There's an exciting new metal act about, whose members are not only renowned on the international rock scene but are also brilliant solo artists and experienced composers. Guitarist Roland Grapow and drummer Ulli Kusch were with the German melodic metal band, Helloween, until autumn 2001, Jan S. Eckert used to be the bassist with Iron Savior from Hamburg, keyboarder Axel Mackenrott called attention as a member of various cover bands as "Catch The Rainbow" [Rainbow cover band], "Machine Head" [Deep Purple cover band] and with his own band "Punch TV", and vocalist Jorn Lande has made a name for himself world-wide as frontman with Ark and Jorn, among others. Together, these five musicians make up Masterplan, a band that have drawn attention to themselves even before the arrival of their debut album. Masterplan's brand-new material is more than a mere mishmash of different influences brought in by five individual musicians; it has a distinct outline and stylistic definition based on the precise visions of the three main song writers, Grapow, Lande and Kusch, who have found the perfect vocalist for their contemporary metal tracks in Jorn. Numbers like 'Spirit Never Die', 'Kind Hearted Light', 'Crystal Night' or 'When Love Comes Close' have a classical-traditional thread running through them, combining modern rhythms with intricate guitar parts and melodic vocals. Collectively, the songs forge an invisible arch that stretches from the beginnings of rock music to the very topical present and are marked by the band members' accomplished technical skills.