Masterplan

Masterplan is the debut on which the band combined heavy guitar, expansive keyboards and powerful singing into refined melodic metal. Roland Grapow (guitar) and Uli Kusch (drums), dismissed from Helloween in 2001, formed it, and after Russell Allen and Michael Kiske declined, brought in Ark's Jørn Lande to complete it. Released on AFM in 2003 and produced by Andy Sneap. Children of Bodom's Janne Wirman played session keys; Axel Mackenrott joined permanently afterward. The songs are technical yet land on clear hooks in the choruses, leaving a wide sense of release. From the lift of “Spirit Never Die” and the hook of “Enlighten Me” to the shadow of “Soulburn” and “Crystal Night,” the balance of hardness and flash is skillful, with every part combining to build density. On “Heroes,” ex-Helloween singer Kiske guests in a duet with Lande. Voted album of the month by several European magazines, it won the European Border Breakers Award from the European Commission the following year — a highly accomplished starting point for a new band.