Legendary guitarist MICHAEL SCHENKER is featured in a new interview with Norway's Metal Express Radio. An excerpt is available below:

MER: You`ll be coming over (to the UK) with a line up including Herman Rarebell and Francis Bucholz from the SCORPIONS, and Doogie White from RAINBOW. How does it feel having two former Scorpions in your band?

Schenker: "It`s absolutely great to be able to play with Herman and Francis again. It gives us the chance to complete the Lovedrive tour that never really happened all those years ago. Now we can play some of those Scorpions songs together and make up for not doing it the first time round."

MER: You have so much material to choose from over your career. By having two Scorpions in your band, will you be playing a few of their songs?

Schenker: "We`ll be doing songs from UFO`s Strangers in the Night, MSG`s One Night At Budokan, the Scorpions' Lovedrive album, as well as a couple of songs from the later period of Herman and Francis`s time in the Scorpions, like 'Rock You Like A Hurricane' and 'Blackout', which they played on originally. We`ll also be playing new songs from Temple Of Rock."

MER: Your line-up has constantly changed over the years. Does it make it more challenging for you having to rehearse and play with so many different musicians, or does the variety keep it interesting for you?

Schenker: "I don`t change the line-up on purpose, it`s something that happens, but it`s been happening less lately. People seem to be available and right now there seems to be some kind of solid thing going on, so it`s been great to have that. I have a funny feeling this line-up will stay together for some time, especially as we are making a new album together."

Click here for the complete interview.

Schenker's UK dates include:

April

9 - Stockton on Tees, England - ARC
10 - Aberdeen, Scotland - Lemon Tree

11- Edinburgh, Scotland - HMV Picturehouse

12 - Newcastle, England - O2 Academy
13 - Holmfirth, England - Picturedrome
14 - Warrington, England - Parr Hall
16 - Falmouth, England - Princess Pavilion
17 - Bristol, England - O2 Academy
18 - Salisbury, England - City Hall
19 - Oxford, England - O2 Academy
20 - Nottingham, England - Rock City
21 - Norwich, England - Waterfront

May

31 - London, England - O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire

In a recent interview with Anthony Morgan at Metal Forces, Michael Schenker, discussed the forthcoming new album, stating: “We are actually already starting a new album which will be released by the end of 2013, so hopefully we will have something ready to perform on the next tour which starts in April. Everybody is putting their things together. I’m putting my things together, putting down my guitars. Basically from that moment on, it goes pretty quick. It’s with Doogie White, with that line-up. Doogie White, Herman Rarebell, Francis Buchholz, Wayne Findlay, and myself. It’s the same lineup as Tilburg.”

Temple Of Rock’s successor will inevitably adhere to a signature style. “It’s Michael Schenker,” the mainman laughs. “I’m being myself. When I write music, it’s Michael Schenker music because I’m creating on a whim. I don’t look around, and say ‘Oh, what shall I do today?’ I just express myself, and so what comes out is what comes out. I don’t have a description for that other than it’s what I do. It’s basically as much as possible pure self-expression. That’s what people tell me, that they can recognise my style. I wouldn’t know because I’m too deep in it, so… I don’t look at it that way anyway, but just based on what people say that’s what’s happening. I think when people focus on what’s within themselves – in other words, when people express themselves rather than trying to play something that somebody else has already expressed – automatically they will become original, because only you can express what’s inside you. You see what I mean? It’s natural that you’ll be very recognisable, because you’re the only one who does it.”

Go to this location for the complete interview.