COME TASTE THE BAND - new album “Reignition” feat. Doogie White & Joe Lynn Turner on vocals!
Come Taste the Band (CTTB) is a Norwegian classic hard rock band, founded in 1997 by guitarist Jo Henning Kaasin and singer Vidar Heldal. The early line-up, included bass player Ståle Naas, Eldar Melkvik on keyboards and Frode Flatland on drums. In the early years, CTTB was a Deep Purple tribute band and released two CD`s with Deep Purple songs; «A Tribute To Deep Purple» in 1999 and «Live» in 2006. From 1997 to 2007, CTTB played hundreds of concerts in Scandinavia.
In 2007, CTTB were asked by the Norwegian festival, Kartfestivalen, to play a concert with former Deep Purple singer/bass player, Glenn Hughes. This show resulted in a partnership that lasted until 2010, when Hughes founded Black Country Communion with Joe Bonamassa. Glenn Hughes & CTTB did four tours together, playing Deep Purple Mk III and IV classics.
In 2011, Come Taste the Band teamed up with former Deep Purple/Rainbow-singer, Joe Lynn Turner. JLT & CTTB toured Scandinavia, doing both Rainbow and Deep Purple material. Together they hit the road between 2012 to 2014. During days of, Turner, guitarist Jo Henning Kaasin and bassplayer Ståle Naas wrote and started recording two brand new songs, Tied Down and Don`t Let Me Bleed. Both songs ended up on the new CTTB album, «REIGNITION».
2014 also saw CTTB doing two concerts with former Rainbow singers, Doogie White and Graham Bonnet + Norwegian singer, JORN Lande. Come Taste the Band have changed the line-up several times during the years, with only leader and guitarist, Jo Henning Kaasin, singer Vidar Heldal and bass player Ståle Naas staying constant in the band.
In 2017 celebrating 20 years, CTTB played two big sold out shows with former Whitesnake guitarist, Bernie Marsden and Doogie White (Rainbow/Michael Schenker). After those concerts Doogie White and Jo Henning Kaasin started to write new material.
CTTB landed a record deal with AOR Heaven in November 2017 and recorded seven songs with Doogie White as the singer. Those songs were recorded at Juke Joint Studio, Notodden and Stable Studio, Oslo Norway. The band now is joined by Swedish musicans, Birger Löfman on drums and Svenne Jansson on organ/keyboards. The album was produced by Halvor Halvorsen/Jo Henning Kaasin & CTTB, with Leif Johansen (Phenomena/21 Guns/A-ha) helping out with engineering. Njål Frode Lie mixed and mastered the album.
The album «REIGNITION» includes 9 classic hard rock tracks, played mostly live in the studio and with lots of improvisations. Doogie White is singin on 7 tracks and Joe Lynn Turner on 2 tracks.
Tracklist: 1.Not That Kind Of Man 2.Under Your Skin 3.Slave For Your Love 4.Black Rose 5.Tied Down 6.Don`t Let Me Bleed 7.Fools In The Night 8.Cradle To Grave 9.So Long Old Friend
WAKE THE NATIONS - new Melodic Rock signing from Finland!
Heart-shaped rock from Finland! The second album of Wake the Nations (WTN) is loaded with fresh AOR tracks containing a twist of the 80’s melodic hard rock.
In 2009, Risto Tuominen got interested in a band that was being established by Janne ‘Gekko’ Granfors: a grunge-type of band with Krister Stenbom on the lead vocals, Tuomas Pelli on drums, and Gekko on guitar. They were after a bass player, but since Risto came along, Gekko took the bass guitar. A hard rock band ‘Villa Sucka’ was formed. They wrote songs actively and recorded an EP during the spring of 2010. In the same year, Risto got recruited to a melodic rock/AOR band ‘Human Temple’. Gekko soon followed him. In those times, Jori ‘Jorge’ Tojander was the keyboard player of Human Temple.
As Human Temple was having a break, Risto decided to start recording his solo album in 2012. During the past years, he had written some songs that were never published. Risto asked Jorge, Gekko and Kalle Saarinen, all from Human Temple, to help him with the record. Also, Tuomas got an enquiry whether he could join. Initially the idea was to record already written songs just for his own sake, with good quality. But things got more and more ambitious... Risto came up with a thought of ‘Wake the Nations’ project band. Janne Hurme (Human Temple) and Petri Kitti (Violent Code) permitted him to record two of their songs as well, and so the album became to form an entity of its own.
