MSZ....R.B Araki ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

EMERGENCE

1.Armed And Ready
2.Rock You To The Ground
3.Desert Song
4.Broken promises
5.Fat City N.O
6.Into The Arena
7.Lost Horizons
8.Dancer-Ready To Rock
9.Rock You To The Ground (Live)
10.Lost Horizons (Live)
11.Into The Arena (Live)
12.Dancer ~ Ready To Rock (Live)

This album is not just a tribute band recorded live but a gracious, emotional event from the biggest Michael Schenker Fan on the planet who we all know and love from the news he has brought us for many years.What some people don't know is that Ritchey lost a dear friend Sawako Ito and as a guitar player myself the emotion is the main tool in your techniques and ability. On this given gig you are to hear just that pouring out of R.B.Araki's guitar. He is joined on vocals with Makoto who I think is the Japanese version of Graham Bonnet on a couple of those Assault Attack songs. On Bass guitar is SOME. And drums the very hard hitting KAZ.These guys are tight and you can tell they have played together many times and the most important thing.... they are Schenker die hards!!

Ritchey flat out plays Michaels leads note for note as he wails away as the loss of his friend gives the gig a very magic and special feel and opens the album with Armed and Ready, Rock You To The Ground, and one of my all time favorites, Desert song. Now if your an axe player and tried figuring out or looking at tabs you can go quite mad trying to play these emotional leads of Herr Schenker. Ritchey can do the notes, the Tone, and the very important Vibrato that gives Michael the perfect sound indeed! Number #5 track Fat City is awesome and Ritchey again nails the lead in one of my favorite songs from The Unforgiven CD. Tracks 6# and 7# are my favorites of the album for reason they are my two favorite MSG songs ever!!! Into The Arena I have tried many times to master and failed and R.B. does it to perfection. The intro to Lost Horizons and the sound is about the best and about the closest to ever hearing anyone matching MS IMOP .Very precise and again the tone and feedback affect of the song in whole much like Budakon leads in the 80's? I also enjoyed Makoto's vocal's on Rock You To The Ground.

Hahah..Now since Ritchey asked me to give my critique it would be hard in this situation being the reason for it all came about and all I would only say is for Makoto to turn it up louder on a few tracks and for a guy who most likely does or doesn't speak English fluently I give Makoto an A for effort and the rhythm section very tight indeed.Taz is a bit COZY in a lot of ways. Dancer is a perfect song for Makoto's range and style definitely! The production as a whole a very good job. Some day I hope to be on the next R.B. project. Overall great job again from R.B Araki plus live recordings aren't a piece of cake to edit either. And if Ritchey dedicates track 10 to the Battttty mistress herself it's got to be Smoking!!! Thanks for being a great friend and thanks again for the MSZ EMERGENCE. Go to his Michael Schenker site here also listen for MSZ tunes at Skids UFO/MSG/Scorpions station...Axe