Masterplan
Masterplan are an up and
coming powerful force in melodic power metal. Lately they've been through
a lot of heartaches and difficulties, but they've manage to surpass all
problems and now they are about to release their third studio work that
is by far their best and most complete album. Read below the very friendly
and informative chat we had with the band's mastermind, Roland Grapow,
who proved to be really honest and sincere.
1. HELLO! “MK II” IS THE TITLE OF YOUR NEW
ALBUM AND IT SOUNDS LIKE A TYPE OF GUN ? DOES IT MEAN THE REBIRTH OF MASTERPLAN
AFTER THE SO MANY LINE –UP CHANGES?
No, no it’s not a type of a gun! (Laughter)
It’s just about the line up and it’s the new brand we have. It’s like when
you have a new model and you use a similar name with the previous one.
Unofficially everyone used MK I as the name for the old line up, so MK
II is the title of the new line up. This is what we wanted to say. The
idea came from our keyboard player. We wanted the people to know and we
also wanted to point the finger at the problem. We wanted people to know
that we have a new line up and not let people thinking “Wow they look different!
Have they changed?” (Laughter) Because you know not all people read magazines
and many people don’t know about the line up changes…
2. I READ THAT THEY WERE MANY RUMOURS THAT THE
BAND WILL STOP TO EXIST. HOW CLOSE TO THE TRUTH WERE THEY?
Rumours were and still exist! Yeah! They are
just rumours! Honestly I thought about it, but I never said anything to
anyone and of course everyone starts talking bad and they expect such things
to happen. Besides press people often exaggerate. Definitely I had a difficult
time and it was one of the hardest times in my life, but we have survived
as you can see…
3. WHICH ARE THE NEW ELEMENTS THAT THE NEW MEMBERS
BRING TO THE BAND?
I guess a very fresh kind of influence, especially
on the drums, where Mike Terrana plays very powerful, like a big rock drummer
not like a speed melodic drummer. Of course he can play the same, but he
said to me that the songs are so beautiful, that he didn’t want to destroy
their structure. He wanted to support the songs and that’s what he did.
It sounds more open more powerful and he laid the base for everyone else.
As for Mike DiMeo he has different kind of melodies…
-HE HAS A CHARACTERISTIC VOICE.
Yeah! Very beautiful and different than Jorn’s,
but it’s on the blues roots he has, so they are quite similar at the same
time. I think his influence was very big. The lyrics he wrote and
everything, except “Lost And Gone”. We worked together at the vocal melodies,
but his influence was very strong. It’s not that he just came and sang
the songs we’ve written for him.
4. SINCE WE TALK ABOUT THE COMPOSITIONS, CAN YOU
TELL ME WHICH ONE WAS THE EASIEST TO FINISH AND WHICH ONE TOOK YOU MORE
TIME AND WHY?
Hmm... I’m always working very hard on a song.
I’m not writing a song like in one day. The basic idea may finish quickly,
but I’m always getting into details, so I spend really a couple of weeks
just to get the right feeling or the right tempo or the right vocal melody.
It’s more difficult than you think sometimes. “Heart Of Darkness” for example
has so many things inside that it took me more time to complete than “I’m
Gonna Win”. It depends. Sometimes you have inspiration, some other times
you have to fight harder to finish a song. But I never finish a song if
I am not satisfied!
-WHEN DO YOU HAVE MORE INSPIRATION? WHEN ARE YOU
MORE PRODUCTIVE AS AN ARTIST? HAVE YOU FIGURED IT OUT?
Definitely I have to reload my batteries after
the production of each album is over! I can’t write new songs immediately
after finishing the album. I need to see the reactions, I need to see how
the songs sound like in a live environment and after a year I’ve nearly
forgotten all about them and I have an open mind. Then it also depends
on what kind of music is around at the moment, what is a hit. I’m always
looking for the trend a little bit, but not so much. Masterplan is a melting
pot for all the styles of the past and our idols, but you can also find
some bits and pieces from modern bands like Limp Bitzkit or Rammstein.
