Review: Michael Schenker Group – Don’t Sell Your Soul

earMusic (October 3^rd, 2025)

Reviewer – Jason Hopper

Legendary guitarist Michael Schenker has returned with ‘Don’t Sell Your Soul’, his latest studio album and the second part of an album trilogy that began with 2024’s covers album ‘My Years With UFO’ (review here)

Admittedly, I am not a huge Michael Schenker fan. I like a select amount of his classic material from his UFO days, with my favorite era from him being the work he did with Robin McAuley.  Without shame, I will admit to wanting to review this album for one reason… Erik Grönwall. In my eyes, the man is a God-tier vocalist. I need to hear anything he sings on.  To my surprise there are other vocalists taking on some tracks, even the return of Mr. McAuley.

I believe most long-time fans will know what to expect with this album, and Michael certainly delivers with some kick ass melodies and chord structures that only he can bring. The one thing I did not expect was the low-key performance from Grönwall on most of these tracks.

His performance on the tltle track single is not a one off. On nearly every track Erik sings on, he maintains a lowered register and that suits the melodies Michael has constructed, so it’s effective. Of his tracks, my favorite is ‘Flesh and Bone’ as it gives the chance for Erik to cut loose and raise his octave a bit. I would have liked him to turn it up a notch for the chorus instead of once again pulling back, but his delivery on the verses of this fast-paced thumper shows him with a bit more drive.

While Erik sings the majority of songs, Michael does have other guests on the album and I am biased to two particular ones:  Michael Voss and Robin McAuley. Voss’ track is ‘Sign of the Times’ and leans more towards his Demon Drive album than his Casanova days. It’s got some solid verses and an overall great groove but lacks a bit in the chorus, with Schenker going with minor chords, leading to a lack of ‘lift’ that’s present in most choruses. 

McAuley sounds as strong as he’s ever been on ‘Six String Shotgun’, a foreboding track that contains that choral ‘lift’ that was not present in the Voss track. Its build from the verses to the chorus, with a slower rhythm building to a standard mid-tempo rock beat works because of the contrast. McAuley’s cadence and conviction in his voice sells the song to you, making it a standout track.

Robin also happens to sing on my second favorite track, Eye of the Storm’.  Schenker is all over the neck of the guitar for this one and the mystical elements he adds to his rhythm playing makes it a unique standout.

‘Surrender’ is a double drum bass blast, reminiscent of Motörhead’s ‘Overkill’ with less intensity. That’s due to the subdued approach from Erik as he maintains a lower register while keeping pace with the frenetic lyrics. Production-wise, this is an odd track as the double bass drums are pushed to the foreground, so much so that they bury Erik’s vocals a bit. This song could have sounded tremendous had the production been better.

Some tracks simply do not work. ‘Janey the Fox’ is a missed opportunity. It has a sleek and sly groove that is low key to start but does nothing with the groove at the chorus. The chorus that is here sounds more like a bridge and the absence of a key change makes the song feel incomplete.

‘The Chosen One’ has a similar issue, the lack of a defined chorus. It’s moody and psychedelic, in that Jefferson Airplane ‘White Rabbit’ sort of way. Then the song unexpectedly speeds up the groove with less than a minute to go. It’s jarring and incompatible.

A quick note regarding the album cover. It should not matter as much these days, but I still appreciate the art of an album cover. This is one of the worst that I have seen in years and does nothing to get people excited about the album. It looks like the soundtrack to a horror movie no one has seen. Good luck selling shirts with that cover on it.

I am not sure what I expected when I thought Erik would be singing on most of the album.  Would he bring elements of his former bands into the mix? It turns out he does not and that error is on me. Michael Schenker is a legend and any singer that has the privilege to perform with him is going to cater to the songs he constructs. If that requires a lower register, than so be it.

With that said, this is exactly the type of album Schenker fans would expect from him and there are enough strong songs on here to recommend streaming and purchasing the album.

Tracklist:

1. Don’t Sell Your Soul
2. Danger Zone
3. Eye of the Storm
4. Janey the Fox
5. I Can’t Stand Waiting
6. Sign of the Times
7. The Chosen One
8. It’s You
9. Six String Shotgun
10. Flesh and Bone
11. Surrender

Tracklist:

CD:

1. Don’t Selll Your Soul
2. Danger Zone
3. Eye of the Storm
4. Janey the Fox
5. Can’t Stand Waiting
6. Sign of the Times
7. The Chosen
8. It’s You
9. Sixstring Shotgun
10. Flesh & Bone
11. Surrender

LP:

A

1. Don’t Selll Your Soul
2. Danger Zone
3. Eye of the Storm
4. Janey the Fox
5. Can’t Stand Waiting

B

1. Sign of the Times
2. The Chosen
3. It’s You
4. Sixstring Shotgun
5. Flesh & Bone
6. Surrender

Web Links:

Official Website

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