The Michael Schenker Group: Immortal DIGI version on CD/Blu-ray in digipack edition. This particular edition was published in Europe in publishing company Nuclear Blast on 27. May 2022.

MSG: Three letters, one legend. After two phenomenal releases under the Michael Schenker Fest banner, the guitar legend returns to his roots. One of the most celebrated solo careers hard rock has ever seen began in 1979 with the Michael Schenker Group (MSG). No one would expect anything less from the former Scorpions and UFO guitarist, but what Michael Schenker has built over the last fifty years, what he has accomplished, who he has influenced and who he has played with fills books and is shrouded in hard rock myths. Michael Schenker doesn't care much about that. "I've never looked back," he declares dryly. That's why he didn't realise until very late what an impact his guitar playing had left in the world of metal and hard rock. At least not everyone considers James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Dave Mustaine, Dimebag Darrell, Slash or Kerry King to be great inspirations. But to understand Schenker, you have to understand one thing: He's not here to be worshipped and adored, he's not here to get rich. He's here to play. And he's still doing that today, at 65, in the same crisp, virtuosic and exciting way he always has. "In my head, I'm still 16 years old," he says with a laugh. "I've never yearned for fame or success. I was content to do what I enjoyed most, like a kid in a sandbox. No competition, no comparison, just the pure joy of creativity. And there's no better way to do that than with a guitar. It's just the best instrument to express something. There's no more perfect sound." So to mark his 40th anniversary as a solo artist and 50th birthday as a musician, he returns with the immortal Michael Schenker Group. "Immortal" is the title of a work recorded by arguably the strongest lineup of his long career, a dervish of an album that leaps out of the speakers so lush, hungry and brisk that it should light up the ears of all the young. This, ladies and gentlemen, is hard rock of the highest order, forged in the heart of a volcano and unleashed by true men of conviction who signed up to this music long ago. And when someone like Michael Schenker calls, they all come. You can hear the sensational voice of Chilean hard rock prodigy Ronnie Romero (Rainbow), who is accompanied by Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear), Joe Lynn Turner (formerly of Deep Purple) and Schenker's faithful accomplice Michael Voss (Mad Max), who again produced the record with Michael Schenker - flawless, punchy and full-throttle as if their lives depended on it. Instrumentally, alongside Michael Schenker on his iconic black and white Dean Flying V, bassist Barry Sparks (Dokken), keyboardist Steve Mann and three drummers Bodo Schopf, Simon Phillips (formerly Toto) and Brian Tichy (formerly Whitesnake) are at their best; Keyboard wizard Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater, Black Country Communion) also celebrates his baptism of fire on the rip-roaring, blistering opening track "Drilled To Kill," which Ralf Scheepers sets in motion with his vocals. "Except for me, of course, they're all technically very experienced people with their own studies," Schenker says with a wink in his typical earthy way. "It's easier that way. I was the only one to make the eight-hour boat trip from England to Holland four times during the downtime, and then by car to Germany for the recordings, and then always to quarantine for 14 days. It's not pleasant and I don't recommend it to anyone," he notes, "but if I hadn't taken it on, the album wouldn't have been made." There's probably no better comparison for his relationship to this music. Michael Schenker doesn't play live. He lives to play. For 50 years. This is particularly evident in the monumental finale "In Search Of The Peace Of Mind", a reissue of the first song he ever wrote. "I wrote this song in my mum's kitchen when I was 15," he looks back half a century and smiles broadly, "The solo in this song is so perfect I wouldn't change a note to this day. For me, it's the most important work of the last 50 years. That's where it all began." When it appeared on the Scorpions' 1972 debut "Lonesome Crow," Michael Schenker had already moved on to UFO. What followed was decades of hard rock madness on and off the stage, in a variety of constellations and always with his foot on the gas. Michael Schenker is now reaping the rewards. Together with many confidants and friends, he celebrates 50 years of hard rock with a fitting album that takes stock of his career in a decidedly contemporary way. Joe Lynn Turner gives it his all in the heavy mid-tempo banger "Don't Die On Me Now", Ronnie Romero can work his magic for the first time in the third song "Knight Of The Dead" and Michael Voss shows in the frantic second single "After The Rain", among other things, that he's just as good in front of the microphone as he is behind the controller. Above all, Michael Schenker thrones his guitar, which simply accompanies him everywhere. Of course, this also means that his famous Howler, the legendary magnet that Schenker has been using on the fingerboard for several years, is used again. But that's another thing that is typical of Michael Schenker: When asked about his furious playing on "Immortal," he just looks questioningly for a moment and then says, "I just played from the heart, like I always do."

Album spans genres Rock and Heavy Metal. Digipack.