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First Demo Album "EMERGENCE" (05/2004 Release)
Debut Live (01/31/2004)
First Demo Album "EMERGENCE" (05/2004 Release)
This demo album is not a commercial product and is only available via this website.
To get our CD and for more info, please contact R.B. Araki.
(Reviews & Comments)
By Axeslinger (Axeslinger.com)
Axe has kindly set up a webpage of his review. His review is reproduced here.
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 that 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 either to edit and stuff. 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. Also listen for MSZ tunes at Skids UFO/MSG/Scorpions station... Peace all...Axe
By Panyarak
Araki-san,
I wish to offer my views on the CD as follows:
Great instrumentals and vocal parts. The singer reminds me of the good old days when Graham Bonnet ruled the major rock arena. The down point is that the sound quality is slightly on the low end like many average bootleg recordings in the 80s. I wish the CDs were properly recorded with the help of new technology to reflect the true sound so that we could appreciate
the great musicianship. Although I lived in Japan for 5 years, I was never aware of these live shows until I left Japan when my friend suggested me to check out the website. I wish I could see them live and would like to have a DVD recording of their show.
Panyarak
By Peter (Mondria's Schenker Website)
Hi Ritchie,
Here's my Emergence review:
Just had a chance to listen to the Japanese MSG tribute band M2SZ's first album entitled: 'Emergence'. And I must say, I am duly impressed from the first note, it sounds like MSG, It feels like MSG, It is MSG! Twelve tracks of the best classic MSG songs is what you get on 'Emergence'. This MSG tribute album also includes live versions of 'Rock You To TheGround', 'Lost Horizons', 'Into The Arena' and 'Dancer~Ready To Rock' which were recorded at January 31, 2004 at The Edge in Tokyo, Japan.
'Emergence' opens with MSG's stunning 'Armed And Ready'. It has always been one of my all time favorite MSG songs. Great! Next song is 'Rock You To The Ground', with Makoto screaming his head off. It's amazing how his voice is just as raw as Bonnet, a very well implementation that stick quite close to the original. My only point of criticism is tha this voice is a little to low during a few songs. Further on, we can hear some of the best MSG songs ever, 'Desert Song' (once again impressive guitarwork) and 'Broken Promises', (just as massive as the original tune..really incredible). Next number is 'Fat City N.O.' with some excellent drumming from KAZ. This number was seldom played live by MSG and that's weird because M2SZ proves that this song is very exciting, and these guys played it as meant; faster than the speed of light. It's difficult to indicate the best songs, as the quality is held high constantly but in my opinion the absolutely highlight on this album is their version of 'Into The Arena' including a short piece of the Rainbow tune 'Difficult to Cure', after the bass break...Very inventiv and particular well performed. Ritchie's playing on this instrumental track is so similar to that of Michael's that sometimes I forget I'm not listening to MSG. After last song is 'Lost Horizons' (dedicated to our Battttttty) with an abundance of emotional guitar work and excellent basswork of SOME, well done!! Close your eyes and listen to the way Ritchie used the wah pedal and brings out a great kind of rock guitaring with impressive riffs and leads of rapture..Yesss..it's undoubted the axeman himself! The album then comes to an end with a nice medley of two classic songs 'Dancer~Ready To Rock ' in which all the qualities of the band are once again shown in abundance for a last time.
I now have this album for only three days and have listened to it 4 to 5 times. Seems I just can't get enough of it. Yes..They bring out the MSG in me, they really do .
Peter
By Thierry
Hello R.B Araki,
First I thank you for the quality of your professionnal work, deluxe top quality artwork cover with picture disc. I'm really happy with the 8 cds. At this time my favorite is simply MSZ, I'm very surprise by the power of this production, the sound is Heavy and that's the spirit of classic MSG, Makoto on lead vocal is the right choice, I think his best result is probably on 'Rock you to the ground'; bass & drums are simply perfect, no doubt, I remember sometime in the glorious MSG hours, the problem in the early 80' it was the production. MSG on stage was really Heavy with Mr Powell, on drums but in the studio it was not the same power. But when I listen MSZ, your project is a sort of interesting alchemy between studio sound and the power of a live show.
I keep the best for the final, it's the guitar work! I can't believe again, that's really the same guitar touch as Michael himself, some guitarist try to play as Michael, but here Mr R.B Araki is perfect, each time perfect. The riffs, the solos, the sound, the feeling WAAAOOOHHHH! My favorite is probably 'Desert song' the guitar sound and feeling is absolutely incredible. I read all the tracks were engineered and remastered by you, it a very good work. I just think on 'Desert song' Makoto is a bit under the good mix, for his voice we need a bit + with the level. But it's my favorite cover.
Again a great result for 'Broken promises' Makoto give us a very good job, the rhytm bass/drums is enormous. KAZ play in the spirit of Cozy Powell, really great his drum break in 'Into the arena', this instrumenal killed me!!! Simply ENORMOUS work! Waaaoooohhhh, the guitar work is the best spirit of Michael I listen in all my life!
Any serious MSG or Heavy Metal fan must listen this tribute work, difficult to choice a favorite song in this tribute same feeling for 'Lost Horizons' and 'Dancer-Ready to rock' all are great.
And I think the covers of UFO in the diff are simply the best guitar tribute work. Another favorite CD is Yamaguchi Schenker: back in Taira, great material.
Thanks R.B Araki, I hope you will play again and again in the spirit of Michael, and I'm waiting your next CD, don't forget me!!!
Best luck for MSZ
Thierry from France.
By Wilson
I have been listening to it over the last 2 days, I think it is excellent.
My thoughts (in no order):
- your playing is excellent
- your guitar sound is really great! the tone is just right
- Makoto's voice does sound like Graham...
- I think Dancer is the most difficult track for singing, but it is great for Makoto to do it
- I like the Budokan feel to the CD, from the Flight of the Valkyre intro to Lost Horizons, especially the bell sounds from the top of neck, it is very good
- wah pedal work is very precise
- I think rhythm part to Fat City is quite difficult to play yes?
- SOME did some very nice bass work
- Kaz is also pretty solid
Excellent work my friend!
Your comments and reivew would be welcome!!
Debut Live at Roppongi Edge, Tokyo on Janury 31, 2004
It's very sad to say that the venue staff failed to tape our live performance. They videotaped our show but sound quality was very low. But we happened to know that one of the audience taped our show!!! That's wonderful. He kindly sent the disc to us. Thank you very much, Katsumi!
(Set List)
- Armed And Ready
- Rock You To The Ground MP3 (2.40MB)
- Lost Horizons MP3 (3.16MB) --- dedicated to Battttty
- Into The Arena MP3 (2.44MB)
- Broken Promises
- Dancer - Ready To Rock