Michael Schenker has been part of the soundtrack of my life for well over a decade now. UFO and Scorpions were two of the first bands I fell head over heels for as a young pre-teen headbanger. And neither band would’ve made the impact they had if it weren’t for this leather clad, blonde haired, heavy metal angel, armed with his trusty black and white Flying V. Don’t get me wrong. I adore the Uli Jon Roth era of Scorpions as much as the next guy, but “The Sails of Charon” doesn’t get you on the radio. “Loving You Sunday Morning” does.
Since then, Schenker has been treating us with various iterations of his solo vehicle, MSG. There’s been Michael Schenker Group, McAuley Schenker Group, Michael Schenker’s Temple of Rock, and Michael Schenker Fest, among others. His latest album, Immortal, is a return to the original Michael Schenker Group moniker. It also commemorates 50 years since young Michael first recorded with Scorpions, thus kicking off one of the most storied careers in rock history.
Like any MSG album before it, Immortal wouldn’t be complete without an all star cast of players. While bass and auxiliary guitars/keys are handled by longtime Schenker associates Barry Sparks and Steve Mann respectively, drums are handled by Brian Tichy, Bodo Schopf, and the legendary Simon Phillips. Meanwhile, there’s not 1, not 2, but 5 vocalists on this album!
The first voice featured is that of Primal Fear frontman Ralf Scheepers. I must admit that I was surprised by this collaboration. Aside from being German, there’s not much Scheepers and Schenker have in common. Yet for the most part, this collaboration works. I say “for the most part” because I’m not too crazy about the opening track, “Drilled to Kill”. I guess it’s alright for your run of the mill euro power metal song. It could be a lot worse. My main issue is had I been listening to this blindly, I would’ve never guessed that was Schenker on guitars and that’s a problem. After all, it is a Michael Schenker Group album. Thankfully, the quirky, upbeat hard rock of “Devil’s Daughter” makes up for this mishap. It also makes me wonder why the hell K.K. Downing and Ian Hill settled for Ripper Owens as opposed to Scheepers, but I digress.
Next up is one of my all time favorite singers, Joe Lynn Turner. Considering JLT has been around nearly as long as Schenker, I’m surprised this is their first time collaborating together. Alas, better late than never. The first track featuring JLT happens to be my choice cut, “Don’t Die on Me Now”. Between JLT’s soulful vocals and Schenker’s biting guitars, it’s that perfect balance of melody and heaviness that made 80s MSG so magical. JLT also appears later on the album with “Sangria Morte”, although I must admit this track doesn’t do much for me.
Singer number #3 is perhaps the hottest singer in the hard rock/heavy metal scene today, Ronnie Romero. It took some time, but between last year’s Vandenberg comeback album and now this, I think I’m warming up to the guy. He has an old school, Dio-esque delivery that’s full of grit and power. His talents shine on the hard driving “Knight of the Dead”, the fiery “Come On Over”, and the anthemic “Sail the Darkness”. Of the three singles released in advance, “Sail the Darkness” was my favorite, with its big, Scorpions style singalong chorus. I’m sure it’ll be a big hit on the euro metal fest circuit, assuming those festivals will ever happen again.
Batting clean up is former Mad Max frontman turned producer, Michael Voss. And I must say that Voss’s tracks are, for a lack of a better term, interesting. For one, there’s what I feel is the album’s weakest link, “After the Rain”. Adult contemporary metal? No thanks. Voss redeems himself with his second contribution, “The Queen of Thorns and Roses”. This enjoyably bizarre song sounds half traditional metal, half power pop. It’s a combination that shouldn’t work, but does anyway.
Keeping true to the phrase “We’ve saved the best for last.”, original MSG singer Gary Barden closes out Immortal with a modern day reworking of Scorpions’ “In Search of the Peace of Mind”. While it doesn’t reach the fuzzed out heights of the original recording, it’s a respectable cover on which Barden and Romero scream their hearts out.
Immortal may not reach the same heights of immortality as Lights Out, Lovedrive, or Assault Attack. However, it succeeds in being a testament to a titan whose legacy looms large in heavy metal lore. Happy anniversary Mr. Schenker! Here’s to the next 50!
7 out of 10
Label: Nuclear Blast
Genre: Heavy Metal/Hard Rock
For fans of: Scorpions, Rainbow, Gary Moore