BE AWARE OF SCORPIONS

MSG

2001

Review by Magnus Beronius

First I would like to point out one or two things.... I'm a die hard fan of UFO/MSG, got every record, as You all... I'm always trying to be as objective as possible and by the years I have become more and more fastidious when it comes to MSG. I might be a little bit conservative in my "love" to MSG, I mean those good old glory days.... Cry For The Nations, On And On... Rock You To The Ground, Red Sky....

[I've only listened to the CD twice - "Two Times"]

Nuff said - The new CD, Be Aware Of Scorpions, ROCKS!!!! There are no ballads on this CD, however You will find 'small' ballads/parts within the songs... The sound is pretty heavy and so is the bassplaying, specially in track no. 7 'Age Of Ice', a pretty cool song. If we were lacking ending solos from The Unforgiven/Covenant - we will find them on this CD. Perhaps that's why MSG opens up with a furious ending solo on the first track 'No Turning Back' - great! You'll also find all those 'Schenker-trademarks' on BAOS, like his burred guitarsound, small 'in-between-solos'. However I feel like the solos are separated/isolated from the rest of the songs. The solos are often very good, but they are not like in the song 'Looking For Love' [and many more, good old timer...]. Every track is not finished by an ending solo and I think those tracks would have been better IF so, cos those songs didn't really 'have IT'.... So far I've only discovered two really hot/good tracks;

* 3. Fallen The Love
* 4. Because I Can

Great refrain/chorus and hard driven playing. Otherwise, at the time, most of the remaining CD is pure Hard Rock with small parts of sweets/candy.... but it does sound like MSG!

In my opinion I think Michael nowadays comes best in his "right place" with UFO or when he's doing an Instrumental album. To me this album - SO FAR - is a rocker-album and will hopefully, probably, grow on me........................ like the way I have rediscovered The Unforgiven! The Covenant album didn't need that at all.

magnus.beronius@seb.se 2001-10-18

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