MASTERPLAN's ROLAND GRAPOW On Upcoming Album 'Metalmorphosis': 'We Have A Bit More Metalish Influences Again'
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In a new interview with the Argentina's El Cuartel Del Metal, former HELLOWEEN guitarist Roland Grapow spoke about the upcoming MASTERPLAN album, "Metalmorphosis", which is tentatively due in early 2026 via Frontiers Music Srl. He said in part: "It's quite exciting. Like many people know, we have our album finished, and some people posted already the artwork, which shouldn't be out. The artwork, it's done, but it should be not officially out — maybe in one or two, three weeks, something like that. I have to talk today with Frontiers Records at six o'clock, in two hours, and I just finished the mastering today, and tomorrow we are going on tour already, flying to Brazil [for the start of our Latin American tour]. And, yeah, it was quite exciting. We did three videos in September. We had a metal cruise. We had many shows between. So it's always, like, studio live, live, live. I'm happy to finish finally the studio work of MASTERPLAN. It took many years."
Regarding whether MASTERPLAN will perform any of the new songs on the Latin American tour, Roland said: "We'll play 'Rise Again' [which was released in early 2024 via AFM Records], but I don't want to play new songs which are not even out. They're coming out — the plan was end of January, but maybe because I was very late with the mastering and mix and stuff, and with the touring, so maybe they change the plan because they need more… They normally need six months. But something like March. We will see. We can't play new songs. I never liked when the band plays something and people don't know the songs."
Grapow also talked about the inspiration for the "Metalmorphosis" album title, explaining: "The reason for this name was a bit like my kind of thinking that we have a bit more metalish influences again, back to the roots, you can say. Still proggy elements, still MASTERPLAN elements. I would say not so many pop songs. So that's my taste. I don't know — maybe I'm wrong. But we still have a good combination of nice melodies on every song."
Roland went on to say that the video for the first single from the upcoming album will arrive in the coming weeks. "Maybe [while we are] on [the Latin American] tour, because the first video is done," he said. "I sent everything yesterday to Frontiers, and today we talk about the kind of releasing plans. It doesn't matter how many months we need for releasing the album, but I think two or three videos will come out before."
Grapow also addressed MASTERPLAN's switch from longtime label AFM Records to Frontiers Music Srl, saying: "Basically, we were lucky with AFM very much in the beginning, because the owner — Andy Allendörfer was his name, [and he] died after the second album of MASTERPLAN — and he was a very, very big MASTERPLAN fan, so we felt the support a lot. And after he died, everything changed drastically. The company went totally in different hands. The location changed — they went to Hamburg from kind of South Germany — and we always heard, like, we were priority, but later I had the feeling we were just one of hundreds [of bands on the label]. And so I lost a bit interest. That's why we didn't release any new material. I was basically more working in the studio for other bands, for 14 years maybe. And that's why I'm now concentrated with Frontiers. [It's] some fresh wind. The guy who takes care about us from Frontiers is a big Roland Grapow fan, MASTERPLAN fan and also HELLOWEEN fan. So that means he knows what he is liking and doing. And so when he heard the new album, he said, 'Wow, that's a very powerful, strong album.' So he was really happy. So this is the kind of relationship I need — I need some attention and feelings from the record label, not being [just] like a business partner."
Asked in a separate interview with Zona Franca who composed the music and lyrics for the upcoming MASTERPLAN album, Roland said: "The music is composed by Axel Mackenrott, the keyboard player, and myself. We have two guest writers, friends of mine. One is from Slovakia, one is from Sweden. So the lyrics, basically — of the 10 songs, I did the lyrics for nine songs, and Rick [Altzi, MASTERPLAN singer] had one [set of] lyrics written. And that's it. Yeah, it's more or less teamwork."
In 2017, MASTERPLAN released an album titled "PumpKings", containing reworked versions of HELLOWEEN songs from albums that Grapow played on during his time in the legendary German power metal band. Included are three songs from HELLOWEEN's "Pink Bupples Go Ape" (1991) LP, two from "Chameleon" (1993),three from "Master Of The Rings" (1994),one from "The Time Of The Oath" and two from "The Dark Ride" (2000).
MASTERPLAN's first-ever concert release came out in October 2015. "Keep Your Dream aLive" was made available as DVD/CD and Blu-ray/CD sets, both including the entire show from Masters Of Rock festival, recordings from Wacken Open Air, footage from the band's Asian tour and ProgPower USA, as well as all five official MASTERPLAN video clips. The Masters Of Rock show is featured on the CD.
MASTERPLAN's latest studio album of all original material, "Novum Initium", was released in June 2013 via AFM.
(Source: www.blabbermouth.net)
