Michael Schenker's Temple of Rock: On a Mission - Live in Madrid 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Michael Schenker's Temple of Rock: On a Mission - Live in Madrid 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 19, 2016

One of the first music videos I remember not being able to escape during my first personal interaction with what was then the “newfangled” technology of cable television (and therefore MTV) was “Rock You Like a Hurricane” by Scorpions. There was something deliriously manic about the performance, with lead singer Klaus Meine taking no prisoners in his high voltage delivery of the tune. Perhaps surprisingly given its nonstop status on MTV back in the day (I literally had a running gag with my housemates at the time that if I turned on MTV, “Rock You Like a Hurricane” would be playing, and more than once, it was), the single didn’t really get all that high on Billboard’s Hot 100 listing, topping out at an okay if hardly stellar 25. (It did much better on the Top Rock Tracks, where it eked out a placement in the Top 5.) My hunch is a lot of guys were introduced to Scorpions via this music video, though fans of the band will know that the aggregation had been around for literally decades (or at least a decade and a half or so) before they started making waves on this side of the pond (as evidenced by the always debatable measurement of chart action). That may be one reason why Michael Schenker isn’t especially associated with the band, despite being one of its first guitarists, and of course being the brother of Rudolf Schenker, who to this day is the only Scorpions band member to have stayed with the group through a number of personnel changes.

While never shying away from some harder edged influences, Schenker’s so-called Temple of Rock is perhaps at least slightly more tamped down than the highest voltage Scorpions (or in fact UFO, Schenker’s other well known group) tunes tend to be. There’s an appealing combination of lyrical elements, especially Schenker’s tendency to favor an almost sine wave like quality in some of his more liquid guitar solos, and a really propulsive groove as expertly delineated by drummer Herman Rarebell, bassist Francis Buchholz and multi-instrumentalist Wayne Findlay. Doogie White is on hand taking care of some high energy vocals which nonetheless need to struggle at times to be heard above the onslaught of the instrumental forces.

The band’s set list for the concert includes:

Ocean Odyssey — Intro
Doctor Doctor
Live and Let Live
Lights Out
Where the Wild Things Blow
Natural Thing
Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
Victim of Illusion
Lovedrive
Coast to Coast
Vigilante Man
Rock My Nights Away
Saviour Machine
Too Hot to Handle *
Only You Can Rock Me
Lord of the Lost and Lonely
Rock You Like a Hurricane
Rock Bottom
Horizons
Attack of the Mad Axeman
Communion
Blackout

* There's a funny typo on this tune on the sleeve. Suffice it to say someone left the final letter off of one of the words. Crossword experts are already solving this particular "puzzle".

Michael Schenker's Temple of Rock: On a Mission - Live in Madrid 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

This is the first 4K UHD release I've personally reviewed that does not also include a standard 1080p Blu-ray version as part of the package. Therefore, regular readers of our 4K UHD reviews will notice that I am unable to provide actual screenshots (our 4K UHD reviews typically feature 1080p screenshots, at least for the time being). Also, because there is no standard Blu-ray disc included in this set, there is obviously no 1080p video score either. All of that said, Michael Schenker's Temple of Rock On a Mission Live in Madrid is presented on 4K UHD courtesy of in-akustik with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 1.78:1. This is the first concert video that I'm aware of which has been released in this new format, and the results are very promising. While not completely devoid of typical concert video bugaboos and/or anomalies like banding and posterizing, considering the deep blue and red tones that are often used to light the stage, not to mention some of the typical arena rock conceits like dry ice smoke, there's a really appealingly problem free look to much of this presentation. Eagle eyed viewers may still spot just a hint of banding in moments like an early shot of a blue light aimed directly at the camera, and later there's just a touch of posterizing when deep red tones wash out the head of drummer Herman Rarebell (one of my all time favorite drummer names). One kind of odd thing and not necessarily the fault of the transfer is that at least some midrange shots, especially those taken from stage right (i.e., the left side of the stage from the audience's standpoint) look a little out of focus at times. That adds a touch of softness to what is overall (and otherwise) a nicely sharp and precise looking presentation. Blacks are deep and convincing and the range of tones in the stage lighting is often quite inviting.

Continuing the trend of some of these smaller labels, like Shout!, "bettering" their bigger rivals in terms of HDMI handshake issues, I encountered absolutely no stuttering or other issues when I booted this disc. The disc did take a little longer than usual to actually load (i.e., for the screen of my 4K UHD player to change from its main menu to showing actual video content from the disc).

Michael Schenker's Temple of Rock: On a Mission - Live in Madrid 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Michael Schenker's Temple of Rock On a Mission Live in Madrid features Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 mixes, though audiophiles should be aware the disc defaults to the stereo track for whatever reason. The Atmos mix is wonderfully immersive, with some of Schenker's solos over already pretty thickly massed instruments clearly singing out (literally) above the fray. I found Doogie's vocals a little harder to hear on the Atmos track than on the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 version, which seemed to "breathe" just a bit more, perhaps because the midrange and lower frequencies weren't quite as forceful. There's excellent separation on both of the surround tracks, with clearly defined instruments despite some baroque flourishes to the arrangements. The stereo track probably highlights Doogie's voice the best, but a lot of the impact of the midrange and low end is lost in the process.

Michael Schenker's Temple of Rock: On a Mission - Live in Madrid 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Aside from disc credits (something I don't consider a "scorable" supplement), there's no bonus content of any kind on this 4K UHD disc. The sleeve actually advertises two supplements, Outside the Theater and Soundcheck Sketches, but I sure couldn't find them anywhere. I suspect these were part of the standard 1080p Blu-ray release and didn't "quite" make it to the 4K UHD disc for some reason.

Michael Schenker's Temple of Rock: On a Mission - Live in Madrid 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Michael Schenker's Temple of Rock On a Mission Live in Madrid is a great start to what I hope will be a series of 4K UHD releases of concert fare. Schenker's guitar alternates between frenzy and finesse, and this concert gives him ample opportunity to strut his stuff. His backup band, which includes other Scorpions alum, is energetic and precise. My only real complaint with this package is that it hasn't followed suit of every other 4K UHD release I've personally reviewed, all of which also included a standard 1080p Blu-ray as part of the deal. Technical merits are strong, and Michael Schenker's Temple of Rock On a Mission Live in Madrid comes Recommended.