LOST & GONE

I was going to make refrence to this being the second incarnation of Masterplan... and call it something clever like Masterplan Mk. II. After discovering that that would not be as clever as I originally thought (hm, I wonder why), I'll just review the EP.

Gone are original band members (it was a superband anyways) Jorn Lande, who was such a fantasic vocalist, and Uli Kusch, who founded the band with co-ex-Helloweener Roland Grapow. I'm fairly sure they also replaced at least one more member, but those two were the only ones that contributed to the sound that much. Anyways, the result is this band, and their new album is appropriately called MK. II, but this EP is quite a gem too. This 4 track EP showcases the new single LOST AND GINE my adding an eerie intro to the mix and then ends the ep with the other a-side album track KEEPS ME BURNING. Both songs are quite good and I was pleasantly surprised to hear that the band hadn't drifted too far away from it's original direction, dispite sounding a bit different.

Vocals are well done, though I do miss the magnificent Jorn, and Grapow's guitar is sharp as it's ever been. You'd do well to just go out and buy their new album, but the real reason to buy this lil' Ep is the fantasic b-side DYING JUST TO LIVE, which is actually one of the best songs on this ep, even topping the title track that the ep was released for. Anyways, if you're into Masterplan I definately recommend finding this ep, it's quite good, but for those who want to just get strait to the album, you're not going to regret not getting this one along the way. I, for one, am quite the collector, and was happy to add this to my collection. 3 stars! One of the better Eps I've heard in a while.