MASTERPLAN – PumpKings

When a band re-records their music the potential for disappointment increases.  Fans don’t like their favorite songs disturbed; it takes an inspired performance to shift their preference.  Masterplan’s PumpKings features reworked versions of Helloween songs with credits by guitarist Roland Grapow.  Grapow states, “…new versions of the songs are heavier…” and feature “…different vocals and overall more rough attitude…”.

Grapow’s enthusiasm for the album is evident in his inspired guitar performance.  His riffs and solos are indeed heavy and rough which are highlights.  Unfortunately, Rick Altzi’s vocals are not a good fit.  His vibrato-laden rasp is better suited for songs of grit and anger.  The mix is guitar-centric (surprise!) with prominent vocals and drums.  It’s an average production, if not for the egregious ear-piercing sound effects in the intros for “Someone’s Crying”, “Mankind”, “Still We Go”, “The Time Of The Oath” and “The Dark Ride”.  The listener may scramble for the mute button on these numbers.  A Metal album should never induce a listener to turn the volume down.

There moments of reprieve in which guitar, vocals, and mix create a horns-up experience.  “The Chance” sets the bar a little high with an excellent up-tempo bite and urgency coupled with an unhinged guitar solo.  Afterward, the album remains mired in underachievement until the closing “Take Me Home” which elicits Hair Metal groove and swagger rewarding the listener for an arduous journey through the badlands.

Grapow, no doubt, had fun revisiting the songs, however, the result struggles towards average and ultimately comes up short.  It’s not recommended for a first-time Masterplan experience but fans of Helloween may find the fresh take on the 90s-era songs interesting.

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