Let's go for something a bit more, um, generic? Well, mainstream maybe. In a career spanning an impressive half a century, Scorpions have become one of Germany's most famous and successful Heavy Metal bands. Their latest release, their eighteenth, is their first in five years and contains music that was composed but never completed or used, from around the early eighties to last year, and this album showcases them in their finished format. So although it's not entirely a new album, it's not quite a rehash or re-release of older stuff. I guess to some extent it's their version of
The Endless River, only with vocals. And good.
Return to Forever --- Scorpions --- 2015 (Sony Music Germany)
(I'm not bothering with an introduction: who after all doesn't know the Scorpions?)
Track by track
1. Going out with a bang: Sounds like a farewell sort of title, but I don't think the Scorps have any intention of throwing in the towel just yet. In fact, it's said to be about the friendship between the guys. Got a real blues feel to the guitar that opens it, then it rocks nicely, Klaus Meine sounding as good as ever, fifty-some years later. Pretty anthemic, with a nice grinding guitar riff underpinning the song.
2. We built this house: Has a vaguely AOR feel to it, mostly in the way Schenker plays his guitar, not quite as hard as he usually does, and the chorus is very catchy; could see this as a single. Oh look! It was! I feel some keys would work very well here, but seems they're not using any. Can definitely hear this playing on the radio.
3. Rock my car: A more straightforward rock song. It doesn't try to reinvent the wheel, and it's okay. It's good fun and it doesn't overtax the brain.
4. House of cards: Sounds like we have our first ballad. Scorpions of course do some great ballads, as do most metal bands. This is nice. Restrained guitar, soft vocal, decent lyric. I really like the chorus. Backing vocals are great.
5. All for one: Not too hard to guess what this one is about. Curiously, opens on a very Bostonesque guitar, and not surprisingly is another anthemic song. Good advice from Klaus: “Don't mess with rattlesnakes.” Indeed. Kind of a Queen idea to the melody in places.
6. Rock'n'Roll Band: Faster, pumping rhythm here, rocking along nicely with a faster delivery on the vocal from Klaus, almost a metal rap (!) and great work from Rudy and Matthias Jabs. Good vocal harmonies; decent guitar solo but it could have been better.
7. Catch your luck and play: Ah those crazy Germans! Odd title, with a big guitar intro perhaps very slightly reminiscent of “Sweet child o' mine” then it settles down into a sort of boogie groove, more mid-paced than anything really. Great hook in the chorus with lots of shouts of “Hey! Yo!” and so forth.
8. Rollin' home: Sort of “We will rock you” opening with heavy drums then guitars joining in, good melody with another great anthemic chorus. This could easily be another single. Anohter standout.
9. Hard rockin' the place: Another good rocker, though in fairness there's nothing terribly different about it and it's more than a little generic. Not quite filler, but, you know...
10. Eye of the storm: Another ballad? Certainly starts on slow, soft guitar, and I'd be surprised if it changed into anything heavier. That Boston guitar sound is back. But yeah, it's a ballad. Very nice.
11. The scratch: Good bouncy rocker, suggestion of rockabilly in the rhythm. Again though, not really up to that much and a bit of a filler track.
12. Gypsy life: One more ballad to end, though this is really more a power ballad and is certainly the hardest of the three. Good closer, very emotional.
Conclusion: I was never the greatest fan of Scorpions, and am not that familiar with their work, but like Accept last year, this could change my mind. Pretty fine album, and for a band who have been making music for more than half a century you'd definitely have to say this is a great effort. Interesting to see that, though these songs were originally written over thirty years apart in some cases, the basic idea is more or less the same, and the quality, generally, does not vary too much. Even so, perhaps a brand new album might have been better for the fans after five years? Still, I guess it's enough to be going on with for now.