RIDE THE SKY - New Protection

Although he left Masterplan for Mekong Delta, Uli Kusch is not done with melodic heavy-power. Ride The Sky is a project at the time, I don’t know exactly if it is a band that, as our friend Klawz noticed, borrows its name from a Helloween song from the time when Kusch wasn’t even there. The project belongs equally to vocalist Bjorn Jansson (Beyond Twilight). Although he is just a guest in the first phase, pianist Kaspar Dahlqvist (Circle II Circle) in my opinion has a major musical contribution in getting the album out of banality, especially since Kusch seems to have not bothered too much at the recordings. Overall, New Protection is made to sound good, as melodic as possible, combining power metal with prog and balanced with hard-rock moments, especially on choruses. Choruses that are similar often with what I have heard at Helloween or Gamma Ray. Songs are somehow similar with what I heard on the two Masterplan releases, but without Lande’s piercing voice. With all this similar background, I didn’t expect the album to stand out in any way. Still it does, especially instrumentally, in the power-prog part, where syncopated parts are quite catchy and the keyboards’ playful style very effective. As soon as they get to the chorus, banality rears out its ugly head. Most of the vocal lines are quite overused and worn out, albeit very well executed and enforced with doubled voice. Drawing the line and adding up, the album isn’t bad, but it could have had a better fate if it had strayed from the inherited melodic lines.
(+): progressive parts, some keyboard parts
(-): obvious similarities with other (former) bands of the members

Cynyc Nota: 8