### Ride The Sky: New protection

#### 20/08/07 || Euthanatos

Uli Kusch is a pretty well-known guy, having made history in Helloween and later on forming the much-hyped Masterplan alongside Roland Grapow, another former Helloween member. Although Masterplan was critically acclaimed by most, for some reason Uli decided to jump ship (as did vocalist Jörn). Ride The Sky (what a terrible, terrible name) is his newest venture.

According to the press release and bio for the band, the sound here is heavily influenced by prog, rock and AOR. While some of that may be true, heavy/power metal is the vibe I get for the most part of “New Protection”.

I totally don’t get the name “New Protection”, by the way. What are we talking about here, some kind of revolutionary condom that will finally free us from the feeling of digging a whole covered in plastic wrappers? Your guess is as good as mine.

All weird and bad taste names aside, the music here is pretty good, which, to me, is surprising. I’ve never particularly liked Helloween (yes, you read that right) and I thought Masterplan was really boring, even though Jörn is one of the best voices in metal today. Ride The Sky is quite refreshing, it’s not pretentious, but bold, in a nice, collected way. Some excellent guitar melodies, top-notch drumming and vocals in very good taste make up quite a cute little package. Aw.

If you’re into power metal, you should definitely give these newcomers a chance. Although this is a new band, all its members are very experienced, especially Uli, so you know there’s bound to be quality here. Björn Jansson is your typical power metal vocalist, and while he may sound like a shitload of other guys, he fits in with the sound as best as one could. Give particular heed to the title-track and “Black Cloud”, as they are especially cool.

This is some good shit, really, prog-rockers and power metallers unite, and you’re in for a fun ride.

The cover: A badass angel. I really dig it.

6 power condoms out of 10.

- Information
- Released: 2007
- Label: Nuclear Blast
- Website: www.ridethesky.eu
- Band
- Björn Jansson: vocals
- Uli Kusch: drums
- Benny Jansson: guitars
- Mathias Garnas: bass
- Kaspar Dahlqvist: keyboards

- Tracklist
- 01. New Protection
- 02. A Smile From Heaven’s Eye
- 03. Silent War
- 04. The Prince of Darkness
- 05. Break the Chain
- 06. Corroded Dreams
- 07. The End of Days
- 08. Far Beyond the Stars
- 09. Black Cloud
- 10. Endless
- 11. Heaven Only Knows
- 12. A Crack in the Wall