I always keep it a little bit fresh, cause I don’t want to sound like a
rip off of an old 80s heavy metal band or something…
- I KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN…
Yeah and to finish the subject, when I write
new songs I always make sure to let my family and friends know “Now I’m
writing songs, I’m not doing anything else, so don’t keep me busy with
other things”.
- YOU NEED YOUR PEACE OF MIND…
Yeah and I have to say it to myself first
and then it takes me a couple of days to get used to it. I always tell
people around me “Now I go into the studio, so don’t disturb me! I need
to be focused”. Haha!
5. IF YOU WERE ASKED BY YOUR LABEL TO PRESENT
YOUR NEW ALBUM IN A FEW WORDS, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TRYING TO BE AS OBJECTIVE
AS POSSIBLE?
I think we have a killer melodic album with
a fresh Masterplan sound and it still like the old kind of sound we had,
but we went one step further and I think you will be satisfied!
6. WHAT’S THE BEST AND CATCHIEST PART OF YOUR
MUSIC AND WHICH FIELD DO YOU THINK NEEDS FURTHER DEVELOPMENT AND IMPROVEMENT,
ACCORDING TO YOU?
Good question! Hahaha! I haven’t ever thought
about what we need to develop or improve as a band… But I think that we
haven’t reached our peak yet and we are still searching for the right balance
in the future. I think we are still searching for a way to become a really
great rock/metal band. It always depends of course on the line up and I
think we just started, because Mike Terranna came very late in the production
and Mike DiMeo only did the vocals. Next time we will write songs as a
team and I’m really looking forward to it, because these guys are so open
minded and so very easy to work and talk about directions and styles. It’s
not that I feel limited as an artist like with the old line up I must say
and that’s the main thing I’m searching for. Not about the style or the
direction of the music. We already have a really nice style so we only
need to take it a step further.
7. IS IT BECAUSE OF MASTERPLAN THAT MIIKE TERRANA
LEFT RAGE OR WERE THEY OTHER REASONS?
No, no! Not at all! When I called him I said
“Hey Mike! We need some help. Uli left the band, so can you finish the
album for me?” and he just said “Wow! I want to be a member!” and he offered
himself. He had huge problems with Rage and he told me he would leave them
anyway. They had a meeting in December and I knew two months before that
he would leave. But it surely wasn’t because of Masterplan!
-OK I DIDN’T IMPLY THAT YOU MADE HIM LEAVE. I
MEANT THAT PERHAPS HE LIKES MASTERPLAN’S MUSIC MORE…
Surely he was a big fan of us! He is an old
friend, we know each other for eleven years now and he played in my solo
album and we kept in touch all this time. We talked to each other from
time to time and we always were interested in the other’s career and he
was really sad when I was thrown out of Helloween and he was really worried
about my future. Then he saw Masterplan rising and like a big, big star
and he told me “Man I feel so great and happy for you! This is really cool
music!”. And when he saw on TV the video from one of our live shows
he called me “I just saw it! What a classic metal band! If you ever need
a drummer, call me” and I said “Yes! But Uli will never leave the band!”
and finally he did! (Laughter)
8. IS MIKE DIMEO STILL MEMBER OF RIOT?
No, he is not and it’s kind of similar. I
don’t him not to leave the band, because they are not so busy and we could
find a way to work it out, but finally Riot were searching for a new singer.
-SO IS HE A PERMANENT MEMBER OF THE BAND?
Yeah! Everybody is! Everyone sees this band
as their main band , but they are all still free to make side projects.
Mike Terrana can continue playing with Axel Rudi Pell.
9. NOW LET’S TALK ABOUT THE LYRICS OF THIS ALBUM.
CAN YOU TELL ME IN A FEW WORDS THE STORY OF EACH SONG THAT YOU HAVE INCLUDED
IN “MK II”?
