. You can tell he paid close attention to Jorn's previous Masterplan work, but I'm reminded of Axel Rudi Pell vocalist Johnny Gioeli more often than not, which is never a bad thing.

I can totally understand how people would be disappointed with Jorn's departure, but - and I say this as a huge Jorn fan - you really should give MK II a chance. It's a better album overall than Aeronautics, and is at least as good as the Masterplan debut. MK II is a first rate melodic/power metal album from start to finish, and should please just about any fan of this kind of music. Give it a chance. You won't regret it.

"MKII" is the third album by high profile power/melodic metal band "Masterplan" , originally released in 2007. As the title implies "MKII" is the first album not to be recorded by the original line up, featuring founder guitarist Roland Grapow, bassist Jan S. Eckret, keyboardist Alex Mackenrott alongside new entries from the US, Mike Dimeo (ex-`Riot') on lead vocals and drum prodigy Mike Terrana (who has also participated on Grapow's second solo album).

In retrospect, the album did not seem as a satisfactory output by such a highly acclaimed band of the genre while one could claim that was mostly due to the departure of the two original members rather than the music and the performance itself. For that matter, playing the album more than three years past its release, one would logically come to the conclusion that "MKII" is in fact in line with the sound and style of the preceding "Masterplan" albums. It is all thick guitar riffs and rhythm parts, the catchy and inventive keyboards once again serve as a differentiating factor for the band. The rhythm section is powerful, technical moving effortlessly through the various twists and turns of the album. While Mike DiMeo is objectively a singer of great melodic capability.

In terms of lyrical concept "MK II" is conclusively the most positive "Masterplan" album to date, being a considerable departure from the minor-melodic-dramatic sound that defined the majority of their work. With positive melodies and vocal lines on tracks like, "Phoenix Rising", "I'm gonna win" and "keeps me burning", "Masterplan" effectively presented the `other side of the coin' to their music while keeping the basis of their sound consistent. "MKII" is actually a release of equal quality to the other three "Masterplan" albums released to date, from a line up that should have received a fair bit more credit.

They lost a drummer and the lead singer. I thought this CD would stink. I was wrong. Much better then their second and almost as good as their first. Not a bad song on the disk. In fact the more I hear it the more I like it. If you like power metal you will like this cd.

I was skeptical of this album for a long time considering the departure of singer extraordinaire Jorn Lande, but having heard and reasonably liked the lead single "Lost and Gone" . . . and having read review after review for this album being so supportive of the change---and positive overall---I finally said "what the heck" and picked it up. What a mistake. I should have stuck with my gut.

I want to make it clear I'm casting no aspersions on replacement singer, Mike Dimeo. While he's no Lande, he is in fact a very talented vocalist, and he's similar enough in style and delivery to Lande that he could have made a completely acceptable replacement. This album's failure certainly isn't his vocals. For one thing, the vocals are mixed too low and in a couple spots are almost inaudible . . . it's as if the band said to themselves: if you can't really hear the vocals, but what you do hear sounds close enough to Jorn, then maybe no one will notice the difference.

Beyond that, the songs on this album are just sloppy, under-developed attempts to recreate the first Masterplan album (which to me was perhaps a little heavier but inferior song-wise, and with a more dated, stuck-in-the-80's sound than the excellent Aeronautics . . . which in contrast successfully captured an 80's and classic rock vibe yet still very much sounds like a 21st century record). The songwriting on MK II is just lackluster, throwback Euro hard rock by-the-numbers, with a few virtually pointless, meandering instrumental breaks thrown in to add some measure of a "prog" element. In particular, Grapow seems to lose control of some of his solos (and I like him as a guitarist) with frantic, speed licks that go off-key and at times are altogether out of synch with the rhythm of the song.

Worse are the lyrics. Again, I almost feel as though the band hoped you didn't pay much attention to the vocals other than to perceive enough of a superficial resemblance to Lande that you would just nod and smile and move on. While Lande's lyrics certainly contain their share of shameless "Whitesnake-isms", they at least convey enough of a coherent theme or narrative to make logical sense and communicate some tangible emotion. The lyrics here are just a completely random string of every 80's hard rock/metal cliche you've ever heard. They don't even seem to make sense in many cases.

All in all I was sorely disappointed in this album, and frankly I felt duped by all of the supportive reviews that promised quality close to that of the previous releases. Bottom line: the songwriting spark that Grapow, Kusch, and Lande brought to Masterplan collectively is completely lacking here. And despite the debate over the relatively heavier, more metallic attack of the debut album vs. the slightly more catchy, song-oriented approach of Aeronautics, the fact is Jorn Lande and the vocals overall were the driving force of this band. If the band had embraced that notion and actually took the risk of letting Dimeo step to the forefront on MK II, perhaps they would have created something with similar appeal. Alas, they played it safe, de-emphasized the vocals, and just shot for enough of a sound-alike approach to get by. The result is a well produced (except for the vocal level), mostly well played, but utterly empty pastiche. Too bad; this band was on its way to greatness before this woefully self-conscious misstep. Perhaps they'll pull it together for their next release. This one left a bad taste, but not so much that I won't give the next one a chance.

As long as you dont compare this album to the two prior Jorn-sung cds, this i quite nice.. The debut ws better but this totally competes for second place! Vocals and riffing is nice. Song-writing could be better.

Why oh why did they let Jorn Lande leave the band? Was it money? If so they have lost a bunch of ot losing him and the sound that made them so popular and stand out in the 1st place. Instead they go and get an Ameican singer who sounds like Jon Bon Jovi. Come on Roland WTF were you thinking??? Bonjovi singing European Metal just dosen't work.