ENLIGHTEN ME

The Helloween spin-off band Masterplan emerges into the power metal scene with some force on this single. Anyone wondering what the music was going to sound like would by now know that it sounds nothing like their parent band, Helloween. Indeed, when it comes to Masterplan, the vocals are deeper and more defined, the guitar is more technical and the drums wail away with a hint more towards keyboards than expected.

Anyways, back to the songs at hand. ENLIGHTEN ME is a good choice for a single for this band, being that it showcases well the individual talents of the members while making a good catchy song. There's also a nice false ending to the song before Lande screams back in and takes the chorus for another go. The two b-sides on the album are actually quite pleasant as well. THROUGH THICK AND THIN is a great track that would have fit very well on the actual album. Fairly love-song oriented but highlighted by some great vocals. BLACK DOG is an excellent little Led Zeppelin cover that actually does the song good justice (if you like Zep and Euro Power Metal). Lande may not be as high pitched as the legendary Robert Plant, but he does a good rendition none the less.

2 stars for a good EP. Really only recommended to the fans because this one is tough to find and fairly expensive for it's price. None the less it's a good extension to an already good album. Rarity and price aside, this one is good for power metal fans and prog-metal fans alike. Nothing progressive on here, but there's definately some great rock.