It took a year to fine-tune the songs. When it was time to record the vocals, Risto wasn't confident enough to do it himself. So, he began to search for proper singers. In 2013, he found Estef Martinez (Insider) from Ecuador, Dado Topić (Time) from Croatia, Taage Laiho (Kilpi), and Nils Nordling (Silver Bullet). Janne Hurme and Krister Stenbom were invited also. In addition, Timo Pelander (Finlanders) played guitars and Jari Pailamo (King Company) keys on some tracks. ‘Sign of Heart’ was born in January 2015. The album got its way to the top-50 of the official Finnish chart in the first week after release.
The band did not have a fixed front man and they were not supposed to tour anyways. But as a one-time-occasion, they played at album release party, it became evident that WTN would continue playing for live audience. Soon Krister joined the band and WTN hit bigger stages. Live performance in DBTL festival 2015 was a turning point: WTN opened for Sunrise Avenue and got some international interest after their show. Ever since, the band have been playing numerous gigs: for instance, they have toured Germany numerous times and supported Swedish metal act Dynazty during their ‘Titanic Mass’ tour in Finland. These guys are known not only for their music, but also energetic and positive attitude which is present on and off stage.
During the years 2016-2018, WTN wrote and recorded material for ‘Heartrock’. It was done in cooperation with some of the best melodic hard rock professionals in Scandinavia. For instance, writers also include gurus as Sören Kronqvist (Joe-Lynn Turner/One Desire) and Thomas Wikström (Therion), mixing and mastering was conducted by the almighty Erik Mårtensson (Eclipse/W.E.T.), producers include Ilkka Wirtanen (Reckless Love/The Nights). The end result being a solid yet diverse melodic AOR album with stadium rock sounds, a hint of the 80’s, and interesting stories of life and love.
Check out the video for the track “Tattooed Girl” here:
Tracklist: 1. No Mercy, 2. Tattooed Girl, 3. Midnight Lovers, 4. All My Life, 5. Fallen Angel, 6. Now You’re Gone, 7. New Day, 8. Flames, 9. Somehting In Your Eyes, 10. Higher, 11. This Is Over
Pure Steel Records are excited to announce the Official release date of the of the new album "Commander OF Pain" , the spectacular, all-star project headed by Austria's rock legend Klaus Schubert, is set for June 29, 2018. The pre-order phase will begin on June 15th, 2018 through the Pure Steel Records Web Shop.
The album will be made available on CD and other Media formats which will soon be announced.
SCHUBERT IN ROCK, inaugurated by Klaus Schubert, lead guitarist and mastermind of NO BROS, is taking what was established and is now going to the next level.
Back in 2013, Schubert assembled some of the most legendary international rock artists and long-time friends to record new versions of NO BROS' greatest hits. Among those previously featured were Tony Martin (BLACK SABBATH), Biff Byford (SAXON), Joe Lynn Turner (RAINBOW, DEEP PURPLE), Marc Storace (KROKUS), Doogie White (RAINBOW), Bernie Marsden (WHITESNAKE), Neil Murray (BLACK SABBATH, BRIAN MAY) and Don Airey (DEEP PURPLE). The riveting project turned out to be a huge success and culminated in a sensational sell-out show at the Congress concert hall in Innsbruck.
Much like the first self-titled album, the new "Commander of Pain" project will feature some of the world's most celebrated Artists and musicians, making for, yet, another milestone in Austrian Rock Music.
"Commander of Pain" will introduce entirely new songs, all of them tailor-made for each artist while remaining true to SCHUBERTs distinctive sonic signature.
Special Guest Artists Line-Up; Marc Storace (KROKUS), Don Airey (DEEP PURPLE), Jennifer Batten (MICHAEL JACKSON, JEFF BECK), Carl Sentance (Current NAZARETH Singer), Jeff Scott Soto (SONS OF APOLLO, JOURNEY, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA), Doogie White (RAINBOW, MICHAEL SCHENKER), Michael Vescera (Y. J. MALMSTEEN, LOUDNESS, OBSESSION), Dan McCafferty (Former NAZARETH Singer) as well as Austrian artist Ewald Pfleger from the international chart-breaking band OPUS.
SCHUBERT IN ROCK Main Line-Up: Klaus Schubert (guitars), Walt Stuefer (Vocals), Andy Marberger (Bass guitar, backing vocals), Bernie Welz (drums) and Andy J. Brunner (keyboards).
