Review Summary: At age 66, Michael Schenker is still delivering some of the best guitar leads and solos in the business.
Regardless of how loosely one uses the term "guitar legend", Michael Schenker is exactly that. Even though some might feel that he didn't quite reach his full potential, his body of work features several iconic songs and moments of pure brilliance. Maybe it's because he released his best material by the age of 30 or because albums like
Lovedrive and
Strangers in the Night are iconic and timeless, and he never managed to even come close to their quality. Nonetheless, you can always depend on Michael Schenker to come up with some impressive leads and solos, and this is exactly what he has been doing for almost 50 years, which is what
Immortal is; a celebration of his remarkable career.
Lately, Michael Schenker is pretty active with four albums since 2015 and in a nutshell,
Immortal is solid, yet unspectacular. The main culprit seems to be the mediocre songwriting, and you might think that this is natural considering Schenker's age, but the German maestro still has that amazing feel for rhythm and his fingers work quite well on the fretboard, as evident from the great solos and leads. Which makes me think, why didn't he devote more time on the actual songs and riffs? Or why didn't he work with someone who could contribute in that department? He's obviously still got
it.
One thing he definitely got right though, is collaborating with vocalist Ronnie Romero, known from his tenure in the reincarnation of Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow. The Chilean sensation is the main one of four vocalists on
Immortal, the other three being Ralf Scheepers, Joe Lynn Turner, and Michael Voss. Actually, he was supposed to be the sole vocalist, but due to Covid-19 restrictions, he utilized the other veteran singers. However, Scheepers' voice just doesn't feel like it fits seamlessly with Schenker's heavy rock, whereas Joe Lynn Turner lacks his usual flair, to the point that I found it hard to figure out the songs he's in. On the other hand, Romero provides that extra oomph, even though he sometimes overdoes it with his gruff, similarly to mid-'80s Dio.
In terms of standout tracks, the mid-tempo and slow ones seem to be working better, whereas the more aggressive rockers sound totally run-of-the-mill, even though they don't lack memorable moments. Nonetheless, the absolute highlight of the album is the remake of "In Search Of Peace Of Mind", a song that Schenker wrote when he was 15 years old and a member of Scorpions. Without knowing, that might be the soundtrack of his life. The song features four singers, including original MSG vocalist Gary Barden and Doogie White, and its last four minutes are spine-tingling; that alone is worth the price of admission.
Unfortunately, Michael Schenker is among the last of a dying breed; a rare example of a larger than life guitarist who managed to combine solid songwriting with flashes of brilliance in his playing. And even though
Immortal is nothing to write home about, it sure feels nice to finally see him in a nice place and still releasing new music.
