After the last great albums that appeared on the market under the Michael Schenker Fest label, as it is a party of collaborations on different themes, the German guitarist has opted for the same formula but changing the name to his mythical MSG (Michael Schenker Group) , celebrating his fiftieth anniversary in music, solo, with Gary Barden, with Robin Mc Auley, UFO or Scorpions. For “Immortal” are voices and musicians in the category of Ralf Scheepers, Michael Voss, Derek Sherinian, Joe Lynn Turner, the increasingly upward Ronnie Romero,
The album starts off strong with “Drilled to kill”, a constant double kick in a classic metal theme reminiscent of Judas Priest, one of those perfect for the voice of Primal Fear vocalist Ralf Scheepers, finished off with a six-string double duel against the keyboard. by former Dream Theater and Black Country Communion Derek Sherinian. After the adrenaline injection of “Drilled to kill” comes “Don´t die on me now”, almost five more minutes more “hardrockeros” carried to perfection by the magnificent voice of Joe Lynn Turner and one of those solos of more than one minute “house mark”. The imposing beginning is maintained with another major cut like “Knight of the dead”, where Ronnie Romero demonstrates his talents for singing, something that we were able to discover in 2013 in a “Rock legends”, when he was the lead singer of Nova Era. Then came Lords of Black or the Rainbow tribute, together with Armando de Castro who has allowed him to be the last singer of the mythical Ritchie Blackmore line-up. “After the rain” is one of those anthological half times. An immediate classic, sung by Michael Voss, voice on “Mad Max” (and at the time producer of the LP), which wastes talent, along with some class musicians (Steve Mann, alternating second guitar and keyboard, Barry Sparks on bass and Bodo Schopf as drums). And after the calm, the storm with the more moved “Devil’s daughter”, commanded again by Ralf Scheepers, the double bass drum and those “riffs” and picks so characteristic of Michael Schenker’s Gibson Flying V. And after the “singles” of “Drilled to kill” and “After the rain”, comes the third with “Sail the darkness”, led by a colossal Ronnie Romero, in a song that reminds us of the best Dio. The sound festival continues with “The queen of thorns of roses”, sung by Michael Voss, with a “machacón” “riff” but one that is not easily forgotten, along with the virtuous solos. Beautiful melody. “Come on over” returns to more recognizable territories, again with Ronnie Romero in high performance in a song that seems to serve as a transition at the end, with the elegant “Sangria Morte”, with the new appearance of Joe Lynn Turner and the self-tribute with “In the search of the piece of mind”, the first song he composed at the age of fifteen and which features Gary Barden, Robin Mc Auley, Doggie White and, for the last time, Ronnie Romero. One of those “in crescendo” songs so typical of the seventies, crowned by an eternal and epic ending. The culmination of one of those albums that will surely be on the best of the year lists. An outstanding LP that demonstrates the ability to continue creating genius of one of the fundamental names in music, such as Michael Schenker.
And it is that this newly opened 2021 has the prospect of becoming one of those with a multitude of outstanding works. It only remains to hope that soon all these musicians will be able to defend their new works and creations live. How we miss them!
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