Masterplan – “Aeronautics”
Feel-good music is what Masterplan is. A Helloween off-shoot, Masterplan’s music is supposed to make you feel a certain way. The guitar harmonies are sweet, the double-bass drumming gives the up-beat riffs power and energy, the singing is good and the songs are sharp, clean, melodic and memorable. It will put you in a better mood when you are driving to work. Instead of cursing out the driver who just cut you off (on purpose, of course, because that person is in a worldwide conspiracy to make your life miserable), you can listen to Masterplan and you’ll feel better.
There are 10 songs of super-catchy, melodic, sugary, rocking power/heavy metal: flashy solos, power guitaring, double bass drummering, and classy singering. Songs 1, 3, 7, 9 are the fast ones. You can do aerobics or jog to those. 2 and 6 are slower love songs, but they are not, in my opinion, power ballads: more like slower to mid-paced. 8 is also mid-paced. All these three songs have big-time-rock-star vocal performances, but this is true for the whole album. 8 is probably the weakest track and the worst song is still solid. 10 is the longer song which brings the whole album together: this 9-minutes-plus piece starts out slowly and builds into a great, undeniable song.