TRACKLIST:
1. Empathy
2. Burning Heart
3. Little Boy
4. Too Late
5. Under The Lights
6. World With No Tomorrow
7. Forgive Me When I Fall
8. Ride The Bullet
9. On The Line
10. It´s Our World
11. Dance Of The Black Tattoo
12. Commander Of Pain
13. My Name Is Judas
Total Playing Time: 70:10 min
Tracks Featuring Special Guests Artists
1. Empathy – Jeff Scott Soto (SONS OF APOLLO, JOURNEY, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA) - vocals
2. Burning Heart – Marc Storace (KROKUS) – vocals
4. Too oo Late – Dan McCafferty (Original NAZARETH Singer) – vocals, Martin Seimen – Keyboards, Gery Moder – rhythm guitar
5. Under The Lights – Doogie White (RAINBOW, MICHAEL SCHENKER) vocals, Don Airey (Deep Purple) – keyboards
6. World With Noo Tomorrow – Carl Sentance (Current NAZARETH Vocalist) – vocvocals, Jennifer Batten (MICHAEL JACKSON, JEFF BECK) – guitar solo
7. Forgive Me When I Fall – Jeff Scott Soto (SONS OF APOLLO, JOURNEEY, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA) – vocals, Don Airey (Deep Purple) keyboards, Ewald Sunny Pfleger (OPUS) – guuitar solo
8. Ride The Bullet – Daniel Haselwanter – Bouzouzouki, Gery Moder – Slide Guitar
9. On The Line – Michaelael Vescera (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, LOUDNESS) – vocals
10. It´s Ourr World – Dan McCafferty (NAZARETH) – vocals, Jennifer Battetten (MICHAEL JACKSON, JEFF BECK) – guitar solo
12. Commander Of Paain – Marc Storace (KROKUS) – vocals, Don Airey (Deep Purpleple) – keyboards
13. My Name Is Judas - Doogie White (RAINBOW, MICHHAEL SCHENKER) – vocals, Don Airey (Deep Purple) – keyboardsrds
Legendary guitarist Michael Schenker (UFO, Scorpions, MSG) and two of his bandmates from Michael Schenker's Temple of Rock, Herman Rarebell (ex Scorpions) and Doogie White (ex Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow) are interviewed on this week's show. All 3 members choose songs from their current album 'Spirit On A Mission', along with tracks from previous bands.
First up, Michael tells fans what they can expect from the setlist on the band's UK tour in January 2016 (full dates at http://www.michaelschenkerhimself.com/tour.php ), and also discusses the band's forthcoming third album, and his longterm vision for Temple of Rock. You'll also hear Michael's choice of a classic Scorpions song.
Doogie White then celebrates the 20th anniversary of the album he recorded with Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, 'Stranger In Us All', choosing 2 songs and looking back on how he came to join the band, giving an insight into the writing, recording and tour for the album. Doogie also pays tribute to original Rainbow vocalist Ronnie James Dio, and chooses 2 of his favourite songs from Ronnie's tenure with the band.
The Temple of Rock triple threat concludes with drummer Herman Rarebell, who begins the first in a series of 7 interviews covering the newly released remastered reissues of 8 classic Scorpions albums on SPV Records. Herman tells how he came to join the band in 1977 and shares his memories of the recording and tours for the 'Taken By Force' and 'Tokyo Tapes' albums and Uli Jon Roth's departure from the group. Herman also selects two songs from each record.
The show concludes with quickfire interviews with bands who have released some of Rich's favourite albums of 2016; Michael Voss talks about Mad Max's 'Thunder Storm and Passion' collection of re-recorded 80s classics, Joseph Tholl from exciting new Metal band Black Trip discusses their album 'Shadowline', Grave Digger mainman Chris Boltendahl looks at their newly re-recorded compilation of 80s classics 'Exhumation-The Early Years', and heartland Rocker Melissa Etheridge drops in for a chat about her live cd/dvd/blu ray 'A Little Bit of Me - Live In LA'
The award-winning, legendary guitarist Michael Schenker will embark on a nationwide UK tour with his band Temple of Rock starting at the Bilston Robin in Wolverhampton on Wednesday 20th January 2016.
A 48-Hour Planet Rock ticket pre-sale starts at 9am on Wednesday 29th April at www.planetrock.com. Tickets will be available to the general public on Friday1st May via www.thegigcartel.com and the 24-hour box office: 0844 4780898.
Schenker will perform tracks from his current studio album Spirit On A Mission which features the singles Vigilante Man and Live and Let Live.
