Masterplan: PumpKings

Between Hansen & Friends and Unisonic both featuring Kai Hansen-Michael Kiske era Helloween numbers in their recently released live at Wacken sets and, of course, the hugely anticipated Pumpkins Reunited tour where the guitarist and singer have teamed up once more with their ex-Helloween bandmates (and their own eventual replacements), there's a serious outbreak of pumpkinitis spreading throughout Europe, with the population of Germany most deeply affected. Left on the outside looking in as these 30th anniversary celebrations grow larger and larger has been Masterplan mastermind Roland Grapow, the man who initially replaced Hansen on guitar and went on to spend 12 years with the band before seeking new challenges. For some that omission seems a little churlish but if you can't join the Pumpkins Reunited, then why not be the PumpKing of your own realm? Hence Grapow has re-crafted 11 Helloween classics from his time with the band – Pink Bubbles Go Ape in 1991 through to The Dark Ride in 2000 – and for want of a better expression, Masterplanned them.

With vocalist Rick Altzi the current incumbent of the master-microphone, he has the unenviable task of taking on material formerly handled by Kiske and Andi Deris – no mean feat – and in the main gives a good, if different, account of himself. Much deeper, gruffer and rougher than the two Helloweeners, his more gritty tones pull a version of Helloween that had already begun shedding their speed metal skin further into the power metal realm that followed. It's something that can also be said for these versions of the songs themselves, the likes of "Someone's Crying", "Mr. Ego" and "The Time Of The Oath" much more straight ahead – dare I say less tongue in cheek – than the originals and in many ways benefiting from the forceful push and shove they're given. Add in the keyboards of Axel Mackenrot and while any long term fans of Helloween will immediately recognise the songs being offered up for reappraisal, so too will they marvel at the differences between the originals and these newly crafted works.

Are they better? It's a pretty unfair question, for even while Helloween became a little (or depending on where you live, a lot) more niche after Kiske's departure, they still produced the goods big style on albums such as The Master Of The Rings and The Dark Ride. Instead, what Grapow and the boys have done here is add some rough edges to a more straight up take on Helloween, while smoothing out some others. Maybe it would just be easier to say that they've made them more Masterplan – in truth, what else could they do?

There's no doubt that PumpKings will have a fair few detractors, this album not really sounding like Helloween, while often veering far enough from the Masterplan core sound that the results are neither quite one thing or the other. However, it's hard to criticise Roland Grapow's chagrin at watching the reunited pumpkins from the sidelines, especially having been one of their number for more than a third of their thirty years. Not quite the best of both worlds, PumpKings is still a fine tribute to his and his ex-bandmates time together – and a lot of fun into the bargain.

See more about this release on our recent YouTube show!

Track Listing
1. The Chance
2. Someone's Crying
3. Mankind
4. Step Out Of Hell
5. Mr. Ego
6. Still We Go
7. Escalation 666
8. The Time Of The Oath
9. Music
10. The Dark Ride
11. Take Me Home

Added: July 24th 2017
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: PumpKings at AFM Records
Hits: 2361
Language: english

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