MICHAEL SCHENKER Says Next MSG Album Will Feature Ex-SKID ROW Frontman ERIK GRÖNWALL On Most Of The Songs

In a new interview with Noise11's Paul Cashmere, legendary German guitarist Michael Schenker, who is currently promoting his upcoming album "My Years With UFO", celebrating the 50th anniversary of Schenker's years with UFO, discussed some of his other yet-to-be-released recording projects. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "So I went into the studio in June '23. I wrote all the songs. I mean, of course, [the] UFO [album] was already written, but the MSG, MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP album, and the next [Michael Schenker] album, I wrote the music. The second album was supposed to be an electric, like an instrumental album. And the reason was I wanted to make three albums in one go to let the people know what I've done in the last 50 years. So I did UFO, I did MSG and I did an acoustic or electric [album] and both instrumental music. So after we finished with 'My Years With UFO', I started putting down my guitars for the MSG album, which is gonna be called 'Don't Sell Your Soul'. And it's with [former SKID ROW frontman] Erik Grönwall singing most of the songs, Robin McAuley singing, and Michael Voss, my co-producer, he's also singing. And then I did the instrumental album. As I was putting down my guitar, my composition, the instrumental part, Michael Voss kept singing, and I went, like, 'Michael, this sounds really good. I think we should turn this into a vocal album,' and have, like I used to do with UFO, 'Belladonna' and 'Love To Love', all of these songs used to be instrumental songs. And then they turned into vocal songs. And so we invited Herman Rarebell from the SCORPIONS, ex-drummer. And so this album is like now one of my favorite albums. It turned into this amazing album. Somebody had the idea to tune it to a 432 [Hz] instead of 440 [Hz], which is the same tuning as 'Dark Side Of The Moon', PINK FLOYD. And we added this, we added that, and it was like building a house. All of a sudden, I was shocked what came out of it. And people will be shocked when they hear this album because they will not believe what they're hearing. And it's called 'Freedom Of Expression'."

Produced by Schenker and Voss, "My Years With UFO" marks the 50th anniversary of Schenker's era with UFO, spanning from 1972 to 1978. The "German Wunderkind" was asked to join UFO at just 17 years old. Touring the globe as a teenager, Schenker became a driving force behind some of UFO's most loved tracks, such as "Doctor Doctor", "Rock Bottom" and "Only You Can Rock Me".

Although Michael Schenker's era with UFO spanned only six years, his influence as a young songwriter and exceptional guitarist had already left a lasting mark on rock. During these meteoric years, the UFO albums "Phenomenon", "Force It", "No Heavy Petting", "Lights Out", "Obsession" and the seminal live album "Strangers In The Night" were recorded, each contributing significantly to the genre. "Strangers In The Night" particularly stands out as one of the most influential live rock albums of all time and is still regarded as a cornerstone in any rock enthusiast's collection.

In this celebratory album, Michael Schenker presents 11 of UFO's greatest hits from this magical era with an impressive lineup of guest stars. Joining Schenker on this journey are Derek Sherinian on keyboards, Brian Tichy on drums, and Barry Sparks on bass.

The stellar roster of guest artists includes Axl Rose (GUNS N' ROSES),Slash (GUNS N' ROSES),Kai Hansen (HELLOWEEN),Roger Glover (DEEP PURPLE),Joey Tempest (EUROPE),Biff Byford (SAXON),Jeff Scott Soto (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, JOURNEY),John Norum (EUROPE),Dee Snider (TWISTED SISTER),Joel Hoekstra (WHITESNAKE),Joe Lynn Turner (RAINBOW),Carmine Appice (VANILLA FUDGE, CACTUS),Adrian Vandenberg (WHITESNAKE),Michael Voss, Stephen Pearcy (RATT) and Erik Grönwall (SKID ROW).

This album is the introduction to an upcoming trilogy, as Michael Schenker has signed an exclusive three-album deal with earMUSIC, with additional albums to follow in 2025 and 2026.

"My Years With UFO" will be released worldwide on September 20 via earMUSIC and is available for pre-order.

"My Years With UFO" track listing:

01. Natural Thing (feat. Dee Snider, Joel Hoekstra)
02. Only You Can Rock Me (feat. Joey Tempest, Roger Glover)
03. Doctor, Doctor (feat. Joe Lynn Turner, Carmine Appice)
04. Mother Mary (feat. Slash, Erik Grönwall)
05. This Kids (feat. Biff Byford)
06. Love To Love (feat. Axl Rose)
07. Lights Out (feat. Jeff Scott Soto, John Norum)
08. Rock Bottom (feat. Kai Hansen)
09. Too Hot To Handle (feat. Joe Lynn Turner, Adrian Vandenberg, Carmine Appice)
10. Let It Roll (feat. Michael Voss)
11. Shoot, Shoot (feat. Stephen Pearcy)

Michael Schenker photo credit: Tallee Savage