I think the basic idea behind the lyrics of
this album is, you can say, our story. The song titled “Phoenix Rising”
is instrumental, but then “Warriors Cry” is about fighting for the same
direction as with the band, like fighting for friendship, power or direction
of the band. “I’m Gonna Win” is definitely about our story and it could
be also seen as a spot song. “Masterplan” is obviously about us so I think
Mike DiMeo felt like I have, fighting for the band and I was nearly at
the end, so many things reflect on the lyrics a lot. Well some stuff is
not so much about the band like for example “Watching The World” is about
the bad situation on this planet and “Call The Gypsies” is about gypsies
of course. Mike was reading a book about them and their funeral customs.
When somebody dies they have a special celebration which I have never heard
of before.
-I DON’T KNOW ABOUT IT EITHER…
Yeah! It’s interesting, because when a family
member dies, they kind of party together with the person, taking care of
them, making them look beautiful and treating them as if they were alive.
That’s the story about this song. Like I said most of the songs are about
the band…
10. YOU’VE ALSO SHOT A VIDEO CLIP WHICH
IS GOING TO BE INCLUDED IN THE NEW ALBUM. WHICH SONG IS IT FOR AND WHAT
WILL IT SHOW?
We have done a video for “Lost And Gone” and
it will be on the special edition of the album, a digipack and a tin can,
like a metal case, so people can see the video there on the computer. There’s
no big story around it actually. It shows the band playing and it’s a low
budget, cause we wanted to have a video clip and you know it’s not always
possible to get the money to shoot a video, because the labels always say
there’s no chance to be shown on TV. But it’s quite modern with fast cuts
amongst the band members and it’s black and white with a colourful rose
here and there. It’s just a nice video about this relationship we have.
11. UP TO NOW YOU HAVE PLAYED IN HEAVY AND POWER
METAL BANDS. DO YOU PLAN IN THE FUTURE TO FORM A DIFFERENT KIND OF PROJECT
OR IS THIS THE KIND OF MUSIC YOU ARE DEDICATED TO?
I think Masterplan is my baby. I totally feel
great with this band, with the line up and I want to reach more fans in
the future. I want to play melodic stuff with this band…
-SO YOU ARE NOT INTO MORE EXTREME METAL, LIKE
DEATH OR BLACK FOR EXAMPLE…
I like it, but I don’t like it in Masterplan.
-NO, BUT WOULD YOU LIKE TO FORM A PROJECT BAND?
Yeah! Actually before the interview I was
thinking that perhaps I could play something really brutal, something that
people would never expect to listen to from me. Very aggressive guitar
works, very brutal singing, no melodies at all! The other side of Roland!
(Laughter)
12. YOU HAVE DONE SO MANY INTERVIEWS SO FAR, SO
DO YOU REMEMBER WHICH WAS THE FUNNIEST OR WEIRDEST QUESTION YOU’VE EVER
BEEN ASKED?
Hmm… I don’t know! I think the strangest interviews
are the ones I do with Italian journalists, because they always keep asking
me about Helloween. And at the end of one of these interviews I thought
“Wow at least half of the interview was about Helloween”.
-DID THEY KNOW WHICH BAND THEY WERE INTERVIEWING?
Hahaha! Exactly! I think the guy was more
into the past stories…
-HE MUST BE MAINLY A HELLOWEEN FAN THEN…
Maybe… But he surely wasn’t such a big fan
of me… They always try to get some statements from me. That the fight has
started all over again between me and Weikath or whatever, but there’s
no fight…
-THAT’S AN OLD STORY… AND IT’S ANNOYING FROM A
POINT ON DIGGING THE SAME ISSUES OVER AND OVER AGAIN…
Yeah! It’s past for me, but hey always look
for some highlights or for some more gossip. Roland said blah blah blah
what do you have to tell him? Blah blah blah… They always try to create
problems to me with such answers. They don’t know if he really said it,
but I know he said it that I’m a bad songwriter or that I’m fat and stuff
like that. He likes to say such things, but he harms himself with this.
