Back in the mid 80’s Scorpions was the hottest potato you could find in the Hard Rock world. Their album Love At First Sting (1984) and the following World Wide Live (1985) were praised everywhere you looked and even the Hard Rock hating evening press – in Sweden at least – went completely bananas over the band as a live act. Rightfully so because Scorpions were a killer live band. Of course, to top albums like those – and their predecessors as well – wasn’t the easiest task in the world and after their 1988 album Savage Amusement things were starting to go down-hill quality wise even though Crazy World (1990) sold millions. The 90’s weren’t kind to the band at all and with Eye II Eye (1999), the band hit rock bottom after a few underwhelming records. But to lay down and die didn’t apply to the band at all. Nope, it was all about putting the gloves back on and hit back!
2004’s Unbreakable started the band’s way up and even though Humanity: Hour 1 (2007) was somewhat a watershed album among fans – I love that record – it still proved The Scorps as a vital live act on the following tour and the follow-up Sting In The Tail (2010) kept the band on the right course. With the release of the last album Return To Forever (2015) the band announced that it was time for them to say goodbye for good and the following tour was their bye-bye. Luckily enough the band changed their mind – Return To Forever was a bland record and it would have been sad to leave the scene with that record as their last. With drummer James Kottak now once and for all booted out the band new drummer Mikkey Dee (King Diamond, Don Dokken, Motörhead) breathed new air into the band and the guys decided to give us at least one more record before it was time to go – and this time it was all about back to the (80’s) roots.
The energetic opener “Gas In The Tank” proves right off the bat that The Scorps mean business. It’s a firey, edgy rocker, classic Scorpions all the way with a crunchy riff right out the back pocket of Love At First Sting. It feels alive, honest and it damn well kicks up some dust. The melodies are all there and the gut-punching chorus hits like a ton of bricks. This could very well be their new live-opener too. Terrific! The upbeat and raunchy “Roots In My Boots” throws in a riff that looks back to the attack of “Blackout”. Classic Scorpions again? You bet. Full of adrenaline, fire and youthful optimism, the song is here to kick your ass – and so it does. Also, the refrain is a killer too – another live-friendly high-class hard-rocker. Very good.
With a riff that is the bastard child of “Can’t Live Without You” and “Big City Nights”, “Knock ’em Dead” grooves hard and rough and if I didn’t know any better I could have thought I was in a time machine back to 1985. It’s a sweaty and direct rocker with so much energy it sounds like the guys have been drinking rocket-fuel. If this tune doesn’t convince you that the guys are back for real I don’t know what will. Killer stuff. The single and title-track is an anthemic arena-rocker that might be more early 90’s Scorps but kicks every track on Crazy World right into next week. With down-beat, almost ballad-like – yet rhythmic verses, quite atmospheric the song builds up a path for the big, pop-hooky chorus, a chorus impossible to delete from the brain. Bloody brilliant.
With “Shining Of Your Soul” they clearly looks back to a song like “Is There Anybody There” with it’s reggae influenced rhythms in the verses. However, the song starts out with a heavy riff which contrasts well when the held-back, “In Trance”-like verses starts. The chorus-riff brings on more edge and the huge melody-hook brings on a slight Melodic Rock touch without ever losing the Scorpions outlook or structure. Awesome. Latest single “Seventh Sun” is slow, dark and heavy with a menacing riff and the song brings “China White” to mind. It’s a huge number with an epic feel to it – both muscular and a bit gloomy with strong melodies all over and a bull’s eye refrain. It might be an odd choice for a single but it’s a fantastic tune.
“Hot And Cold” is upbeat, driving and straight forward with a powerful punch. The riffs are crispy and rowdy and it holds a big live-feel. While all this sounds fine and dandy, the verses are way better than the chorus, a chorus that’s actually a throwaway which makes the song fall a bit flat without being bad per se. “When I Lay My Bones To Rest” keeps up the faster pace and the kick-ass vibes scratches and bites like the hard-rocking gut-punch it is – think a less frantic “Dynamite” and you’re pretty close. In opposite to the previous song, this one holds a striking melody and a hard-edged refrain that grabs a holds from first spin. Damn good.
