I LOVE These Albums

With the discussion of best albums of '00, I thought I'd bring up these melodic metal masterpieces.

I've only had it for not even a year now and already it is one of my favorite albums EVER. The team of Sir Russell Allen, Jorn Lande, and Magnus Karlsson are a force to be reckoned with in melodic metal. I love every single song on here and could not pick out a favorite if my life depended on it. I find myself singing along to it everytime I listen to it. I've tried not to sing with it but when I don't it feels like I'm going to burst so I don't even fight it anymore.

Besides Zack being my favorite vocalist ever, the music on here is top notch all the way around. Not a knock on the other Circle II Circle albums which are masterpieces in their own right but I just love this one so much more. Even without former Savatage members (the band is permanent now) this just reeks of later Savatage (it ties with Edge Of Thorns as my favorite Savatage/post-Savatage albums). Favortie tracks are Who Am I To Be?, A Matter Of Time, Heal You, The Black, Messiah, and Live As One but they are only my favs by a small margin, I love every single track on this.

I knew Roland Grapow and Uli Kusch had formed a new band after getting the boot from Helloween but I didn't remember the name. When I was at Virgin Megastore earlier last year I came accross this album and bought is because the album cover screamed power metal to me. I was pleasantly suprised when I found out whose band it was. From the first track I knew I had found a definate keeper. Perhaps my favorite aspect was the vocals of one Jorne Lande (this was the first time I heard his voice). Nothing against the current Masterplan vocalist (who in a way sounds almost like Jorne upon first listen) but Lande had a certain gen e say qua about him (Kmorg calls it carisma, and I'm inclinded to agree). Favorite songs are Back To Life, Crimson Rider, Headbanger's Ballroom, Into The Arena, Dark From The Dying, and Black Into The Burn but again every song is awesome.

The artwork on all three is just as awesome as the music.

I agree with The Battle when i first heard the song Come Alive i was like wow and my jaw dropped. That is one of my all time fav cds as well. All the tracks are equal in my eyes too.

Did u hear The Revenge yet?

Masterplan is another awesome band and i dig the new singer but no one can come close to Jorn Landes voice in that genre of music in my eyes. Fav tracks are All of them

MetalRob331 wrote:

Did u hear The Revenge yet?

I would LOVE to have it but it has no U.S. release date that I can find and I can't afford to buy an import at this juncture.

DallasBlack wrote:

MetalRob331 wrote:

Did u hear The Revenge yet?

I would LOVE to have it but it has no U.S. release date that I can find and I can't afford to buy an import at this juncture.

Well i have that album so there has to be a way to get u the songs..

All 3 are absoluetly stunnin' albums!

I don't own any of those.

man u need them

I've been wanting to get the Allen/Lande disc for awhile. Hopefully I can snag a copy soon.

Masterplan rank super high on my list of favorite bands ever. I love how they combine speed, melody and - especially with Jorn - perfect vocals. I too was drawn in the very first time I heard a Masterplan song...

Allen/Lande - The Battle and Revenge are both simply incredible melodic metal as well.

IF you guys like either of those...have you heard Ride The Sky??

The singer sounds SO much like Jorn Lande I have to remind myself it's not him.
Their album sounds a lot like Masterplan. You guys seem to have similar tastes with myself and I can nearly guarantee you'd love Ride The Sky....

Allen/Lande is awesome, That Masterplan album is good but I dont think as good as the first. Circle II Circle I have yet to buy a cd of. But I will soon because I miss hearing him from Savatage.

That masterplan has grown on me a lot. I listened to it the first time and thought how much it had fallen since the debut but now it is something i come back to. The first album is one of those that a band does maybe once is a lifetime so the second was bound to not be as good...

Ill have to check out CIIC.. one of those bands who kinda slipped my radar.. The allen/lande stuff did nothing for me..

Alex