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Michael Schenker Group - Revelation review



Reviewer:
N/A

16 users:
6.56
Band: Michael Schenker Group
Album: Revelation
Release date: September 2019


01. Rock Steady
02. Under A Blood Red Sky
03. Silent Again
04. Sleeping With The Light On
05. The Beast In The Shadows
06. Behind The Smile
07. Crazy Daze
08. Lead You Astray
09. We Are The Voice
10. Headed For The Sun
11. Old Man
12. Still In The Fight
13. Ascension

Dinosaurs all over the metal universe are trying to convince us that they can still rock. Please stop.

I am not going to give you a detailed bio of Michael Schenker because a) it's way too long, and b) if you really don't know who this guy is, you are probably on the wrong website and the word 'UFO' means nothing more to you than Unidentified Flying Object. Please leave.

After Michael Schenker Group, MSG, Michael Schenker's Temple Of Rock, and a few others I'm currently forgetting, Michael Schenker Fest is the latest name that the legendary guitarist has chosen for his band and Revelation is the second album under this moniker, following last year's Resurrection.

Just like its predecessor, Revelation features four vocalists, Gary Barden, Graham Bonnet, Robin McAuley and Doogie White (plus another one as 'guest', Rainbow's Ronnie Romero). It also features two drummers, Bodo Schopf and Simon Phillips, who played drums on Judas Priest's shining jewel Sin After Sin. Now, when so many talented people get together to record an album, expectations are great. And great expectations are rarely met.

The good thing about Michael Schenker is that, despite being a guitar virtuoso, he likes to craft real songs instead of just show off and overwhelm the listener with his skill. The problem with Revelation is that its songs lack the elements needed for hard rock to be enjoyable; catchiness and memorability. It feels that Schenker thought it would be enough to gather many of the musicians he played with in the '80s for this album to sound old-fashioned and hit the listeners' nostalgic soft spot. It doesn't work exactly this way though. Tracks like the opener, "Rock Steady", despite featuring the cheese necessary for the style, don't make you want to listen to them for a second time. And, although "Sleeping With the Light On" has great melody and all four vocalists giving it their all, and "The Beast In The Shadows" is a very energetic cut with Graham Bonnet trying hard and succeeding despite clearly sounding past his prime, unfortunately the rest of the album sounds tired and uninspired for the most part. Bonnet also shines on "Still In The Fight" but that doesn't take away the fact that more than half of Revelation's thirteen songs have the word 'filler' written all over them and even Michael's cool solos can't save them.

To make things worse, the mix is really poor and, even though I am a sucker for stripped down production, hard rock is a style that craves a big and bombastic sound which is definitely not what this album has. The keyboards are buried and the rhythm guitar sounds weak. The cover art is cringe-worthy as hell. What a shame.

In the end, the idea of having many vocalists may be good for live shows but it does not help a studio album's cohesion. Revelation didn't need an excessive amount of voices, it needed a fair amount of inspiration. Because, at this point, Michael Schenker Fest is not much more than a snoozefest.





Written on 06.11.2019 by Only way to feel the noise is when it's good and loud!


Comments

Comments: 5   Visited by: 70 users
06.11.2019 - 13:03
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
A german on English band, later whit scotish singer. Its hard to chose a drink in such combination.... Great band, great review. Now lights out
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Life is to short for LOVE, there is many great things to do online !!!

Stormtroopers of Death - ''Speak English or Die''
apos;'
[image]
I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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06.11.2019 - 17:05
nikarg

Written by Bad English on 06.11.2019 at 13:03

A german on English band, later whit scotish singer. Its hard to chose a drink in such combination....

How about a 16 year-old Lagavulin shot, followed by a glass of Weihenstephan beer?
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06.11.2019 - 18:24
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
Written by nikarg on 06.11.2019 at 17:05

Written by Bad English on 06.11.2019 at 13:03

A german on English band, later whit scotish singer. Its hard to chose a drink in such combination....

How about a 16 year-old Lagavulin shot, followed by a glass of Weihenstephan beer?

And founders dirty bastard scotch ale, i like schneider wisse tap 6, its 8.2 strong
----
Life is to short for LOVE, there is many great things to do online !!!

Stormtroopers of Death - ''Speak English or Die''
apos;'
[image]
I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
Loading...
06.11.2019 - 18:59
Boxcar Willy
yr a kook
I'm truly shocked that this sucks. Truly.
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14:22 - Marcel Hubregtse
I do your mum

DESTROY DRUM TRIGGERS
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09.11.2019 - 15:22
JoHn Doe

I don't think it sucks, or that is bad, but that it's nothing special, heard it all before and better. I respect Michael for being hard working, active, but his last couple of albums I heard from him are run of the mill.
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I thought the two primary purposes for the internet were cat memes and overreactions.
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