Roland Grapow

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Roland Grapow

| image = Masterplan – Headbangers Open Air 2015 09.jpg

| image_size =

| alt = Roland Grapow playing guitar, looking at camera

| caption = Grapow in 2015

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1959|8|30|df=y}}

| birth_place = Hamburg, West Germany

| occupation = Musician, record producer

| instrument = {{hlist|Guitar|vocals}}

| genre = Power metal

| years_active = 1980–present

| label = {{hlist|Snapper|SPV/Steamhammer}}

| current_member_of = Masterplan

| past_member_of = {{hlist|Rampage|Helloween|Kreyson|Level 10}}

| website = {{url|masterplan-theband.com}}

}}

Roland Grapow (born 30 August 1959 in Hamburg) is a German guitarist and music producer. He is best known for his time in the power metal band Helloween,{{Cite web|url=http://www.metalstorm.net/bands/band.php?band_id=123|title = Helloween – Metal Storm}} with which he played for twelve years, after replacing founding member Kai Hansen. He subsequently created the power metal band Masterplan in 2001, which is still active today.{{cite web |url=http://www.master-plan.net/band/history.html |title=Masterplan History |access-date=9 August 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003180640/http://www.master-plan.net/band/history.html |archive-date=3 October 2011 }}

Life and career

=Early years=

Grapow started playing guitar at age 12. His father bought him a guitar and had him take lessons, but Grapow couldn't stand the theory part and his teacher told his father that the boy didn't have any talent for guitar playing.{{cite web|title=Roland Grapow|url=http://www.truemetal.org/kaleidoscope/abouthim/rolandbio.html|publisher=truemetal.org|access-date=16 November 2012}}

=Helloween=

Prior to joining Helloween, Grapow was a member of the heavy metal band Rampage. He joined the band in roughly 1979, and played on two of their studio albums: Victim of Rock in 1980 and Love Lights Up the Night in 1982. He left Rampage around 1983. He was then fairly inactive musically, and made a living as a car mechanic until Michael Weikath called him to offer him a position in Helloween in 1989. According to Grapow in 2017, "If Weiki didn't call me at that time, I would still be a car mechanic and I'd be an old guy with heavy bones and pain, still working on cars, dreaming about my hobby I had a long time ago, being a musician."{{cite web|title=ROLAND GRAPOW Says HELLOWEEN Doesn't Want Him to Take Part in 'Pumpkins United' Tour|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/roland-grapow-says-helloween-doesnt-want-him-to-take-part-in-pumpkins-united-tour/|publisher=Blabbermouth.net|date=20 August 2017|access-date=19 October 2017}}

Grapow played on the Helloween albums Pink Bubbles Go Ape, Chameleon, Master of the Rings, The Time of the Oath, High Live, Better Than Raw, Metal Jukebox, and The Dark Ride.

=Solo work, Masterplan=

During his time with the band, Grapow also formed a solo project. The first release, The Four Seasons of Life, featured members of Helloween playing backup, with Grapow trying his hand at singing in addition to playing guitar. On the second album, Kaleidoscope, current and former members of Yngwie Malmsteen's band participated.

In 2001, Grapow and bandmate Uli Kusch were fired from Helloween due to musical and personal differences. In 2012, in an interview with Metal Shock Finland's chief editor Mohsen Fayyazi, Grapow stated: {{cquote|I felt very secure in Helloween. In the middle of the tour I said something to Michael and Markus and I said my opinion about something. I wanted to make something the best for the band and I think they misunderstood me, like I wanted to be leader. I was telling the truth and that's how I am… It was a great time in Helloween… but I was happy when I left the band after the Dark Ride because it's one of my favourite albums, it totally changed my life.{{cite news|title=MASTERPLAN's Roland Grapow - "I Think HELLOWEEN Would Be Much Bigger If They Would Continue With The Style Of Keepers Albums"; New Audio Interview Online|url=http://www.bravewords.com/news/193811|access-date=November 16, 2012|newspaper=BW&BK|date=November 15, 2012}}{{cite web|title=Interview With MASTERPLAN Mainman And Ex-HELLOWEEN Roland Grapow|date=15 November 2012|url=http://metalshockfinland.com/2012/11/15/interview-with-masterplan-mainman-and-ex-helloween-roland-grapow/|publisher=Metal Shock Finland|access-date=16 November 2012}}}}

Grapow and Kusch decided to go on with the side project they had been planning and formed the band Masterplan with former Ark and the Snakes singer Jørn Lande. After Kusch left the band in 2006, Grapow became the leader and main songwriter of Masterplan.