Spirit On A Mission is a rapturous, explosive collection of brand new songs steeped in shades of dark and light. Musically and lyrically, the new album shows a re-energised guitarist at the top of his game, surrounded by some of the best musicians in rock.
The new album features twelve classic rock guitar-driven songs that highlight Schenker’s distinctive and dynamic guitar playing, valiantly underpinned by the ferocious rhythm section of Herman Rarebell and Francis Buchholz, the same rhythm section that originally performed together on the Scorpions’ 1979 album Lovedrive.
Scottish vocalist Doogie White, who co-wrote the album with Schenker, soars across every song, and stamps his personality with every note and phrase, while Wayne Findlay adds a new level to Schenker’s classic sound with his Dean 7-string guitar and keyboard arrangements.
LEGENDARY GUITARIST MICHAEL SCHENKER ANNOUNCES SPRING NORTH AMERICAN TOUR!
Few rock guitarists have as impressive a resume as Michael Schenker does - as he has supplied his six-string talents to such world-renowned acts as the Scorpions, UFO, and the Michael Schenker Group over the years. And it is now confirmed that Schenker will be touring North America come the spring, in support of his killer new disc, 'Spirit on a Mission,' released March 24, 2015.
Michael Schenker's Temple of Rock line-up proves to be one of the strongest that the German guitarist has ever played with, as it features the former Scorpions "Rock You Like A Hurricane" rhythm section of Francis Buchholz (bass) and Herman Rarebell (drums), as well as Doogie White (vocals, formerly of Rainbow), and Wayne Findlay (guitar/keyboards, and longtime Michael Schenker Group member).
The tour kicks off on March 25th at the Rockbar Theater in San Jose, CA (the day after the release of 'Spirit on a Mission'), and wraps up on May 2nd at the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, CA (with special guest Don Dokken on the bill). In between, the tour will go coast to coast, including a performance at the Gramercy Theatre in NYC on April 15th.
“Promotion is definitely the next step,” says Schenker of hitting the road in support of 'Spirit on a Mission.' "Wherever we are needed around the world, we will be there to promote 'Spirit On A Mission.' I want to make Temple of Rock its own entity. Right now it is still using the Michael Schenker platform but eventually I want it to stand on its own feet as Temple of Rock." To get a taste of the new line-up, view the video for the tune "Vigilante Man" here: youtube.com/watch?v=21EaEwU4szU
Undoubtedly, this set of North American dates are the first step towards establishing Michael Schenker's Temple of Rock as a global force.
Temple Of Rock - Spirit On A Mission - World Tourour
Featuring:
Michael Schenker (guitar)
Doogie White (vocals)
Herman Rarebell (drums)
Francis Buchholz (bass)
Wayne Findlay (7 string guitar/keyboards)
MAR 25 2015 @ Rockbar Theater in San Jose, CA
MAR 27 2015 @ Tonic in Portland, OR
MAR 28 2015 @ Studio Seven in Seattle, WA
APR 01 2015 @ Boardwalk in Orangevale, CA
APR 02 2015 @ Yoshi's in Oakland, CA
APR 03 2015 @ Whisky a Go Go in West Hollywood, CA
APR 04 2015 @ M-15 Concert Hall in Corona, CA
APR 07 2015 @ Vamp'd in Las Vegas, NV
APR 08 2015 @ Livewire Concert Hall in Scottsdale, AZ
APR 10 2015 @ Trees in Dallas, TX
APR 11 2015 @ 210 Kapones Live in San Antonio, TX
APR 12 2015 @ 18th Street in San Leon, TX
APR 15 2015 @ Gramercy Theatre in New York, NY
APR 16 2015 @ Eclipse in Binghamton, NY
APR 17 2015 @ Newton Theatre in Newton, NJ
APR 18 2015 @ The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ
APR 20 2015 @ Sellersville Theater in Sellersville, PA
APR 22 2015 @ Rockpile West in Toronto, Ontario Canada
APR 23 2015 @ Concord Music Hall in Chicago, IL (Enuff Z Nuff guests on this performance)
APR 24 2015 @ Harpos Concert Hall in Detroit, MI
APR 25 2015 @ Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, IL (Enuff Z Nuff guests on this performance)
APR 26 2015 @ Freaksters in Pontiac, IL
APR 28 2015 @ Buffalo Rose in Golden, CO
APR 30 2015 @ Ramona Mainstage in Ramona, CA
MAY 01 2015 @ Coach House in San Juan Capistrano, CA
MAY 02 2015 @ Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, CA (Special Guest Don Dokken)
Award-winning, legendary guitarist Michael Schenker releases a new studio album entitled "Spirit On A Mission" in the UK on Monday 23rd March. Released by in-akustik, the album of all-new material features Schenker’s Temple of Rock band - ex-ScorpionsHerman Rarebell (drums) and Francis Buchholz (bass), ex-Rainbow’s Doogie White (vocals) and Wayne Findlay (guitar, keyboards).
