MASTERPLAN
Questions asked by Mike Exley, added to Rock Realms 2nd June 2010.
When Norwegian vocal powerhouse Jorn Lande (known internationally through his recent work with Jorn, Ark, Millennium, and The Snakes…) re-united with former Helloween member Roland Grapow and Masterplan - a band that had been ploughing a strong hard tock furrow in Germany since 2002 - the chattering masses couldn’t wait to hear the result.
Would it surpass the early material that had seen them take to the stage of the final indoor Bloodstock Festival all those years ago here? Or would it bring back the ghost of Mike DiMeo, the singer who had held court in Masterplan at the time of the album MKII (2007) and had, some would argue, been ‘moved aside’ to accommodate the returning vocalist?
Well, the ensuing album Time To Be King has just been released and, as Grapow himself admits, he’s holding his breath to see the results out there amongst the fans.
So, Roland; is it an uncertain time, or a time of real excitement?
Roland: No, just very exciting, I would say! We still believe very passionately that the decision to go in this direction was right. Many people liked the old singer and the “MK II” album had received some very positive feedback; the reaction was pretty good….., but…
That’s the key word here - ‘But’. Mike DiMeo obviously had had to grow into his role after the release of “MK II”, I think everyone accepts that. The ensuing tour with Saxon here was the time for that. But, what was the trigger that finally resulted in the change, and the call to Jorn Lande?
Roland: Well, let me explain. Mike was a very nice singer and a great guy, but I guess I expected more passion in some ways. After “MK II” we all accepted that the line up was pretty stable, but the tour had revealed some weaknesses which you couldn’t really argue with. Jan (Eckert) our bass player and Mike (Terrana), our drummer, both brought it up and I was the person trying to support Mike’s position at that time - to give him the time - but eventually, too many people brought up these things - trusted fans and trusted journalists, you know? They were saying, “Are you sure this is really right? It was always negative…, and, we had to put a stop to this negativity. I didn’t want to go to that place really, to that edge. It takes time for me to do so… But, in the end it had to happen!
Your very dignified silence on the website was testimony to this but it led to feverish speculation...
Roland: Yes, but I think it was right! I didn’t want to stir things up in the same way some bands do it you know? Be all over Blabbermouth or whatever, everyday. No one needs that in Masterplan. Sure, everybody thought that they should be the person to know, but it was my way of keeping it positive, keeping it fair to everyone including Mike. One week after Mike left, I decided to call Jorn… But, up to that point, we kept it as dignified as possible!
Can you put a point on the exact moment Jorn said yes?
Roland: Yes, to a point, but there was a lot of discussion - a lot of careful discussion! I drove over to the Czech Republic where Jorn was part of an Avantasia gig; we sat down for 2 days or so and talked a lot… A whole lot, I remember actually, but that was important… It took, all in all, probably six months before we could both say that we were ready to say he was back……
You had a large gap to bridge then?
Roland: Well, to a certain extent it was easier than before. Factors such as previous personalities in the band had changed, I think we are a lot more flexible than Jorn perceived us to be when he originally left the band for starters, so that was a plus, but, of course, he had a lot of questions that were based on what had happened. This is normal… Jorn is quite different from me. He has many years of experience – but there’s a different mentality in Norwegian people to German people... There were definitely issues had to be brought into the open!!
What was the key?
Roland: I think ‘attitude’.. We knew that, even as a support band, with Jorn, Masterplan rocks. I had not been at my best on some of those early Saxon shows, but I knew that with Jorn, we would have got over this very quickly! You can ask was it a business thing or an emotional reaction, to have him back? Maybe, it’s a bit of both because we want Masterplan’s career to be vibrant of course, but, for me, it was an emotional thing… There’s no doubt for me. With Jorn, this band can still reach some dreams and goals, write great music and go forward at a much better pace.. Jorn, too, was bringing this to the table. He has ambitions too! For me, as a musician, I hope the fans are happy, because I certainly am. I feel more ‘purpose’ with this new album! We never made a huge sum of money, so it’s not that; it’s about being Masterplan - getting this band’s music across with the right attitude!
So, let’s come on to “Time To Be King”, the new album. How does this define what you’ve just said?
Roland: Well, I think Masterplan had to stand up as a band, more than Jorn’s solo projects or my solo career, or other personalities! It had to be Masterplan, through and through, and it is! Jorn had a very large pot of ideas; of course, we did as well - Axel (Mackenroth) our keyboard player, had three or four songs almost finished which I arranged as soon as the conversations were finished, and although it needed time to be able to make those gel - Jorn kept coming with ideas, Axel too!
For some reason, I’m always the last and I prefer possibly to arrange and add to the songs more - but it made the band function much better than before. There are two guys as the pilots of the ship and Axel too with loads of ideas…, and that is how it should be!
You sensed a shifting of power did you?
