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MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP, the band led by legendary German guitarist Michael Schenker, has launched a brand new single, “A King Has Gone”. The monitor and its intro, “Calling Baal”, additionally accessible on MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP‘s upcoming album “Common”, each have a particular significance: sung by HELLOWEEN frontman Michael Kiske, it’s a tribute to the immortal Ronnie James Dio, particularly to his efficiency on the 1976 laborious rock basic RAINBOW “Rising”. For that reason, Michael Schenker has introduced collectively an unique RAINBOW rhythm part consisting of Bobby Rondinelli and Bob Daisley. Schenker moreover enlisted keyboardist Tony Carey, who additionally performed on “Rising”, for the terrific Moog synth intro “Calling Ball” — a direct reference to the enduring intro of the 1976 album opener “Tarot Lady”.
“Common” will likely be launched on Might 27 by way of Atomic Hearth Information. As we’ve come to count on from him, Schenker has as soon as once more enlisted plenty of prestigious fellow musicians for the recording of his new studio manufacturing, amongst them, as foremost vocalist Ronnie Romero (RAINBOW, VANDENBERG),who may also be MSG‘s frontman on their upcoming tour, Kiske and Ralf Scheepers (PRIMAL FEAR),keyboard participant Steve Mann (LIONHEART),drummers Simon Phillips (TOTO, THE WHO),Brian Tichy (WHITESNAKE, FOREIGNER),Bobby Rondinelli (RAINBOW) and Bodo Schopf (ELOY),in addition to legendary bassists Bob Daisley (BLACK SABBATH),Barry Sparks (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, DOKKEN) and Barend Courbois (BLIND GUARDIAN, ZAKK WYLDE),with Tony Carey as a really particular visitor.
Like its predecessor “Immortal” (2021) and the MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST albums “Resurrection” (2018) and “Revelation” (2019),“Common” was produced by Michael Schenker and Michael Voss (LESSMANN/VOSS, MAD MAX) at Voss‘s Kidroom Studio, which has develop into one thing of a inventive dwelling away from dwelling for Schenker.
“Michael Voss is glad to attend till I’ve labored out an concept and takes the time to essentially get to know the music, concurrently growing concepts for the vocals,” Schenker describes the fruitful collaboration which has one cog intermesh with the opposite. “Then we work out the drums, bass and a few keyboard components collectively. He at all times has loads of nice concepts up his sleeve.”
There are few rock guitarists on this planet who’ve had such an enduring affect on so many famend musicians as Michael Schenker. Along with his outstandingly fluid model, inexhaustible wealth of concepts and instinctive really feel for hooks and melodies, Schenker is a dwelling legend who, regardless of his longstanding and distinguished historical past, nonetheless impresses together with his unflagging power and drive. The blond stringsman from Sarstedt, Germany started his worldwide profession within the early Seventies with the SCORPIONS, achieved worldwide fame after becoming a member of British rock group UFO after which seamlessly continued his distinctive world success story underneath his personal title, in addition to with acts akin to MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP, TEMPLE OF ROCK and MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST. Schenker and his profession, which has spanned greater than fifty years, are absolute exceptions within the in any other case short-lived music business.
Compositional highlights abound on “Common”, from the haunting opener “Emergency” and the next “Beneath Assault” with its casually driving groove to “The Universe”, that includes an atmospheric duet by Ronnie Romero and Gary Barden, “Wrecking Ball”, carried out as brilliantly as ever by Ralf Scheepers, and “London Calling” with its homage to the British capital’s musical spirit.
In step with all these highlights, the spectacular album cowl designed by Zsofia Dankova (POWERWOLF, amongst others) options Schenker in a futuristic spaceship, floating excessive up in orbit. The paintings relies on the guitarist’s personal visions.
“I had the unique concept for the album cowl just a few years in the past, however solely now does it appear to suit completely,” he says. “So I despatched some older sketches to my label Atomic Hearth Information, and primarily based on this the ultimate paintings and album title have been created.”
