Scorpions have had a quite remarkable career, from local German legends to worldwide chart topper, from hard rock and metal fist pumping anthems to multi million selling power ballads. And all of it has been done without selling out their sound or integrity. Whether you prefer their metal balltearers or their crooning ballads, you can appreciate the other because they all have those grounded Scorpions basics about them, that they are all undeniably written and performed by the same band.
The longevity of the band has been one of its hallmarks, with founding members Klaus Meine and Rudolph Schenker still there at the age of 73, and with legendary 66 year old guitarist Matthias Jabs who has been with the band since 1978 they continue to form the core of the band’s success. Along with bass guitarist Pavel Macwoda and for the first time recording with the group former Motorhead drummer Mikkey Dee, the band had been toying with a new album as a follow up to “Return to Forever” for some time, and with the onset of the covid pandemic had an excuse to have to put their touring schedule on hold and use that time to get back into writing. All this after they had announced that they were going to retire from the music business following the tour to promote their 2010 album “Sting in the Tail”. So what changed after that?, Well, depending on who you listen to, the band just found that they were still enjoying the ride, and after the compilation “Comeblack” was released, they even had ideas for new songs, and so they continued onwards.
Ideas and initial writing for the album began in 2019, but with the onset of the covid19 pandemic the band found themselves with time to fill and the writing began in earnest. From all reports, the songs were written lyrics first which was unusual for the writing pairing of Meine and Schenker. And through 2021 there were videos posted by Mikkey Dee on his pages of the band in the studio, mysteriously recording new music but without any hint of what it was. So whether it was just a project that took a long time to form, or the fact that the band had time to spend in writing a new record, we came to a couple of weeks ago when the long awaited for new album, “Rock Believer” finally came to rest, and the fans responded in the only way they knew how. By celebrating.
The longevity of the band has been one of its hallmarks, with founding members Klaus Meine and Rudolph Schenker still there at the age of 73, and with legendary 66 year old guitarist Matthias Jabs who has been with the band since 1978 they continue to form the core of the band’s success. Along with bass guitarist Pavel Macwoda and for the first time recording with the group former Motorhead drummer Mikkey Dee, the band had been toying with a new album as a follow up to “Return to Forever” for some time, and with the onset of the covid pandemic had an excuse to have to put their touring schedule on hold and use that time to get back into writing. All this after they had announced that they were going to retire from the music business following the tour to promote their 2010 album “Sting in the Tail”. So what changed after that?, Well, depending on who you listen to, the band just found that they were still enjoying the ride, and after the compilation “Comeblack” was released, they even had ideas for new songs, and so they continued onwards.
Ideas and initial writing for the album began in 2019, but with the onset of the covid19 pandemic the band found themselves with time to fill and the writing began in earnest. From all reports, the songs were written lyrics first which was unusual for the writing pairing of Meine and Schenker. And through 2021 there were videos posted by Mikkey Dee on his pages of the band in the studio, mysteriously recording new music but without any hint of what it was. So whether it was just a project that took a long time to form, or the fact that the band had time to spend in writing a new record, we came to a couple of weeks ago when the long awaited for new album, “Rock Believer” finally came to rest, and the fans responded in the only way they knew how. By celebrating.
So after fifty years of writing and recording some of the great songs of the era, there is no reinventing of the wheel here by the band. Their tried and true formula comes to the fore again, the same number of hard rock songs and the same number of slower more reflective tracks as they have done for so much of their career. It’s a formula that has worked well for generations, and perhaps it’s a little predictable in places. The opening track “Gas in the Tank” is a beauty, but both lyrically and musically it is of the same progression as other recent album opening tracks like “Going Out With a Bang”, “Raised on Rock”, “The Game of Life” and “New Generation”. They all are great tempo opening tracks, ones that get you in the mood immediately, and the lyrics are unashamedly about the place the band finds themselves at the time of their career. Here on “Rock Believer” the band has found they still have enough gas in their tank.