=Production work=

Grapow resides in Zvolenská Slatina, Slovakia, where he runs his own musical studio—Grapow Studios.{{cite news|title=ROLAND GRAPOW: With our new album we are going back to our roots |url=https://powermetal.no/roland-grapow-with-our-new-album-we-are-going-back-to-our-roots/ |website=powermetal.no |date=27 September 2019 |access-date=8 January 2021}} Among many other projects, Grapow produced Czech metalcore band X-Core's 2008 album In Hell{{cite web|title=X-Core's 'In Hell' Produced by Roland Grapow, Featuring Guest Appearance By Gary Meskil |url=https://search.blabbermouth.net/news/x-core-s-in-hell-produced-by-roland-grapow-featurea-guest-appearance-by-gary-meskil/ |website=blabbermouth.net |date=11 August 2008 |access-date=22 December 2020}} as well as their 2011 follow-up, Life and Stuff.{{cite web|title=X-Core - Life and Stuff |url=https://www.discogs.com/X-Core-Life-And-Stuff/release/15925880 |website=discogs.com |access-date=22 December 2020}}

In 2011, he mixed the album Motherland for the Italian progressive metal band Daedalus and played the guitar solo on the song "Underground".{{cite web|title=Daedalus - Motherland|url=https://www.backgroundmagazine.nl/CDreviews/DaedalusMotherland.html |website=backgroundmagazine.nl |access-date=22 December 2020}}

In 2012, Czech power metal band Eagleheart recorded their second album, Dreamtherapy, for Scarlet Records, with Grapow producing, mixing, mastering, and contributing guest vocals and guitar solos.{{cite web|title=Eagleheart - Dreamtherapy |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/eagleheart-dreamtherapy |website=exclaim.ca |date=17 January 2012 |access-date=22 December 2020}}

He also produced Slovak symphonic metal band Anthology's album The Prophecy.{{cite web|title=Grapow talking about album "The Prophecy" of band Anthology| website=YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpjRo912EqQ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/LpjRo912EqQ |archive-date=21 December 2021 |url-status=live|access-date=10 June 2016}}{{cbignore}}

He has worked extensively with Spanish power metal band Lords of Black, producing their albums Lords of Black and II.{{cite web|title=Roland Grapow Is Okay With Not Being Part of Helloween Reunion: 'I'm Not Really Living in the Past' |url=https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/roland-grapow-is-okay-with-not-being-part-of-helloween-reunion-im-not-really-living-in-the-past/ |website=blabbermouth.net |date=14 April 2018 |access-date=22 December 2020}}

=Kreyson=

In 2017, Grapow joined Czech metal band Kreyson as their lead guitarist.{{cite web |url=http://www.spark-rockmagazine.cz/kreyson-ladi-krizka-ma-terranu-a-grapowa/ |title=KREYSON Ládi Křížka má Terranu a Grapowa |publisher= Spark Rock Magazine |access-date=9 May 2017}} In 2019, he announced his departure from the band.{{cite web |url=https://blackphoenixrisingmetal.blogspot.com/2019/01/interview-with-roland-grapow-masterplan.html/ |title=INTERVIEW WITH ROLAND GRAPOW (MASTERPLAN, ROLAND STUDIOS, EX-HELLOWEEN...)

|publisher= Black Phoenix Rising |access-date=23 January 2019}}

Partial discography

class="wikitable"
Year of Release !Artist !Title !Label
1980 \|Rampage \|Victim of Rock \|Independent
1982 \|Rampage \|Love Lights Up The Night \|Independent
1991 \|Helloween \|Pink Bubbles Go Ape \|EMI
1993 \|Helloween \|Chameleon \|EMI
1994 \|Helloween \|Master of the Rings \|Castle Communications
1996 \|Helloween \|The Time of the Oath \|Castle Communications
1996 \|Helloween \|High Live \|Castle Communications
1997 \|Roland Grapow \|The Four Seasons of Life \|Snapper Music
1998 \|Helloween \|Better Than Raw \|Castle Communications
1999 \|Roland Grapow \|Kaleidoscope \|SPV/Steamhammer
1999 \|Helloween \|Metal Jukebox \|Castle Communications
2000 \|Helloween \|The Dark Ride \|Nuclear Blast
2003 \|Masterplan \|Masterplan \|AFM Records
2005 \|Masterplan \|Aeronautics \|AFM Records
2007 \|Masterplan \|MK II \|AFM Records
2009 \|Tony Hernando \|Actual Events \|Lion Music
2009 \|Saratoga \|Secretos y Revelaciones \|Avispa Records
2010 \|Masterplan \|Time to Be King \|AFM Records
2010 \|Sebastien \|Tears of White Roses \| Escape Music
2012 \|Saratoga \|Némesis \|Avispa Records
2013 \|Masterplan \|Novum Initium \|AFM Records
2014 \|Lords of Black \|Lords of Black \|Lords of Black Records
2015 \|Serious Black \|As Daylight Breaks \|AFM Records
2015 \|Level 10 \|Chapter One \|Frontiers Records
2015 \|Paco Ventura Black Moon \|Fragile Crystal \|Avispa Records
2015 \|Sebastien \|Dark Chambers of Déjà Vu \|Pride & Joy Music
2016 \|Lords of Black \|II \|Frontiers Records
2017 \|Masterplan \|PumpKings \|AFM Records

class="wikitable"

Year of Release

!Artist

!Title

!Label

1980

|Rampage

|Victim of Rock

|Independent

1982

|Rampage

|Love Lights Up The Night