The new album features twelve 12 classic rock guitar-driven songs that highlight Schenker’s distinctive and dynamic guitar playing, valiantly underpinned by the ferocious rhythm section of Rarebell and Buchholz, the same rhythm section that originally performed together on the Scorpions’ 1979 album Lovedrive.
Michael remembers how he came up with the name of the new album - "A while ago I was asked how I wanted to be remembered, and I said ‘as a spirit on a mission, spreading the joy of music from a place of pure self expression."
Scottish vocalist Doogie White, who co-wrote the album with Schenker, soars across every song, and stamps his personality with every note and phrase, while Wayne Findlay adds a new level to Schenker’s classic sound with his Dean 7-string guitar and keyboard arrangements.
Spirit On A Mission is a rapturous, explosive collection of brand new songs steeped in shades of dark and light. Musically and lyrically, the new album shows a re-energised guitarist at the top of his game, surrounded by some of the best musicians in rock.
The new album was recorded at Kidroom Studios, Muenster, Germany; the same studio where 2013’s Bridge The Gap album was recorded. The album was produced by Michael Voss and Michael Schenker, and engineered by Voss.
"After the Bridge The GapJapan Tour in March 2014, I started to put new material together for what was to become the Spirit On A Mission album," says Schenker. I went to the recording studio in June 2014 to put down the song arrangements and we finished recording in November."
During the recording of the new album, the original recordings and guitars were stolen from the recording studio. Did this impact on the recording process of the new album?
"Yes we got robbed (some guitars and some music) and got very upset about it," recalls Schenker. "Fortunately it was just performances and not compositions. We caught up and performed the music better than before. It forced us to work extra hard and longer but it made it stronger."
For Schenker, the songwriting and recording process for Spirit On A Mission was very different from the 2012’s Bridge The Gap album.
Says Schenker - "I already knew ahead of time that I wanted to take Spirit On A Mission to the next level by adding more 7-string guitar on some songs to get more of the low heavy sound, and on other songs to keep it very fast and energetic with melodic vocals and a couple of mid tempo’s with more of my writing like in my UFO days."
"Doogie did an amazing job with his melodies and singing," adds Schenker. "Even though we had our instruments, music and equipment stolen from the recording studio, we had to re-record a lot of his vocals again, but when we did it the second time around, it got even better."
"I asked Wayne to come up with a few cool guitar riffs on his 7 string. I added my parts to it and the outcome was very unique. Again, with the addition of Doogie’s vocals, we entered a whole new place that was an extreme pleasurable experience."
The writing process and overall concept for Spirit On A Mission proved to be a fulfilling experience for Schenker and his band.
Says Schenker - "I always write in the same way but this time, especially driven by a precise concept." The picture was album balance for me and combine many years of emotions in one. I wanted lots of double bass drum to keep the fast songs rolling like a train with lots of energy covered with interesting elements, a couple of my UFO days-type of mid tempos and the 7 string low sound to get a very wide range of sounds and emotions."
Michael’s Temple of Rock shared ideas and collaborated in a bigger way on the new album.
"All songs were co-written by Doogie and myself, "recalls Schenker. "Wayne co-wrote five songs. I originally wanted to write the album as a group effort, but I had this concept that needed to be focused on differently. However, Herman and Francis did very well by adding there amazing Rock You Like A Hurricane rhythm section parts that gave it all it needed.
The new album also sees guitarist and keyboard player, Wayne Findlay, takes on a bigger role.
"Wayne has been with me (MSG) since 1999," says Schenker. "In 2004, I met Dean Guitars and they built me a 7 string. I played it for a while but thought it was too much of a sidetrack from what I was doing."
