Roland Grapow – Masterplan – Interview Exclusive
Written by Tazz Stander
Friday, 25 June 2010 06:00
German Power Metal supergroup Masterplan was founded by Uli Kusch and Roland Grapow upon leaving Helloween way back in 2001. For the band’s 4th studio album 2010’s ‘Time to be King’, the band’s line up now boasts returning vocalist Jorn Lande, drummer Mike Terrana (Rage) who replaced Kusch in 2006, along with former Iron Saviour bassist Jan S. Eckert, and keyboard player Axel Mackenrott who both joined the band back in 2003.
Rewind my hectic calendar a few months and I’m faced with Roland Grapow at an album listening party for ‘Time to be King’ ready to get the low down on the album. I say faced as we’d left the dark interiors of The Intrepid Fox (where we couldn’t see a thing), along with the free tequila and we’re now at a hotel, with bright lights, buzzing ears (from listening to the album) and a desire to know more about: sex, drummers, honesty, and most importantly ‘Time to be King’. What ensued was much laughter and a hell of a lot of fun!!
You announced your fourth studio album back in 2007, so why did it take you two and a half years to write and record it?
All the best sounds take time. First we had to find a new singer. It was a singer situation.
The singer situation then was Mike DiMeo quit Masterplan and you have Jorn Lande now back after citing that there were musical differences last time around causing the first split. What guarantees are your giving each other and your fans of staying together as Masterplan?
I think working together was such a great consolation in making music but sometimes things happen.
Okay so from releasing your first album ‘Masterplan’ in 2003 to your imminent release, ‘Time To Be King’, musically, how much has changed?
Nothing drastic. I think were getting more grown-up and wiser in choosing what we want to use for our melting pot. Knowing who we are. We put all the styles into our music but we are varying things a little bit now so that our singer Jorn (Lande) feels comfortable. I think this is the result of us progressing as a band and recognising we doesn’t necessarily need all the mega fast, double bass songs, and so it is not necessary to have that any more. We’ve done a couple of songs that aren’t so brutal but even on the last album when Jorn wasn’t in the band, ‘Warrior’s Cry’, the album opener was pretty fast. It’s a good song but we just need to make the classic Masterplan sound.
I would like to come back to satisfying Jorn in a minute …
You can take as many minutes as you want. It’s the same when I do sex now, it takes longer.
Is that also progressing as you get older?
It’s because I appreciate it more these days.
What was your most exciting song to write on the new album and why?
There was a lot of excitement in this album. Jorn was back and we had to learn to play about four songs that Axel (Mackenrott) our keyboard player had already half written. The arrangements are all very classic Masterplan. Band members have their own writing process in preparing for the album. Axel took the part of arranging over from Uli, so he and I do it ourselves. I push him in a way because I love talking about the music and the arrangements. I could do it alone but I don’t think it would be the same quality.
As a producer and musician it must be really hard to step back from your work and be a bit critical about it.
For sure. You’re not perfect and you can’t listen to it and believe that it’s perfect.
(Laughing) You’re telling me that Roland Grapow isn’t perfect?
Ja, Germans are perfect. Roland Grapow is perfect but not in a sexual way.
(Much laughter)
We are going to keep going back to sex aren’t we? (Laughing) Going back, which was the most exciting song you wrote?
Our working titles were completely different to what the songs are called now. One that springs to mind was called ‘Glorious’, That is such a cool name for that song. I think Jorn changed the name in the end to ‘Lonely Winds Of War’.
Tell Jorn I said that is must go back to ‘Glorious’.
I think it’s because we don’t have the name ‘Glorious’ in the song that we ended up changing it.
I also loved the ‘Killer Queen’ song; this is in direct reference to the songs sound by the way.
‘Kisses From You’?
That’s it! I can’t wait to see what your fans are going to think of this song!
I think they are going to be quite shocked, but in a good way (Laughing)
(Laughing) I’m not going to let this go, tell me Roland, what was the song that turned you on the most on this album?
I think I will have to say ‘Time to be King’. I think it is the best song that represents the style of the band, in a powerful way, for the metal fans. I wrote ‘The Dark Road’ so I guess that means a lot to me too.
How hard is it deciding what your first single from an album should be?
