The guys from Masterplan are not the kind of people who like to sit still. Earlier this year Duke Jorn Lande released his solo cd; now drummer Uli Kusch is releasing an album with his band Beautiful Sin.

Don’t expect a metal album full with up tempo numbers just like Helloween or Masterplan though; the songs are melodic hard rock songs with a great powerful freshness that blow out of your speakers. Singer is the Belgian Magali Luyten. To me he is a welcome new singer, she has a great voice that somehow reminds me of Jorn’s, that is a lightly hoarse voice but very powerful. The other musicians are Axel Mackenrott on keyboards (Masterplan), Jorn Viggo Lofstad on guitar (Pagans Mind) and Steinar Kromo on bass (Pagans Mind). With this line up you might expect great music and you will not be disappointed.

When the first riffs of “Lost” fill the air, you know that a beautiful sin is coming up to you.

This is power; this is melodic hardrock on a high level!! “This Is Not The Original Dream” is a strong radio minded single with a great solo by Jorn Viggo. Halfway the album the ballad “Closer to my Heart” is an oasis of rest, but not for long. The Belgian influences are quite remarkable, the song “Pechvogel” (Dutch for unlucky fellow) is a very powerful song with elements of Rage Against The Machine; a real headbanger.
With the title song the album comes to its end in a very symphonic way. It doesn’t fit with the other songs; I don’t know why the band has recorded this song. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t bad but it’s too mellow, quite unexpected, but not a worthy ending of “The Unexpected”; it surely will be beautiful if you can’t sleep. If it wasn’t included the rating would have been a “9,5” instead of a 9.
One thing is for sure, this sin is beautiful.