"I always liked that low sound and asked Wayne to look into developing it on the 7 string. A couple of years ago we started to use a bit of Wayne’s 7 string guitar on Bridge The Gap as a slow introduction. Wayne looks like a Neptune (Ocean God) and he loves the ocean. I saw this as an opportunity to have Dean build him a Trident Guitar in order to make his character complete. I wrote a little piece about Wayne called Neptune Rising on the Bridge The Gap album and now on Spirit On A Mission Wayne was ready to co-write five songs, and has now become an essential part of Temple Of Rock."
"Coincidentally," says Schenker, "former Scorpions members Herman Rarebell and Francis Buchholz and myself were out of the loop of rock’n’roll around the same time, but for different reasons. When we recorded 2013’s Bridge The Gap album, we had not played together since the Scorpions’ Lovedrive album (1979). Sprit On A Mission is the second Temple of Rock album to feature the former Scorpions rhythm section.
Former Rainbow singer Doogie White is described by Schenker as an "extremely creative individual with a fantastic range and a voice that never stops". "How many people do you know that can sing nine shows in a row, without a day off and still have a voice with a range like his?" says Schenker. "He’s a real trooper."
What are Schenker’s favourite songs from Spirit On A Mission, and why?
Says Michael – "I love Live and Let Live because it has everything. I love Vigilante Man because it’s heavy and melodic with a great tempo and sound. Something Of The Night turned out to be a fantastic outcome especially with that spooky Howler sound I developed awhile ago. Saviour Machine is an epic. Rock City, Bullet Proof, Restless Heart - I love the fast melodic stuff, and the other 7 string songs with a touch of ’70s rock."
What are Schenker’s overall plans to promote the new album? Does he plan on touring the album by relentless touring and playing summer festivals?
"Promotion is definitely the next step," says Schenker. "and tour-wise, including Festivals, we will play wherever we can to promote "Spirit On A Mission". I want to make Temple Of Rock its own entity. Right now it is still using the Michael Schenker platform but eventually I want it to stand on its own feet as ‘Temple Of Rock’.
1. LIVE AND LET LIVE
2.COMMUNION*
3. VIGILANTE MAN
4.ROCK CITY
5.SAVIOUR MACHINE*
6.SOMETHING OF THE NIGHT
7.ALL OUR YESTERDAYS
8.BULLETPROOF*
9.LET THE DEVIL SCREAM*
10.GOOD TIMES
11.RESTLESS HEART
12.WICKED*
Bonus Track on Deluxe Edition + Vinyl Edition:
Searching For Freedom (Instrumental)
All songs produced by Michael Schenker and Michael Voss
Engineer: Michal Voss
All songs are written by:
Music - Michael Schenker
Lyrics - Doogie White
Except* Music and Lyrics by
Michael Schenker, Doogie White, Wayne Findlay
FEATURING SONGS FROM THE NEW ALBUM
"BRIDGE THE GAP" PLUS ALL THE MSG, UFO
AND THE SCORPIONS ROCK CLASSICS
The award-winning, legendary guitarist Michael Schenker will embark on a nationwide UK tour at the Newcastle O2 Academy from 10th December. Tickets are available from the 24 hour box office 0844 478 0898 or from www.thegigcartel.com.
Michael Schenker is proud to announce specials guests for the "Bridge the Gap" tour will be Bournemouth Rockers Western Sand.
At O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire on 20th December - in addition to Western Sand - the phenomenal State Villains featuring Michael’s son, Tyson Schenker on guitar, will be opening up the show.
The State Villains track "Done Crawling" is available to download from SoundCloud HERE
State Villains (L-R) Pat Casey, Tyson Schenker, Lee Downs, Nik One-Take
Schenker will perform tracks from his current studio album "Bridge The Gap" which features the new single "Lord Of The Lost And Lonely".
Four days before his UK tour kicks off, Schenker will headline Planet Rockstock Festival at Trecco Bay in South Wales on Saturday 6th December.
Scottish vocalist Doogie White, who co-wrote the album with Schenker, soars across every song, and stamps his enthusiastic personality with every note and phrase. Wayne Findlay adds another dimension to the dynamic, classic Schenker sound with his Dean 7 string guitar and keyboard orchestrations.
Bridge the Gap is a thunderous, explosive collection of brand new songs steeped in shades of dark and light. Musically and lyrically, the new album shows a re-energised guitarist at the top of his game, surrounded by top drawer musicians.
Bridge The Gap features Schenker’s Temple of Rock band, comprising ex-ScorpionsHerman Rarebell (drums) and Francis Buchholz (bass), ex-Rainbow vocalist Doogie White and Wayne Findlay (guitar, keyboards).
