By: Tordah

Posted: Apr 9, 2007

To be honest I wasn't that psyched about hearing a new album from Masterplan. The departure of Jørn Lande and the incredibly dull album-title completely killed all my hopes of a good album. Don't get me wrong, I think Masterplan's debut album was a fantastic album but already on "Aeronautics" there was a clear decline in the quality of the material. The album had a few decent moments but overall it doesn't hold a candle to the debut. Unfortunately, it seems that my fears for the new album declining even further down the line were not uncalled for.

I don't really know which is the lesser of two evils; bland and boring music or just plain bad. In any case, the material on "MK II" would fall under the first category. Take the single 'Lost And Found', for instance. Usually I expect singles to be one of the worst songs of the album and that's alright if they are ridiculously catchy, but 'Lost And Found' is not. The song is completely faceless and just plain boring. It's the shortest song on the album but it still feels way too long. Now imagine how disappointed I was when I found out the rest of the songs were just as dull and soulless. Masterplan writes every song by the book but somehow forgot to include the most important ingredient, i.e. musical integrity. The whole ordeal feels stale and totally uninspired. Not even the track 'Masterplan' which has the honor of carrying the name of the band even comes close to anything from "Aeronautics". And don't even get me started on comparing this sleeping pill with their debut. The best thing about this album is actually the last track because by then you know it'll soon be over.

There are now two new members in Masterplan to fill the gaps created by Jørn Lande and Uli Kusch when they left the band. The new drummer is no other than Mike Terrana who has played in tons of bands and has plenty of experience behind the kit. The new vocalist Mike DiMeo is to me a completely new name so I don't really know much about him. As can be read on the official Masterplan website the new members are one of the main reasons why the album is called "MK II" – signifying the next stage for the band (Mark II). Though, after listening to "MK II" that whole statement feels rather lame since the album is not ground-breaking or new whatsoever, not even compared to its own predecessors. I know filling the shoes of Lande is not the easiest task but the new vocalist Mike DiMeo doesn't convince me at all with his vocal performance. Technically, he's a good vocalist but to me he sounds pretty bland. Of course, this doesn't help at all when the music is completely bland and boring as well.
 
I don't think I need to further explain why "MK II" is a total failure. After listening through this album I felt completely empty. The music is incredibly soulless and feels formulaic and forced. Already with "Aeronautics" there was a clear decline in quality but that album still had some decent, albeit forgettable moments. "MK II" is much worse than that. This is where the band nails shut their own coffins and lower themselves down into the burial grounds of boredom. As I already mentioned I wasn't very impressed with the new vocalist but this would not be much better with Lande anyway. I find it an atrocity that they call this album "a new beginning" for the band and all that nonsense. Masterplan seriously needs to look themselves in the mirror and reconsider their musical visions if they want anyone to stay awake while listening to their music. The most boring album I've heard of 2007 so far. Avoid this one even if you're a hardcore Masterplan fan.

Rating: 3/10

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