Michael Schenker is back!!! An original guitar hero with a band that can be considered as a real dream team in the hard rock history, Gary Barden (vocals), Don Airey (keyboards), Neil Murray (bass guitar) & Simon Phillips (drums). The cooperation of Michael with Gary Barden consists a pleasant surprise for the fans after 24 years since their last release for the classic live, Rock Will Never Die.

Wasting no time, I played the cd, which starts with the track “City Lights”, and I realised that the production is magnificent while the classic vocals of Gary reminded me of “Armed and Ready”. The performance is awesome and fills me with anticipation for the rest of the album and as far as the solos are concerned, Michael proves his talent once more. Although there are some brilliant songs, such as the mellow ballad “Summer Days”, where the fantastic performing is combined with the feeling and the professional production, also the “Night to Remember” which sets your cd player on fire with its heavy riff and the catchy couplet, plus the “Ride On My Way” which gets you higher, the rest of the songs are rather mediocre.

As a guitarist Michael is at his best, his playing is mature and strong, and so are his fellow musicians that comprise the counterparts, and certify their presence with the best way: accurate playing and professionalism. But this is not enough. Most of the tracks seem to “search” for an identity, maybe in that way the artist tries to approach a wide range of audience, combining his old style with the new.

Finally, what someone could say for the release in total is that it appears to be a mature classy work but not the expected one for Michael Schenker’s level. So my suggestion is to keep on supporting him while we are waiting for his next move.