The new LP includes thirteen adrenalin-fuelled melodic rock’n’roll songs that showcase Schenker’s distinctive and explosive guitar playing, valiantly underpinned by the ferocious rhythm section of Rarebell and Buchholz, marking the first time Schenker, Rarebell and Buchholz have appeared on the same album since the Scorpions’ 1979 Lovedrive.
Vocalist Doogie White, who co-wrote the album with Schenker, soars across every song, and stamps his enthusiastic personality with every note. Wayne Findlay adds another dimension to the dynamic, classic Schenker sound with his Dean 7 string guitar and keyboard orchestrations.
Bridge the Gap is a thunderous, explosive collection of brand new songs steeped in shades of dark and light. Musically and lyrically, the new album shows a re-energised guitarist at the top of his game, surrounded by top drawer musicians.
The album, recorded at Kidroom Studios, Germany, was produced by Schenker and co-produced and engineered by Michael Voss.
"I sent material to Doogie in the New Year and he started writing melodies and lyrics," says Schenker. There was a lot of energy flying about during the recording process. I had the same drive making this album as I had when I was 16. I wanted it fast, heavy and melodic. It felt like bridging the gap from my teenage and Lovedrive years to what I am doing now. I’m back to where I was a long time ago and I love it."
"Never having really written with Michael before, apart from When the Devil Knows You’reDead (from 2011’s Temple of Rock album), I didn’t know how flexible he would be writing wise," recalls Doogie." I recorded some vocal tracks as ideas and when Michael heard them we were off and running. Within two weeks we were in the studio laying down tracks."
Schenker admits that when he wrote this album, he tried to get a balance between songs that are heavy, fast and melodic, complimented by his signature guitar solos.
"I wanted to combine the old with the new," says Schenker. "That’s why the album’s called Bridge The Gap. With Wayne playing 7 string guitar we created some low, heavy modern sounds. Since I play and experiment on a regular basis, I always have some new, fresh sparks to share when I record a new album. I am inspired from within. It’s infinite like a kaleidoscope."
"As former members of the Scorpions, Herman, Francis and I have been out of the loop of rock’n’roll for quite a while. Getting together for the first time since the Lovedrive album is an incredible jump. We’re connecting the past with the present. We’re bridging the gap."
Schenker remains philosophical about the name of the new album. He believes the name reflects what is going on in the fast-moving world around him.
"Everything that is currently going on in this world is showing that people are desperate for change. We need to bridge the gap of poverty. There are too many innocent people getting killed in terrorist attacks. We need to leave all of this chaos behind us. We have to be strong. We have to continue moving forward, working together in a balanced way."
Schenker is amazed how melodic the new album turned out, but he still insists the songs still feature a bit of darkness as well.
"I came up with the name of the album, before I even started writing. When Doogie started writing the lyrics to the new songs he had something to go by."
1. NEPTUNE RISING
2. WHERE THE WILD WINDS BLOW
3. HORIZONS
4. LORD OF THE LOST AND LONELY
5. ROCK'N'ROLL SYMPHONY
6. TO LIVE FOR THE KING
7. LAND OF THUNDER
8. TEMPLE OF THE HOLY
9. SHINE ON
10. BRIDGES WE HAVE BURNED
11. BECAUSE YOU LIED
12. BLACK MOON RISING
13. DANCE FOR THE PIPER
14. FAITH (VOCALS: DON DOKKEN) (BONUS TRACK)
All songs produced by: Michael Schenker and Michael Voss
All songs are written by: Music - Michael Schenker Lyrics - Doogie White Except: ‘Neptune Rising' (Michael Schenker) Bonus track "Faith" appears on the Special Edition,
featuring Don Dokken (vocals)
MICHAEL SCHENKER'S TEMPLE OF ROCK
THE MAKING OF THE NEW ALBUM
Michael Schenker and Herman Rarebell met on and off over the years and eventually decided to do something together. Schenker hadn’t performed UFO material for a while, and decided to put a touring project together with Best of Michael Schenker material. Pete Way showed up at one of Schenker’s MSG Shows and appeared to be in good spirit, and was invited to Brighton to jam together. At the same time, Schenker was about ready to start working on a new album. He went to a studio in Muenster to record a demo. Michael Voss was engineering and laid down guide vocals.
