The Michael Schenker Group will release their new studio album Don’t Sell Your Soul on October 3 through earMUSIC and today the official music video for the album’s title track has also been released.
Schenker and his band gave fans the first live performance of Don’t Sell Your Soul on July 31 at the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany.
Don’t Sell Your Soul is the latest album from the Michael Schenker Group and marks the second installment of a trilogy that began with 2024’s My Years With UFO.
The album was co-produced by Schenker and Michael Voss and recorded with longtime collaborators Bodo Schopf on drums, Barend Courbois on bass, and Steve Mann on guitar and keyboards. On lead vocals is Erik Grönwall, the former Skid Row singer widely regarded as one of the standout rock voices of his era. Guest vocalists include Robin McAuley, Roberto Dimitri “Lia” Liapakis, and Voss.
Schenker’s career with UFO began under unique circumstances. While UFO was preparing for a tour in Germany, their then-guitarist Bernie Marsden forgot his passport and couldn’t make the first show. At the same venue, the band noticed Michael playing a soundcheck with the Scorpions. They convinced him to step in for the night, and what began as a last-minute substitution quickly turned into a defining chapter in rock history.
After several years, Schenker left UFO to focus on his own music. In 1979, he officially formed the Michael Schenker Group, which has seen numerous lineups and continued to record and tour ever since.
Though his time with UFO lasted only six years, his influence was immediate. During that period, the band released a string of essential albums, including Phenomenon, Force It, No Heavy Petting, Lights Out, Obsession, and the iconic live release Strangers In The Night. The latter remains one of the most celebrated live rock albums of all time and continues to be considered essential listening for fans of the genre.
