Scorpions: what can we expect from their new album?

Unpublished article - Max Moeschler

It's resounding news for the rock world: the legendary band Scorpions will be releasing their twentieth studio album, entitled Rock Believer, on February 22, 2022, with a single scheduled for release at the end of October. Given the band's eclectic career and the lack of information to date, it's hard to say what this new opus will be about. But with the band's latest announcement, a few clues are now possible.

A musical career spanning 56 years, 19 studio albums, 7 live albums, 110 million copies sold and countless worldwide tours. In the vast, teeming world of rock, the German band Scorpions is a monument, as much for the musical influence it has had over the decades as for its impressive longevity. The latter has enabled them, album after album, to develop a unique style while exploring many musical horizons. With many years behind them, but with their exemplary career and passion intact, the Hanover-based quintet have announced a new album for early next year. What can we expect from it?

A recipe not made in a day

Although now famous for their powerful, melodic hard rock, a mix of steroidal riffs and ballads that has become their trademark, Scorpions ventured into many musical landscapes before finding their recipe, with relatively frequent member changes in the first decade of their career. The typical psychedelic rock of their first album - Lonesome Crow, released in 1972 - gave way to more aggressive hard rock tinged with neoclassical and Hendrixian sounds on subsequent albums, influenced by the characteristic playing of guitar virtuoso Ulrich Roth, dubbed the German Jimi Hendrix. It wasn't until 1978, with Roth's departure in favor of Matthias Jabs, that the band began the turn towards the still powerful, but more melodic hard rock that would build its worldwide reputation in the 80s. This international success, unprecedented for a German band, took the band to the world's biggest stages and helped shape the rock sound of the era.

However, the 90s were not as prosperous for the band, as for many other major bands of the period. The advent of grunge and electronic music, changing fashions and a few less-than-stellar albums (sometimes judged too metal, sometimes too commercial) pushed the band towards ambitious new projects, such as a collaboration with the prestigious Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and an acoustic album, in 2000 and 2001 respectively. The band finally returned to the roots of its success in 2004 with the release of the album Unbreakable, which delighted his fans. The following albums were in the same vein, with a few exceptions. The grandiose album Sting In The Tail, released in 2010, perfectly illustrates this return to our roots.

A promise of power

What, then, can we expect from a new opus, given that the band's oldest members are approaching 75 and that their last studio album dates back to 2015? For the time being, the band has remained relatively discreet on the subject. However, recent interviews with the band for the magazine Metalzone and bode well for what's to come. The album will be produced by Greg Fidelman, known for his work with metal heavyweights such as Metallica and Slipknot. The band has made it clear that this album will be a heavyweight affair. What's more, singer Klaus Meine has stated that old demos and songs partially written during the German combo's golden age (the 80s) could be dusted off and brought up to date for the new album. Although the new album was first announced for the end of this year, fans will have to be patient, as Meine also mentioned the difficulties of recording and producing an album in the Covid-19 era.

Nevertheless, he's not short of enthusiasm when talking about their very next delivery, for which recording and production are now complete: «We want to make an album with a lot of character and power, a harder record. There might be one or two ballads on the record too, since that's part of Scorpions“ DNA, but the emphasis is really on harder, faster songs. And so far, it's been a good experience!”. Another, more recent interview with the singer seems to confirm the band's choice: »This album was composed and recorded solely with Scorpions DNA, the compositions being by Schenker/Meine (the band's historical composers). We recorded the album all together in the same room, just as we did in the 80s.« This choice of recording live, a technique rarely used today, also tends to announce a desire for a rawer, more visceral sound.

After such statements, fans have every right to expect something grand, especially if demos of their golden age were to emerge with today's production methods. Even if the band has not been indifferent to musical trends through the ages, the idea of seeing them return to what they could do best is exciting. And the last few years have also shown them to be perfectly capable of coping with their increasing age, notably by adjusting the tuning of their guitars to suit their singer's voice. Last but not least, the band also announced a world tour for 2022, which has already been confirmed to include Zurich on May 21. A little more patience and time to rejoice, then, before we can discover the next Scorpionesque sting, both in the studio and on stage.

Write to the author: max.moeschler@leregardlibre.com

Photo credit: © Wikimedia