I’m on a promo tour now and I’ve just come back from Sweden before arriving here in the UK, the press have already mentioned which songs they like the most, so you start to form an opinion yourself. Then when I get back to Hamburg the Label Boss tells us that the single will be… and normally it’s a song that the press didn’t mention…Everyone has a different song.
As a musician, can you say, ‘No, it’s going to be this instead’?
Yeah you can. Most of our songs wouldn’t be on the albums if he had to decide just by ourselves, but I have said in the past ‘No, sorry it should be this way’. I don’t know if you know ‘MK 11’ the former album? I don’t know if you like “I’m Gonna Win” (Roland starts singing and playing guitars to jog my memory)
Yes, I do.
It’s such a strong, positive song. It was inspired by an ex girlfriend. We were told that the whole album was great but that this song maybe wasn’t so good. I thought, ‘Oh God’. I wrote this song, Axel loves the song, and Jorn said it was a very strong song, maybe not his favourite but it was definitely Axel’s favourite, and many people mentioned that it was a great song. So what can you do? I think it’s cool that you chose Jorn’s song ‘Lonely Winds Of War’ as the single, as I think it’s going to be one of the tracks on the first single from the album. Nobody else mentioned it and now you have just woken me up.
I’m glad you agree with my opinion. So what are your 2010 tour plans?
We don’t have any tour plans right now. We will have to talk with Jorn about a tour first.
I said I wanted to go back to Jorn. Jorn left and cited musical differences and now that he’s back … are you sacrificing Masterplan so to speak, to please Jorn and keep him in the band?
No. I’ve just realised that Jorn is very important to the band. I tried everything to get him back in the band and it worked. He is happy right now, and we are proud of the product you have just heard. I just have a feeling that it’s worth spending all my energy on him. I did the same with my ex-girlfriend and she didn’t want it. If Jorn doesn’t want it … I’m not giving up to satisfy people when I love to work with them. I love Jorn and there is no compromise. I don’t want to work with someone else there is no reason. It’s how I am, I give everything and I’m totally brutal with giving love, hope and freedom.
You’ve got such a long history together.
Yeah, I think it’s the same with all musicians. You can’t promise to stay together for the rest of your life. (Laughing) I don’t know how the Rolling Stones made it for as long as they have. It’s nice to see that it is possible.
Talking of history you and Uli Kusch (Masterplan’s former drummer) were obviously in Helloween together, what would the chances of you ever joining them again?
Without being thrown out?
Without being fired from your own band I think the words are (laughing).
Fired? Ja, I think it would be no big development. I don’t think I would be so happy as I am right now. Honestly, with Masterplan I’m much happier. Helloween was something that I was proud to be in, in a famous band but I was not responsible for it like I am with Masterplan.
When you look back over the span of Masterplan, what would you say was your highest point?
I don’t think we’ve reached the highest point yet. It is something that I’m still looking forward to. We’ve reached something good already, but since the band made the first album, I had the feeling that something big is going to come of this. When Jorn came back to the band a year ago he said we need to change things and I agreed. I agreed because he’s right, we should be on a different level. He has the same wishes that I have, but he’s more drastic without doing anything. He’s the one that talks and gets a good reaction out of people to lead to the next level and to the highest point. Imagine we could support Maiden like Helloween did; we would play our asses off.
Finally, what do you think the next big trend will be in music?
I’ve been recording more Thrash bands recently. It’s getting more brutal, extreme and technical. I think the trend has already started. It’s looser, going back to the basic ways that started off with The Beatles. With less editing, and definitely not as many samples. Who knows, maybe it will take a while still. It’s a time to surprise people.
Roland, thank you very much.
You’re welcome. I’m going to tell Mike Terrana you love him as well.
He’s an amazing drummer; you know that, he wouldn’t be in your band if he weren’t. He is a human drum machine.
Yes, he’s playing in Hamburg right now. You should come over and get yourself a Terrana boyfriend.
(Laughing) I’m ok watching him from the front of the stage thanks.
Thank you Tazz for teaching me how to drink tequila, I will always drink it like that now. Thank you.
If you want to check out the buzz behind the band’s new album you can read the Uber Rock review for ‘Time to be King’ here, and for those of you keen to hear what we are on about here why not check out Masterplan’s Myspace page below.