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Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammettwent toe-to-toe with one of his idols, former UFO and Scorpions guitar player Michael Schenker, on the latter’s new song. On “Heart and Soul,” which will appear on Schenker’s upcoming LP, Resurrection, the two musicians trade off both bluesy and angular phrases before singer Robin McAuley brings it all back to the chorus.
Schenker recently told Revolver he recorded his solo at Hammett’s studio in Hawaii. “Kirk is a fan [of mine] that’s well known, but he has also become a friend,” the guitarist said of the collaboration.
Hammett told Rolling Stone in 2008 that Schenker’s playing on UFO’s “Mother Mary” changed his whole attitude toward guitar. “[He] wasn’t playing blues-based solos,” Hammett said. “He was playing modes – scales that sounded almost classical – and rhythmically he was out the door. To this day, UFO are my favorite band in the whole world. I was playing ‘Doctor Doctor’ [from 1974’s Phenomenon] for my one-and-a-half-year-old son. He went crazy.”
Schenker will be touring in support of Resurrection, which comes out March 2nd, this spring. He’s dubbed the month-long trek, which will feature appearances by McAuley and vocalists Graham Bonnet, Gary Barden and Doogie White, “Michael Schenker Fest.”
