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MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP “Don't Sell Your Soul”
MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP “Don't Sell Your Soul”
By Colonel Angus
The Mad Axeman is back and I couldn’t be happier. Not that he has been gone too long as he has been very prolific at this stage in his career. And there is no sign of him slowing down because his output since 2008’s “In the Midst of Beauty” has been mostly highest quality. Last year’s “My Years with UFO” was good but I feel it showcased the various vocalists more than MICHAELbecause he has recorded those track many, many times. At the end of the day, I still purchased it and enjoy it but nothing will take the place of the original recordings on those UFO albums. This disk is the first full length of all new material since “Universal” and it is great to hear him creating new music.
This new record starts off with this unique (for MSG at least) galloping track that right off the bat features that signature melodic tone that only MICHAEL SCHENKER can squeeze out of his flying-V. The title track also gives plenty of room for vocalist Erik Grönwall to make his mark. For those of you who have not heard of him, he is the guy that sang on SKID ROW’s return to form “The Gang's All Here”. “Danger Zone” has a more familiar MSG sound that will appeal to the old faithful. Steven Man adds a little bit of keyboard flourishes that harkens back to when Paul Raymond used to make his presence felt. The guitar solo here is pure SCHENKER magic with all the melody and emotion that we’ve come to expect from him.
The “into the Arena”-ish next tune continues with a nod to the old school sound. Unlike that tune, “Eye of the Storm”” has lyrics/vocals and rocks pretty damn hard. Again, the solo from MICHAEL is on par with his earlier works on the first two solo classics. After many listens, this is one of the standout moments on “Don’t Sell Your Soul”. “Janey the Fox” mixes a bit of the older sound with some of the newer elements that have crept in on his latter releases. As with all of the material here, there is a great melodic groove that lifts the track to be something special. The next song is definitely the “hit” on the record and it has all the hallmarks of classic 80s metal. There are times that it doesn’t sound like a MSG track but there are little bits of guitar work that are unmistakably MICHAEL SCHENKER. Quite honestly, this one sounds like something off a H.E.A.T. record.
Things slip back (sort of) to more familiar material with “Sign of the Times”. This one has more of a latter day SCHENKER sound which still contains that classic guitar soloing but with a more updated vibe. While not a bad tune, this is the only one that I feel takes this record from a 10 to a 9. Not bad and certainly not one to skip but not the best either. Even though “The Chosen” is another non-MSG sounding tune, the menacing nature makes this another standout on “Don’t Sell Your Soul”. There are parts that remind me of old MSG but it’s great to see MICHAEL stretch into new territories once in a while and give us something unexpected.
Another familiar riff shows up in “It’s You” which takes me back to earlier MSG material. There are times that if Gary Barden was signing, it would sound like an unreleased tune from those early sessions. Definitely another stellar addition to the SCHENKERcannon. Robim McAuley puts on a great vocal performance on “Sixstring Shotgun”. This one takes me back to the days of McAULEY SCHENKER GROUP naturally due to the vocals but also the whole vibe and sound of the tune. “It’s You” is another one that could have been a track that was recorded during the “Save Yourself” sessions.
The album ends with a couple of rockers named “Flesh and Bone” and “Surrender” with the latter hosting some great power metal drumming under SCHENKER’s fluid guitar work. It is unexpected, especially at the very end but it is one of those tunes that makes you want to start the whole record all over again. All in all, “Don’t Sell Your Soul” is definitely a 9 out of 10 and another fine addition to MICHAEL’s already huge catalogue.
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