Back in 1982 and 1983, no one would have used the term "cult following" in connection with
power metal. In those days, artists like
Judas Priest and
Iron Maiden were not marginalized -- they were all over
MTV and FM
rock radio. But in
rock's post-'80s, post-
Nevermind environment,
power metal flies under the radar and attracts what has long since become a cult following. That doesn't mean that
power metal disappeared after the '80s; quite a few
power metal revival bands have been formed in the '90s and 2000s, but you have to know where to find them.
Power metal revival outfits are especially plentiful in Western Europe, home of
Masterplan.
Aeronautics, the band's second album, is best described as
power metal with a strong
progressive rock influence -- think
Iron Maiden,
Judas Priest, and
Ronnie James Dio with an appreciation of
Rush,
ELP, and
Journey. Of course, the
power metal orientation isn't surprising when you consider who is in the band;
Masterplan includes two-ex members of Germany's
Helloween (guitarist
Roland Grapow and drummer
Uli Kusch) as well as bassist
Jan S. Eckert of
Iron Savior fame. Meanwhile, lead singer
Jorn Lande is a Norwegian headbanger with an obvious
David Coverdale/
Deep Purple influence. Put all those things together, and you have a 2005 release that often sounds like it could have been recorded 20 or 25 years earlier. This highly melodic effort rocks aggressively, but not quite as aggressively as some of Europe's other
power metal revival bands -- and one of the things that softens the blow is
Masterplan's appreciation of
prog rock as well as classic
hard rock and
arena rock.
Aeronautics isn't the least bit groundbreaking, but it's a solid, respectable outing that will please
power metal diehards -- especially if they also appreciate
progressive rock. ~ Alex Henderson