The days of unashamed ballads such as “Wind Of Change”, or pop-metal such as “Is There Anybody There?” or bold experiments such as “The Zoo” are long gone. Instead, barring two versions of the 'hold your lighters in the air’ styled “When You Know (Where You Come From”), (yes, one electric and one acoustic) they’ve stuck very much to the hard rock that they have built their career around, and done in such a way that it is hard to imagine they are at an age when most of us would prefer to be retired and in our armchairs.
The formula remains wonderfully intact: galloping guitars and deft choruses – or, as Meine encapsulates in less grammatical terms in “Gas In The Tank”: ‘let’s play it louder, play it hard’. Meine’s vocals, as powerful as they were when he’d rock you like a hurricane, have retained their emotional undertone, and incredibly appear to have deteriorated not a bit since those heady days of the 1980’s when he did actually blow out his vocal chords. He is a modern miracle, where he still seems to sing every song as he did when he first recorded them. Just as impressive is Matthias Jabs’s guitar playing, still which still stands out from the crowd, most heroically on the terrific “Shoot For Your Heart”, and that rhythm section is still just as powerful as it ever was. The great songs keep coming, with “Roots in My Boots” to “Knock em Dead” to “Rock Believer” dealing out the great vibes in the same way they always have.
The utilisation of the reggae guitar riff in “Shining of your Soul” further exemplifies that “past present future” sound, though to be honest it has never really excited me in the songs that the Scorpions use it in. On the other hand, songs such as the frantic and brilliant “When I Lay My Bones to Rest” and the single from the album “Peacemaker” are top shelf Scorpions tracks.
There are two CDs on the Deluxe edition, and I can’t understand why the first song of that second CD, “Shoot from the Heart”, is not on the main album. It is an absolute ripper, fast paced, Klaus really getting into the vocals and Matthias’ guitaring is just superb. It’s practically the best song on the album. This is followed up by the excellent “When Tomorrow Comes” where Klaus sings at us ‘Good morning, world. How do you feel? You look so tired’, and the unusual but interesting “Unleash the Beast”, all of which showcases a terrific band that continues to surprise as to just how good they are.
The days of unashamed ballads such as “Wind Of Change”, or pop-metal such as “Is There Anybody There?” or bold experiments such as “The Zoo” are long gone. Instead, barring two versions of the 'hold your lighters in the air’ styled “When You Know (Where You Come From”), (yes, one electric and one acoustic) they’ve stuck very much to the hard rock that they have built their career around, and done in such a way that it is hard to imagine they are at an age when most of us would prefer to be retired and in our armchairs.
The formula remains wonderfully intact: galloping guitars and deft choruses – or, as Meine encapsulates in less grammatical terms in “Gas In The Tank”: ‘let’s play it louder, play it hard’. Meine’s vocals, as powerful as they were when he’d rock you like a hurricane, have retained their emotional undertone, and incredibly appear to have deteriorated not a bit since those heady days of the 1980’s when he did actually blow out his vocal chords. He is a modern miracle, where he still seems to sing every song as he did when he first recorded them. Just as impressive is Matthias Jabs’s guitar playing, still which still stands out from the crowd, most heroically on the terrific “Shoot For Your Heart”, and that rhythm section is still just as powerful as it ever was. The great songs keep coming, with “Roots in My Boots” to “Knock em Dead” to “Rock Believer” dealing out the great vibes in the same way they always have.
The utilisation of the reggae guitar riff in “Shining of your Soul” further exemplifies that “past present future” sound, though to be honest it has never really excited me in the songs that the Scorpions use it in. On the other hand, songs such as the frantic and brilliant “When I Lay My Bones to Rest” and the single from the album “Peacemaker” are top shelf Scorpions tracks.
There are two CDs on the Deluxe edition, and I can’t understand why the first song of that second CD, “Shoot from the Heart”, is not on the main album. It is an absolute ripper, fast paced, Klaus really getting into the vocals and Matthias’ guitaring is just superb. It’s practically the best song on the album. This is followed up by the excellent “When Tomorrow Comes” where Klaus sings at us ‘Good morning, world. How do you feel? You look so tired’, and the unusual but interesting “Unleash the Beast”, all of which showcases a terrific band that continues to surprise as to just how good they are.