I’m not striking back at him.
13. IS THERE A QUESTION YOU’D LIKE TO BE ASKED
IN AN INTERVIEW AND PEOPLE NEVER ASKED? HERE IS YOUR CHANCE…
Hmm… Honestly this is one of my best and most
favourite interviews so far!! Very interesting questions! I don’t know
I feel good with this interview. I think I said everything and there’s
nothing else to be said… Unless you have an idea!
-OK YES! I HAVE A FEW MORE!
14. IF YOU TRANSLATED YOUR MUSIC INTO EMOTIONS,
WHAT EMOTIONS DO YOU THINK IT WOULD REFLECT?
I don’t know, but especially the ballad we
have on the new album touched me so much that I was crying several times
the first times I heard it mixed and mastered. When I came to Hamburg the
next day we, the whole band, had a listening session and I was so stressed
being nearly at the end, because I had fought really hard and I think last
year was the worst of my life. It’s not because Jorn and Uli left the band,
but it’s because Uli was blaming me for some really negative things that
had happened and he tried to fight against me without me doing anything
bad, you know. Everyone around the band, supported me and told me I didn’t
do anything bad, but it’s hard to understand why some things happen and
also my daddy died last year, which is also something very negative for
me. Finally after coming back form the mixing and fighting against all
this, when the others came and told me “Wow this is a great album!” and
Mike DiMeo told me “We are a dream team!” and so all these happy faces,
I felt really happy. I think music touched people and must be emotional.
15. IF YOUR MUSIC WERE A PAINTING, WHAT WOULD
IT SHOW?
I think we have a beautiful frame first of
all. The frame is always the concept that keeps the music together, the
artwork you can say. Inside you have so many different pieces, from trees
to sea or a beautiful countryside, some nice movements inside and that’s
what I always want to have ain a Masterplan album. I’m always thinking
that we need a ballad, we need a very heavy song, we have some mid tempo
tracks and others very fast stuff, to keep it really colourful and…
-TO HAVE A BALANCE…
Yeah! It’s a very, very balanced album. More
than any other band I played with. With Helloween for example is always
very fast or very melodic kind of stuff or at least this is why we were
famous for. I was so limited there and other bands usually do 3 different
songs and all the rest are just repeating the same things over and over
again. That’s boring for me you know…
- YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT THE “FILLERS”…
Yeah! You could say it like that! (Laughter)
That’s why Masterplan keep me interested as a songwriter.
16. DO YOU PLAN TO COME TO GREECE FOR LIVE SHOWS?
WHEN SHOULD WE EXPECT YOU?
Yeah! We’re coming in April with Saxon together
and we have one hour of playing time and it would be great to be there
for the first time!
-BOTH IN ATHENS AND THESSALONIKI?
I’m not sure! You can find out at our homepage.
17. WHAT TITLE WOULD YOU GIVE TO MASTERPLAN’S
CAREER SO FAR?
Hmm… I think Masterplan is the thing I’m most
proud of you know, because I’m responsible for more or less everything.
I started the band together with Uli, but finally I’m more or less the
main guy here. It makes me really proud when people like the album, especially
this one and that they still believe in me or they will in the future!
Hahaha! Cause everyone said this band was going down…
-IT’S GOOD TO PROVE THEM WRONG. RIGHT?
Yeah! And it’s good to see that the fans still
believe in me after so many years and think that I’m a good songwriter.
I just want the people to remember this later on.
18. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME! THE LAST
WORDS OF THIS INTERVIEW BELONG TO YOU… LEAVE A MESSAGE TO YOUR FANS.
I’m really looking forward to coming back
to Greece with Saxon and to have party together with all you and see some
nice, funny faces. I’ll be proud if I se you singing along with us and
I definitely hope that you all love the album as much as we do! Thank you!
Christine Parastatidou
Special Help: Nick "William_Kidd"
Parastatidis
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