Also a single, “Peacemaker” is an upbeat, Classic 80’s Scorpions blaster that wouldn’t have made a fool of itself on an album like Blackout. It’s riffy, raw and it’s a fast KO, fast-tracked with some brilliant twin-guitars and a solid chorus. Again, I’m not thinking single material here, it feels more like a deep-track that will work very well from the stage. Good one. “Call Of The Wild” (there should be a fine for every musician who uses this title from now on…) brings on a 70’s Classic Rock touch. It’s a slower and darker tune close to balladry but still not quite. The nods to Beatles and Stones’ “Sympathy For The Devil” are woven in secretly but creates some cool vibes and the chorus is again very memorable, classic Scorpions. A good tune.
Being looked on by many as a ballad-band (which of course is dead wrong), we’re ten songs in and still not one pure ballad. Well, track # 11, “When You Know (Where You’re From)” is that ballad. What we’re given here is a classic Scorpions ballad albeit without the “Wind Of Change” cheese. It’s a low-key tune song, quite earthy with some glistening bluesy – licks inserted. It’s released as a single too and rightfully so because it’s a solid ballad with gorgeous vocal-melodies and an terrific refrain – and the best ballad from the band since I don’t know when. And by that tune, the album is done – if you don’t get a hold of the expanded version with a bonus CD, that is.
The bonus CD begins with “Shoot For Your Heart”, a crunchy rocker with sharp, driving riffage and some delicious grooves. Quite straight ahead, the Scorps goes all in with an energetic stomp and some classic, 80’s Scorpions vibes complete with a contagious chorus that sticks like glue. Why use a track like this on the bonus CD is beyond me – it’s a splendid number and could even go as a single. Great. The crunchy and rowdy rocker “When Tomorrow Comes” comes with a spoken-word singing verses and some metal-edgy guitars where the chorus comes across as somewhat monotone. It’s not bad but maybe not album-worthy. The chorus is too hook-less for me.
“Unleash The Beast” is a hard-hitting stomper with some raw guitar work, a ballsy beat and a pumping bass. It’s a no-bull, straight ahead Hard Rock belter, slightly metal-fused and maybe not as melodic as the rest of the album and the chorus is more of a fist in the face than something to sing along to. I dig when Scorpions goes for aggression and this song does exactly that. Good one. The mid-paced “Crossing Borders” is more laid-back Hard Rock with some sleaze-glam guitars and a bit of a bluesy swagger and a big, fat chorus that nails itself to the brain right from hello. Damn good. As a closer we get an acoustic version of “When You Know” – very low-key, stripped and organic. A really good version and I can’t make up my mind which version I prefer. Yes, folks, you should go for the version with the bonus CD.
If Scorpions had bid their farewells with the last album, it would have been a shame but if they decide to do so with this one they can retire with heads held high because, dudes and dudettes, this album is bloody awesome. In fact, this is the best Scorpions effort since Love At First Sting in my book. Yes, better than Savage Amusement. I don’t know if it’s the addition of Mikkey Dee, that he might have breathed new life into the band but whatever it is, I hope they will keep it because not only are the songs awesome with a classic Scorpions production, the guys feels fresh, alive and ready to kill – this is by no means an album by a bunch of old, tired geezers. Welcome back and I hope you have more of this in you for future releases.
8/10
More Scorpions reviews:
Sting In The Tail
Return To Forever
Tracklist:
1. Gas In The Tank
2. Roots In My Boots
3. Knock ‘Em Dead
4. Rock Believer
5. Shining Of Your Soul
6. Seventh Sun
7. Hot And Cold
8. When I Lay My Bones To Rest
9. Peacemaker
10. Call Of The Wild
11. When You Know (Where You Come From)
12. Shoot For Your Heart
13. When Tomorrow Comes
14. Unleash The Beast
15. Crossing Borders
16. When You Know (Where You Come From) (Acoustic Version)
CD & Festival reviews 