How good are the Scorpions? The first album I ever heard of the band was their “World Wide Live” live album from the mid-80's which was taped for me by my number one metal music dealer from high school, and I was hooked from the start. From there I went back and bought albums such as “Lovedrive” and “Love at First Sting” and “Blackout”, albums that I still today are their best. But really, are there any truly bad Scorpions albums? Sure, their first couple were of a different era, and they hadn’t really found their sound at that point, but from the time Matthias jabs joined the group, they have just been pumping out hit after hit, and it has been a joy to listen to. I thought especially “Humanity: Hour 1” 15 years ago was just an extraordinary album, one that showed they still had what it takes.
And in that spirit, I have thoroughly enjoyed “Rock Believer”. In many ways, the only ingredient that is missing here from those three monster albums of the 1980’s is a... ‘youthful exuberance’. And I guess what I mean in that way is that there is still such energy in these tracks on this album, but it isn’t a hyped up natural ‘we are mid-30's here we are’ kind of energy, it’s a ‘we are middle-aged but we can still rock’ kind of energy. And it is still the same things today that made Scorpions such a great band 40 years ago. Those Klaus Meine vocals that still defy belief – and that he still produces on stage too, as I can finally verify after waiting my whole life to see them. The raging guitars of Rudolph Schenker and Matthias Jabs, both still producing amazing riffs after all of these years. Schenker is still a marvel, still so tight in that rhythm, while the solos and over the top riffing from Matthias here still equals anything he has ever produced. It is a masterclass and still so satisfying and electric. And that rhythm section of Pavel’s bass and the legend of Mikkey Dee on drums is magnificent.
Judas Priest came out a couple of years ago, ironically another band who had whispered about a retirement album and tour about ten years ago, and released their album “Firepower” to worldwide acclaim, as having returned to their roots yet made a modern metal album which was loved by new fans and old alike. And for me, this is a similar album. The formula is tried and tested, there is nothing here that you will consider ground breaking. But it is that great old fashioned Scorpions sound, but in a modern way. The musicianship is second to none, it is recorded, mixed and produced to perfection. And the songs are all terrific. Is there another “Rock You Like a Hurricane” or “Blackout” or even “Wind of Change” here? No, because you don’t want another one of those. You want new songs that remind you how good this band is. And that’s what you get here on “Rock Believer”. Listen... and believe...
And in that spirit, I have thoroughly enjoyed “Rock Believer”. In many ways, the only ingredient that is missing here from those three monster albums of the 1980’s is a... ‘youthful exuberance’. And I guess what I mean in that way is that there is still such energy in these tracks on this album, but it isn’t a hyped up natural ‘we are mid-30's here we are’ kind of energy, it’s a ‘we are middle-aged but we can still rock’ kind of energy. And it is still the same things today that made Scorpions such a great band 40 years ago. Those Klaus Meine vocals that still defy belief – and that he still produces on stage too, as I can finally verify after waiting my whole life to see them. The raging guitars of Rudolph Schenker and Matthias Jabs, both still producing amazing riffs after all of these years. Schenker is still a marvel, still so tight in that rhythm, while the solos and over the top riffing from Matthias here still equals anything he has ever produced. It is a masterclass and still so satisfying and electric. And that rhythm section of Pavel’s bass and the legend of Mikkey Dee on drums is magnificent.
Judas Priest came out a couple of years ago, ironically another band who had whispered about a retirement album and tour about ten years ago, and released their album “Firepower” to worldwide acclaim, as having returned to their roots yet made a modern metal album which was loved by new fans and old alike. And for me, this is a similar album. The formula is tried and tested, there is nothing here that you will consider ground breaking. But it is that great old fashioned Scorpions sound, but in a modern way. The musicianship is second to none, it is recorded, mixed and produced to perfection. And the songs are all terrific. Is there another “Rock You Like a Hurricane” or “Blackout” or even “Wind of Change” here? No, because you don’t want another one of those. You want new songs that remind you how good this band is. And that’s what you get here on “Rock Believer”. Listen... and believe...
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