Michael Schenker Group

Formed in London in 1979 around German guitarist Michael Schenker after his stints with Scorpions and UFO, the Michael Schenker Group, often abbreviated MSG, occupies a hard rock space tinged with heavy metal, where guitar melodies, crisp riffs and highly crafted solos are central to the sound. From the outset, the Michael Schenker Group functioned with a fluid lineup, Michael Schenker remaining the sole permanent member over the decades. The band's first era was established with Gary Barden on vocals and produced The Michael Schenker Group in 1980, followed by MSG in 1981, Assault Attack in 1982 and Built to Destroy in 1983, alongside the live album One Night at Budokan in 1982. After a hiatus in the mid‑1980s and the McAuley Schenker Group episode, Michael Schenker revived the Michael Schenker Group in 1995 with a new lineup, opening a second recording phase marked by Written in the Sand (1996), The Unforgiven (1999), Be Aware of Scorpions (2001), Arachnophobiac (2003), Tales of Rock’n’Roll (2006), In the Midst of Beauty (2008), and later Immortal (2021) and Universal (2022). Through its reconfigurations, the Michael Schenker Group has remained tied to the European hard rock and metal scenes, balancing classic continuity with successive relaunches under different names.