Hi
Roland… I’m so glad that I finally meet you. Congrats on “MK II”… we
have named it as the Best Album of February in Grande-Rock.com.
R: Ohh… that’s very
good, thanks a lot.
Although that your new album will
be released in few weeks, people wanna know what happened and Jorn and Uli
left the band. First of all Jorn said that decided to leave due to musical
differences with you and Uli.
R: Jorn left because he
was unhappy of the direction that we took with “Aeronautics”. He was
always complaining about the vocal lines and said that were too heavy to sing
and he also didn’t like so much songs like “Black In the Burn”,
“Heroes” etc. He was mostly taking care about him own future. I think he
was more concerning about his solo works. Finally we had a meeting and we
talked seriously about the band and we said that we do not want to change our
style and then Jorn said “OK so I will have to leave”. It was not very
easy but there wasn’t a fight or something, we are still friends and we
asked him (back then) to do some last shows with us, ‘cause we couldn’t
find a singer that could fit 100% with the band and he agreed.
If I remember well Jorn hasn’t
been with a band for more than 2 albums…
R: Really?... (hahah)
maybe that’s his rule. Are you sure about that?
Yeah, I’m pretty sure about
that… I was hoping that Jorn would break this kind of “rule” with
Masterplan but…
R: You can’t keep
someone who’s unhappy in the band ‘cause it doesn’t make any sense…
you cannot make good albums in such way. Jorn was always talking about his
solo works, how great they are and things like that… but hey what about us?
What about Masterplan? He never talked about the band. He was always focused
in his solo work.
I had asked in 2003 if you
believed that Jorn was the ideal singer for Masterplan and you told me back
then that he wasn’t your first choice… you had asked first from Russell
Allen and Michael Kiske… so did you ask from those guys again or Mike DiMeo
was your first choice this time?
R: No, Michael Kiske was
not in our plans anymore. I didn’t want Kiske to replace Jorn in Masterplan.
In the beginning I thought that this would be great for the band but then
Masterplan would have gone in a totally different direction. I have also
contacted Russell Allen but this guy never answers, I don not know…
Maybe he’s very buys huh?
R: No… do think so…
he’s not that busy… but he is famous for never answering his e-mails… so
he never replied back.
So, this time Mike DiMeo was your
first choice for Masterplan?
R: No, we tried out two
or three not famous but very good singers first. After some time, I found Mike
DiMeo on myspace, his webmaster had added me there in the friend list and I
thought that Mike’s voice is very close to Jorn’s and I thought that he
would fit the band. I contacted him and I asked him if he’s interested in
joining Masterplan and he said yes.
Why you didn’t chose a not so
famous singer and you asked from Mike DiMeo that he is also singing in two
other bands?
R: I didn’t care that
much to tell you the truth. I just wanted to find a good singer that could fit
the band… and not someone that he’s waiting at hom for Roland to call him.
Aren’t you afraid that Mike
DiMeo could leave the band more easily than any other not famous singer?
R: Yes, you can expect
that. In moment he does not look like he’s leaving. I do not think that
he’s too busy with his other bands… he’s making some gigs around
Secondly Uli made some comments
about Jorn’s departure and after a while he also left… that was very
strange indeed. I thought that you were very goods friends. Can you tell us
what really happened?
R: Well, to be honest
Uli and I weren’t so close friends as many think. We just respected each
other as musicians. He left suddenly almost two weeks before the recordings of
the new album. He started fighting with me… he was sending me e-mails and
asking about money etc… but I cannot say any more details… I do not want
to talk about it. We have a contract not to talk about it at all. I just wanna
talk about music.
And tell me also why did you
choose Mike Terrana to replace Uli?
R: Of course Uli is a
great drummer and I didn’t want to replace such a drummer with a not so
great drummer… I didn’t want to have the same situation that we had on
Helloween… (he laughs)… let’s try out this drummer…hmm he’s not so
good, let’s try another and another and another one (laughs from both
sides). Mike Terrana is a good friend of mine and I like his playing, his
attitude… he’s crazy and has given a fresh air to the band. Uli was so
strict drummer, a classic German one. I like Mike Terrana’s drumming a
little more, I think.
