Jan S. Eckert

Jan S. Eckert — German bassist born in 1967 — was the bassist of Masterplan's classic line-up, the one that recorded the band's first two albums. He was on Masterplan (2003) and Aeronautics (2005), made with the original line-up — Roland Grapow on guitar, Uli Kusch on drums, Axel Mackenrott on keyboards and Jørn Lande on vocals. It is regarded as one of the finest line-ups in European melodic metal of the decade, assembled right after Grapow and Kusch's exit from Helloween. Eckert comes from a solid path in the German scene, with spells in Iron Savior and Victory among other groups. In this kind of repertoire — heavy riffs, elaborate harmonies and a voice of great presence like Lande's — the bass must fill the low register without contesting space with guitar and keyboard, and at the same time supply the rhythmic drive the genre requires. The classic line-up broke up in 2006. It was short-lived, but produced the material for which Masterplan is still remembered.