Michael Schenker Group Universal Tracks: 01. Emergency 02. Under Attack 03. Calling Baal 04. A King Has Gone 05. The Universe 06. Long Long Road 07. Wrecking Ball 08. Yesterday Is Dead 09. London Calling 10. Sad Is The Song 11. Au Revoir 12. Turn Off The World (Bonus Track) 13. Fighter (Bonus Track) 4:12 Line up: Michael Schenker - guitars Ronnie Romero - vocals Michael Kiske - vocals Ralf Scheepers - vocals Barry Sparks – bass Bob Daisley – bass Barend Courbois – bass Steve Mann - keyboards Tony Carey - keyboards Bobby Rondinelli - drums Bodo Schopf - drums Simon Phillips - drums Brian Tichy - drums Record Label / Year of Release: Atomic Fire Records 2022 Notes: Michael Schenker Group announces new studio album, Universal, to be released on May 27th via Atomic Fire Records. This latest offering will feature all the strengths of this exceptional musician: first-rate songs with anthemic melodies, catchy guitar riffs, and inspiring solos. As we have come to expect from him, Schenker has once again enlisted a number of prestigious fellow musicians for the recording of his new studio production, among them, as main vocalist, Ronnie Romero (Rainbow, Vandenberg), who will also be MSG's frontman on their upcoming tour, Michael Kiske (Helloween), and Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear), keyboard player Steve Mann (Lionheart), drummers Simon Phillips (Toto, The Who), Brian Tichy (Whitesnake, Foreigner), Bobby Rondinelli (Rainbow), and Bodo Schopf (Eloy), as well as legendary bassists Bob Daisley (Black Sabbath), Barry Sparks (Yngwie Malmsteen, Dokken), and Barend Courbois (Blind Guardian, Zakk Wylde), with Tony Carey as a very special guest. Like its predecessor Immortal (2021) and the Michael Schenker Fest albums Resurrection (2018) and Revelation (2019), Universal was produced by Michael Schenker and Michael Voss (Lessmann/Voss, Mad Max) at Voss's Kidroom Studio. The spectacular MSG album cover designed by Zsofia Dankova (Powerwolf, among others) features Schenker in a futuristic spaceship, floating high up in orbit. The artwork is based on the guitarist's own visions, "I had the original idea for the album cover a few years ago, but only now does it seem to fit perfectly. So, I sent some older sketches to my label Atomic Fire Records and based on this the final artwork and album title were created." The rock anthem 'A King Has Gone' and its intro 'Calling Baal' both have a special significance: The track, sung by Helloween frontman Michael Kiske, is a tribute to the immortal Ronnie James Dio, in particular to his performance on the 1976 hard rock classic Rainbow Rising. For this reason, Schenker has brought together an original Rainbow rhythm section consisting of Bobby Rondinelli and Bob Daisley, additionally enlisting keyboardist Tony Carey, who also played on Rainbow Rising, for a terrific Moog synth intro – a direct reference to the iconic intro of the 1976 album opener 'Tarot Woman'. The impressive result 'Calling Baal'/'A King Has Gone' is already considered to be one of the most important and successful songs in Schenker's career to date, both musically and lyrically.