OK, so be it. Did you write by
yourself the new songs of the album or Uli or some else helped you as well?
R: Uli has written some
songs of the album yes. When he left he asked, because he had made so much
money from the band, if we want to keep some stuff that he has written and I
told yes, but some other stuff that he had wasn’t fitting Materplan’s
style at all.
I believe that the new stuff was
written for Jorn’s voice? Do you agree with that?
R: Haha… I was asked
by others this question as well… Furthermore, I was taking care about the
melodies. Mike DiMeo was writing all the vocal melodies and the lyrics. When I
heard some of he melodies I told him, that those melodies did not fit
Materplan by any means… they were too bluesy or too much Riot. Then he told
me that I had some ideas to let him know and we agree to sit down together and
do something about it. Thank God Mike is so open-minded and we worked together
as a team. I told him what I didn’t like from the melodies and I tried to
give him an idea of Masterplan melodies on songs like “Crystal Night” etc.
So, we mixed down my melodies, which are Masterplan, with his melodies and the
result was very good, I think. Moreover, automatically due to his bleus
singing, everybody thinks that he is copying Jorn a little bit… but he’s
not. Mike said in the end that he was so proud… he has never sung like that
in the past.
Although, two basic Masterplan
members left, the sound of band wasn’t affected at all… it’s like those
departures never really touched the soul of the band… what do you think? Are
you the soul of Masterplan?
R: Maybe I am… but
definitely I was the producer… and I think that taking care of the sound
details and the arrangements was always the big key in Masterplan. Just keep
in mind that I’m also the basic songwriter.
Do you believe that this is the
perfect line-up for Masterplan?
R: I don’t not want to
say “perfect”… because before we were “perfect” as well. (laughs
from both sides)… it’s just different. So, we have a new album that it’s
like we make a new beginning but it’s also the same band, the same stylebut
with a different design.
Now that you mentioned “MK
II”, tell me what does it mean?
R: “MK II”?... I
don’t know! It’s a band… symbolizes that something new is beginning.
So, it symbolizes the second
period of Masterplan… right?
R: Yes, that’s
exactly… in the worst case we will have a third one as well… (laughs)
Can you make a comment about each
one of the songs…
R: “Phoenix Rising”:
This is a beautiful “Intro”... I named it like that because of the
situation of the band… you know coming out of the ashes…just like a
“Warrior’s
Cry”: This is the fastest song we ever wrote. It’s quite amazing and the
melody of the song is so beautiful. “Warrior’s Cry” is about us… like
brothers fighting for the same thing.
“Lost
And Gone”: The catchiest song of the album. I think that was the best song
for representing the new line-up of the band. It can easily have some
air-play, I think. We have always that philosophy when we were about to
present one song of the album. It’s may not be the most representative song
of the album but it’s the most catchy one.
“Keeps
me Burning”: Axel wrote this song… not the melody, the music. The melody
comes from Mike DiMeo… and it’s one of my favourite songs (interviewers
note: mine’s too J).
“Take
Me Over”: This is my girlfriend’s favourite song. It has a very aggressive
beat which I like a lot.
“I’m
Gonna Win”: This is the first song that I wrote last year. The melody came
from my girlfriend. (interviewers note:
he sings the melody). She helps me a lot.
“Watching
The World”: Axel also wrote this song. This one along with “Keep Me
Burning” and “Enemy” were the leftovers from “Aeronautics”, so he
had already presented it to us.
“Call
The Gypsy”: This is also one of my favourite songs. It’s really driving
and it has my favourite solo as well.
“Trust
In You”: It’s a nice ballad, very emotional. Mike’s voice is very
heartbreaking on this song.
“Masterplan”:
This is Uli’s song. We decided to call it “Matserplan” when Uli was
still in the band. When he left, I asked him if I can keep it and he said OK.