Roland: Yes, I would say so and this was absolutely right. Jorn is a very important part of this band! I could have said to him, “You’re the hired hand, you just write the lyrics…" But how long do you think this would have lasted? It would have not produced an album like this!
The title of the album is very prophetic. It is time for the band to stand up and be counted then?
Roland: Yes, I feel this! Jorn was writing lots of lyrics and he asked me, “What do you think of this phrase – ‘Time To Be King’?" I knew it was right straight away. It gave the perfect message from us, from Masterplan! It leaves the right message. I like a simple cover, a simple message, and this does that. The cover with the crown is very elegant, very powerful – the imagery is very strong. We have the song “Kisses For You” which is the extra track on the Digi Pack which has a huge Queen influence, I would say, and it all fits! The track was extremely strong and it pulled some of the others along too!
Which other songs have this punch then? Where is that extra little edge?
Roland: There are several songs that have a story to them which makes them really powerful. Most songs in Masterplan start with the chorus, the hook, then the bridges and the verses. “Blue Europa” was a song like that. It has its background in the European Union which, of course, Norway is not part of, so Jorn’s view of this is very different from ours, but I think he has a positive outlook on it. If people really try to tear down barriers in their own mind, then it can work. Europe is one very large continent, a bit like America – we all have our own states and we need to function and think together. The Euro is a problem, of course, no one likes it, but we’ll see. Then it’s our war song too. Jorn kept asking me about the lyrics to this song - he was conscious of writing about Germany and the war, but it had an edge to it. I didn’t want to hear stuff about Rabbits and Hamsters again, you know?
God forbid!!
Roland: What was important was keeping a sense of identity… “The Black One”, “Lonely Winds Of War”, “The Sun Is In Your Hands”, they all had to add to the whole!! As I said, this album is incredibly important for the band - it is the building block for our future! For me, those songs will be the one’s that will take Masterplan forward!
So, what’s next then?
Roland: Well, live shows I hope. I’m not too sure when at the moment. Jorn is playing some shows soon, on Sweden Rocks…., so maybe the late Autumn, and next year, the festivals…? As you may know, I also have my studio in Slovakia so I don’t want it to be too long before we think about another album either - the second half of next year would be cool for this… We’ll see.
It was important to make this record and put this band back on the right track and now, I hope we can build on it.
Is there the fear that it could still break down; live say?
Roland: Of course! And, I guess you’re getting at the point that Jorn has his own band and we have some areas where we have to compromise, particularly when we talk about “MKII” and some of the past? But, that’s what it’s all about - getting the set list right, which song will fit, which won’t. We’re not afraid of this, this time round. Jorn has a very powerful technique but, of course, there is a way to sing some songs and another way to sing others, it’s an art form after all, and he needs to look after that art. One song I would make reference to would probably be “Lost And Gone” from “MKII”…. He would probably re-record that song and make it better, but it’s OK!
How long is he contracted for then, ha! ha!
Roland: Ahhh, that’s an unfair question, ha! ha! Actually, there’s no contract. This is a band committed to this. If everyone’s happy in a band you shouldn’t need a contract. Sure, I’m the “driver” of the band, but having a contract with everybody would be just silly… Talk together; it’s like a relationship! Talk any problem through, be flexible, listen to each other - you know what I’m saying…?
You know… since getting into the music business, I’ve definitely changed my philosophy on being angry at things. I’m Virgo, and normally we are very scared of change but now I’ve changed my opinion and I’d like to think I’m much better at this now. 22 years!! Wow, it’s been 22 years!…, Ha! Ha!
OK, to close out. You’ve had that time, Jorn has had the solo career; the fans of today are quite different in some ways too… If it all came to the point where the CD disappeared completely and we were just talking live shows and illegal downloads…? How would Masterplan survive?
Roland: Ahhh, I’ve been reading about this situation in many interviews and I’m asked about this too a lot, because I have the studio, of course… but basically there are some things that you can’t change. You need money to run a studio - you need money to make an album - and the fans expect you to make the best album still(!!) - so where do you go if the illegal download takes all the money out of the equation? You get an advance from a record label to make the best album; mixing well, mastering well... Where’s the budget for that going to come from? Game over!
I live in Slovakia right now - I’m reasonably lucky - but imagine a musician living in London, for example…?
Somebody will have to stand up!!
Roland: Sure, there’ll always be people wanting to do albums and make music. I just hope people let this happen. We are no different, too! We want to play live, we want to get out there and play these songs and we want people to want them! I think, next time, we’ll look for a joint headline situation maybe, put a strong tour together and see what happens!
Cheers!! We look forward to it!
Roland: Cheers to you mate!
Thanks again to Roland for his time, and to Mike for the interview. You can check out the Rock Realms review of Masterplan's latest album Time To Be King by clicking here.
http://www.myspace.com/masterplanmetal