Schenker liked his voice and asked Voss if he wanted to do the singing. When Schenker finished the demo he played it to Pete and Herman. They liked what they heard and immediately offered to become the rhythm section. The result was 2011’s "Temple Of Rock" album which featured guest musicians including Star Trek’s Captain Kirk (William Shatner) who recorded the spoken word intro on the album. Schenker ended up playing on Shatner’s solo album. Vocalist Doogie White also appeared on the album. Schenker wrote a song specially suited for Doogie’s vocals - "Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead".
The song became a favourite on the album and was A-listed on Planet Rock radio in the UK. When it was time for Schenker to go on tour, Michael Voss wasn’t available, so he had to find a replacement.
Having Robin McAuley singing on one song, Schenker thought about having different line-ups between Voss, McAuley and Doogie (based on their availability). Voss toured with Schenker in Japan, McAuley toured with Schenker in the USA, and Doogie toured with Schenker in Europe.
The song became a favourite on the album and was A-listed on Planet Rock radio in the UK. When it was time for Schenker to go on tour, Michael Voss wasn’t available, so he had to find a replacement.
Having Robin McAuley singing on one song, Schenker thought about having different line-ups between Voss, McAuley and Doogie (based on their availability). Voss toured with Schenker in Japan, McAuley toured with Schenker in the USA, and Doogie toured with Schenker in Europe.
When Schenker was getting ready for the European tour, he learned that Pete Way was not well so he asked Herman Rarebell what Francis Buchholz was up to due to the fact that Schenker performed several Scorpions songs in his set. Francis was happy to join for our European tour with Doogie on vocals and Wayne Findlay on guitar and keyboards. The tour was so successful that Schenker decided to film one of the concerts for a live DVD. The band got stronger and stronger and completed their European tour, but more offers were coming in to perform additional gigs.
Schenker seized the opportunity to record an album after the end of the first leg of their European tour. There was a six month window. Doogie was ready to go for it and so was the rest of the band. Schenker started laying down tracks and gave the material to Doogie so he could start writing the lyrics. Off they went recording with Michael Voss as their engineer/ co-producer. Everything went like clockwork and was finished before the set off to tour Russia in April 2013.
The band toured for another three months in Europe and grew stronger. After finishing the second part of the tour, they got back together and remixed and re-mastered the album. Entitled "Bridge The Gap", the album will be released December 2nd 2013. In 2014, Michael Schenker’s Temple of Rock will embark on a North American tour. "We’re ready to rock," says Schenker.
The award-winning, legendary guitarist Michael Schenker will embark on a nationwide UK tour at the Newcastle O2 Academy from 10th December. Tickets are available from the 24 hour box office 0844 478 0898 or from www.thegigcartel.com.
Schenker will perform tracks from his current studio album "Bridge The Gap" which features the new single "Lord Of The Lost And Lonely".
Four days before his UK tour kicks off, Schenker will headline Planet Rockstock Festival at Trecco Bay in South Wales on Saturday 6th December.
Scottish vocalist Doogie White, who co-wrote the album with Schenker, soars across every song, and stamps his enthusiastic personality with every note and phrase. Wayne Findlay adds another dimension to the dynamic, classic Schenker sound with his Dean 7 string guitar and keyboard orchestrations.
Bridge the Gap is a thunderous, explosive collection of brand new songs steeped in shades of dark and light. Musically and lyrically, the new album shows a re-energised guitarist at the top of his game, surrounded by top drawer musicians.
Video : Michael Schenker vocalist joins Eden's Curse onstage in London
Multinational Melodic Metal band and AFM Records act, Eden's Curse, were joined onstage at Camden Underworld, London by former Rainbow, Yngwie Malmsteen and current Michael Schenker vocalist Doogie White.
White, who contributed guest backing vocals to the groups 2007 self-titled debut and 2008's sophomore release, "The Second Coming", joined new Curse vocalist Nikola Mijic (Alogia, Dreyelands) for a duet on their 2011 YouTube hit "No Holy Man".
"No Holy Man" was the lead single from the groups third album, "Trinity", which featured Dream Theater vocalist James LaBrie on guest lead vocals.
Eden's Curse have just completed a successful seven date debut headline club tour of the UK in support of their latest album "Symphony Of Sin", with the grand finale being the show at the infamous club in the English capital.
More fan filmed footage from the show can be seen here :
The band, consisting of Nikola Mijic (vocals), Thorsten Koehne (guitar), Paul Logue (bass) and John Clelland (drums), will begin writing their fifth studio album towards the end of the Summer and are already putting plans in place to return to the UK towards the end of the year, as well as working on additional European dates.
