Legendary guitarist Michael Schenker will release a new studio album titled "Spirit On A Mission" in the U.K. on March 23. Released by in-akustik, the collection of all-new material features Schenker's TEMPLE OF ROCK band — ex-SCORPIONS drummer Herman Rarebell and bassist Francis Buchholz, ex-RAINBOW singer Doogie White and Wayne Findlay (guitar, keyboards). "Spirit On A Mission" features twelve 12 classic rock guitar-driven songs that highlight Schenker's distinctive and dynamic guitar playing, valiantly underpinned by the ferocious rhythm section of Rarebell and Buchholz, the same rhythm section that originally performed together on the SCORPIONS' 1979 album "Lovedrive".
Michael Schenker is a legendary figure in rock, one of the most gifted and influential guitarists of all time. His work with Scorpions, UFO and the Michael Schenker Group made him a hero to millions of fans and inspired a generation of musicians, including Steve Harris of Iron Maiden, Kirk Hammett of Metallica, and Slash of Guns N’ Roses. And with Michael Schenker Fest, an ambitious and unorthodox project featuring four singers with whom he has worked since 1979 – Gary Barden, Graham Bonnet, Robin McAuley and Doogie White – the drive to create new music is based on the same ethos that has shaped Schenker’s whole career, ever since he recorded his first album “Lonesome Crow” with the Scorpions in 1970 at age 15.
Michael Schenker is a changed man. With a career stretching back to 1969, the German guitar virtuoso is an artist for whom the term ‘volatile’ has sometimes seemed invented. Recorded with singers and musicians associated with Michael in previous decades, the aptly-titled »Resurrection« sees Schenker embracing his past to build something fresh and exciting. In 2016, Schenker put together MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST, a tour featuring former MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP vocalists Gary Barden and Graham Bonnet, plus Robin McAuley of the McAULEY SCHENKER GROUP. Instrumental back-up was provided by former M.S.G. bass player Chris Glen and drummer Ted McKenna, plus guitarist/keyboard player Steve Mann, also of the McAULEY SCHENKER GROUP. These shows were so rapturously received by audiences across Japan and Europe that it seemed only logical for the protagonists to make new music together. The decision to bring in Doogie White, singer of Schenker’s TEMPLE OF ROCK, adds even more substance to Michael’s assembly.
There are few rock guitarists on this planet who’ve had such a lasting influence on so many renowned musicians as MICHAEL SCHENKER. With his outstandingly fluid style, inexhaustible wealth of ideas, and instinctive feel for hooks and melodies, MICHAEL SCHENKER is a living legend who, despite his longstanding and distinguished history, still impresses with his unflagging energy and drive. The blond stringsman from Sarstedt, Germany began his international career in the early 1970s with the Scorpions, achieved worldwide fame after joining British rock group U.F.O., and then seamlessly continued his exceptional global success story under his own name, as well as with acts such as MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP (otherwise known as MSG), Temple Of Rock, and MICHAEL SCHENKER Fest. SCHENKER and his career, which has spanned more than five decades, are absolute exceptions in the otherwise short-lived music industry. Now his latest MSG album is about to be unleashed, scheduled for release on Atomic Fire Records on May 27th under the programmatic moniker of Universal.
Japanese edition with two bonus tracks.
There are few rock guitarists on this planet who have had such a lasting influence on so many renowned musicians as Michael Schenker. With his outstandingly fluid style, inexhaustible wealth of ideas and instinctive feel for hooks and melodies, Michael Schenker is a living legend who, despite his longstanding and distinguished history, still impresses with his unflagging energy and drive. The blond axeman from Sarstedt began his international career in the early 1970s with the Scorpions, achieved worldwide fame after joining British rock group U.F.O. and then seamlessly continued his exceptional global success story under his own name, as well as with acts such as Michael Schenker Group (MSG for short), Temple Of Rock and Michael Schenker Fest…