I was quite surprised to find out that Michael had actually done an album over the last year. With the turmoil in U.F.O. and his ultimately leaving the band (again...) as well as his reported trips in and out of rehab, I really didn't expect to hear from him so soon. It has recently been reported that Jeff Watson (Night Ranger) actually did lead guitar work on 3 or 4 of the tracks after Michael went missing for a while. One can only hope he finally gets his act together. Chris Logan, who we were first introduced to on the Be Aware Of Scorpions album, returns again on vocals along with Jeremy Colson, drums and veteran bass player, Stu Hamm, both of who played with Steve Vai when he and Michael toured a few years ago with the G3 project.

The first listen to this album really didn't get me too excited although a few tracks did stand out. Upon subsequent spins, it really started to take shape and it really is a good album. I wasn't too impressed with the Unforgiven album and the Be Aware Of Scorpions album, although that one showed some improvement but thankfully, this new one Arachnophobiac is another step (more like a leap!!) in the right direction for Michael. Chocked full of U.F.O. style riffs and a great 70's classic rock sound, Micheal Schenker has delivered one of his best albums outside of U.F.O. in years. There's a great catchy groove to most songs and Chris Logan's vocals are amazing!! He's a very soulful and intense singer and reminds me a lot of Paul Rodgers (Bad Company), Ray Gillan (Badlands) and David Coverdale (Whitesnake). His intense and powerful vocal delivery really gives the album that 70's classic bluesy hard rock sound. Musically, the tracks even venture into the realms of Bad Company and Led Zeppelin, all the while keeping the U.F.O. flag proudly waving.

The production is a bit flat on this album and could be better but there's one solution.....crank it up!!!...it sounds pretty good that way!! Michael's lead soloing as well is a bit sub-par by his standards. He still plays with the same style but the fluidity of his playing just isn't there. He has such a great soulful way with his guitar playing but it seems rather simple on this album. Some of the best and fastest ripping leads are found on songs that Jeff Watson played on, not Michael. The riffs and song structures are quite simple as well with very few lead fills that Michael used to do over the rhythm track and I really miss that.

I'm happy that Michael is still capable of putting out solid material but I'm noticing a decline in his lead playing that I hope is just a result of what he's going through to get clean and sober. I noticed this with the Sharks album from U.F.O last year as well. If he can get the monkey off his back so to speak, I hope his playing will improve to the level of greatness it once was. It's sad to see one of my all time favorite guitar players go through this but this album may be a new ray of sunshine on the horizon for him and the promise of things to come. Fans of Michael's work should be pleasantly surprised by this album and even fans of classic bluesy hard rock in the vein of Bad Company, Whitesake and Led Zeppelin will find lots to like about this album. A return to form for Michael? Not quite, but it's a step in the right direction!!!