MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP (MSG): Tales Of Rock'n'Roll (MELODIC HARD ROCK): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

Tales of Rock N' Roll is the new album of the Michael Schenker Group, aka the MSG. As the band's name suggests, Michael Schenker (guitars) is at the controls.
Schenker is a legend of guitar and hard rock in general. Starting his career in UFO in the 1970s, he switched to Scorpions in the late 1970s and then created the MSG following his departure from Scorpions in 1980. We will note in passing that for the last few years he has been multiplying the comings and goings in UFO and that the line-up of his solo band is more than unstable like the formation of this new album.

MSG offers us here a kind of concept album for its 25 years of existence, by inviting all the singers who have passed through its band to sing one track each out of the 19 on the album. We find here Gary Barden, Graham Bonnet and Robin Mac Auley. Of the remaining 13 tracks, Schenker has hired a new singer, Jari Tuira, in place of Chris Logan who was in charge of the last two MSG albums. We find this one on a track as a guest. This album therefore represents a kind of palette of what Michael Schenker knows how to do, even if the fact of spreading the songs of the former singers and not grouping them together at the beginning or at the end undermines the coherence of the disc.

Musically, this album continues the trend started with Arachnophobia (2003). The tone hardens to get closer to a heavy metal rather far from the melodic hard rock of the first albums. The best tracks on the album are the six songs composed with the former singers. We will notice for example the superb "Life Vacation" sung by Gary Barden who has not lost any of his qualities, just like Graham Bonnet on "Rock'N' Roll" where the deeper and more flayed voice does wonders, as well as "Tell a story" sung by Schenker's faithful accomplice, Robin MacAuley, in a more pop but equally delightful register.

About the other tracks with Jari Tiura, the result is mitigated. The man is a good singer but he struggles to compare himself with others. His very deep voice does not necessarily fit the MSG style. However, there are still some successes, such as "Dust to dust" or the very good "Bitter Sweet". Finally, we must also mention Michael Schenker's great playing, which makes each title exciting, even for the weakest. The man still has that wonderful guitar touch.

In the end, this record is not the masterpiece that we could have hoped for the MSG's anniversary but at most another honest record in his career. Maybe Schenker should have made two different opuses to avoid comparisons between singers. - Official website

MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP (MSG)

TALES OF ROCK'N'ROLL

UNDERCLASS

MELODIC HARD ROCK