After years of operating as a solo artist, former Scorpions and UFO man Schenker says he was moved by the deaths of Gary Moore and Ronnie James Dio to go back to his rock band roots.

He tells Metalholic he got all of his experimentation out of his system in his years as a solo artist and realized he was ready to work as part of a band again. He adds: "I'm going backwards, I'm going upside down. I was focusing on becoming a great guitarist and more of a solo thing. I got all my things out of my system, all the things I wanted to do. All the musical experiments, because no touring band would have wanted to do that.

"People are passing away, like Gary Moore, Ronnie James Dio, Johnny Winter and so many people. It's gonna be just a memory, this incredible era that has lasted 50 years now.