Aeronautics

Aeronautics is the second album, sounding Jørn Lande's powerful voice large over a base of thick guitar and organ-like keyboards. Released on AFM in 2005 and, like the debut, co-produced by Andy Sneap and the band. It's also the only album with the golden-era lineup fully in place: Roland Grapow (guitar), Uli Kusch (drums), Jan S. Eckert (bass) and Axel Mackenrott (keyboards). Lande and Kusch would leave the band after this record. The songs carry power metal's momentum while also holding a bluesy warmth and classic hard rock weight. From the racing “Crimson Rider,” the single “Back for My Life,” the mid-tempo “Dark from the Dying,” to the nearly ten-minute epic “Black in the Burn,” strong hook-laden choruses and detailed arrangements give even the longer songs a natural flow. A conceptual air suggesting an aviator colors the record, and it gained more unity than the debut. Tying grandeur and melodic sense together effortlessly — a standout, often called Masterplan's high-water mark.