“Enemy”:
As I said before, it was a song that we have heard before and it’s a good
one.
“Heart
Of Darkness”: This is a beautiful heavy song which I like a lot, like
“Black In The Burn”, “Bleeding Eyes” etc. I like this kind of stuff
very much.
Do you believe that “MK II”
is closer to your debut?
R: Yes, definitely
closer to the debut than “Aeronautics”. We said that we wanted to go back
to the first album’s stuff…but we didn’t want to copy it. And you can
see that if you check out the songs… it is in the same heavy style of the
debut album but the songs are different. I am still proud about our debut
album though.
If I’m not wrong this was the
first time that you did the production all by yourself, right?
R: Andy Sneap asked me
if I can do it, because he didn’t have enough time… he was meant to be the
producer but he called me and said that there’s a chance to do Megadeth’s
mixing. I told him OK but all that I wanted is to take some time to check the
recordings. Finally he came to my studio and checked out some things. I still
believe that the final sound result is better than before.
I think that he lost his job
now…
R: Yeap, definitely he
lost his job (laughs from both sides)…
So, do you have in mind to go on
producing other bands albums as well?
R: Yes, maybe. When I
have time I want to produce some stuff, check out my equipment more and get
more into the productions, in the future.
Have
you planned to do some gigs to promote the album? Are you going to participate
at any Festivals this summer?
R: At the moment we are
ready to go on tour with Saxon. We will come to
(At
this point we had a long conversation about the army and stuff like that)
You
have already released a video clip for “Lost And Gone”. Are you planning
to release another video clip?
R: No at the moment…
If it was in my hands I would release a video clip for the song “I’m Gonna
Win”… just imagine a boat that coming out to the shore… and hearing the
song on the background… that would be a terrific idea.
What are the messages from
press and the fans, so far? Do you believe that it’s a matter of time to
accept the new members?
R: The fans should
always be open-minded… and not to say now that Jorn and Uli left the band we
are not going to listen to them anymore. I think. That they will be surprised
by the new album if they like the Masterplan sound then they are going to be
very happy. I do not think that this band is about the band members…
… It’s the name that matters
in the end, right?
R: Yes, definitely.
Nowadays, many bands are changing members all the time. The only thing that
matters is to release good albums.
What are your expectations from
this album and what should we wait from Masterplan in the future?
R: My expectations are
that people love the new album and the new line-up as well. I also wish the
Masterplan’s fan base to grow bigger with this album. I would like to go on
a big headline tour someday.
And some weird Questions now!!!
Do you believe that internet has helped the bands to become more popular or
has caused many problems?
R: The main problem is
that due to the downloading the bands and the artists are losing much money.
It’s a matter of time that many bands stop producing music ‘cause they
will not have enough money to go on and they will be forced to have day-jobs.
On the other hand, people can get more easily famous on the internet or can
have more and fast information but the downloading problem is the one that
kills the music.
Which is the most overrated
band today?
R: Maybe Trivium… they
are not offering something new at all… they just copy the stuff that
Matallica, Maiden, etc used to release in the past. I don’t know why they
are on every magazine nowadays. (interviewers
note: I totally agree… Alex take a look here.)
What is missing from today’s
music industry and most albums are missing that quality that they used to have
back in the 70’s and 80’s?
R: I think that we have too many bands on the
market now. Too many bands are getting easy deals with labels nowadays.
Quantity is better than quality… that how the thing goes.
Imagine that your girlfriend is selling your whole album-collection just to buy for herself an expensive ring. How would you react? J
R: My girlfriend does not care about those
things… she hates rings and stuff like that. She has a very beautiful heart
and takes care of everything… she even takes care of an “old man”, like
me… (laughs from both sides)…
Thank
you very much Roland. I wanna thank for the music, please leave a note to
R: I’m very happy to
be back… with a new line-up and a new album. I was really frustrated with
the Jorn and Uli situation before but we’re back hopefully stronger than
ever. I hope that the fans will enjoy the new album.
by Thanos Aggelakis
(thx my partner George for his help)