Scorpions
Return to Forever
Sony Music Entertainment
2015
This year marks a big anniversary for the Scorpions. Sometime this year the German rockers will have been around in one form of the other for the better part of fifty years. Half a century, ladies and gentlemen! That’s no small feat... and it goes to show how swiftly time flies and how, much it counts to live for the moment! (Yet on the other hand have some continuity)
Scorpions, a couple of years ago, had announced their “last tour” and all, but who could picture them, rock animals as pensioners? Soon after the tour and deciding that they were still “fit” to rock, they decided to back out, on their word, to give a new generation of fans, the chance to see them and to probably rock, “until they drop”. So on their nineteenth studio album, The Scorps gathered some old riffs and songs, that had remained unused, during the eighties and reworked them and tried to write a few more songs in a similar style to make up an entire album of new material. “Old Rope”? Maybe and sometimes you can see, why some of these tracks were cast aside, but some of these “leftovers” are not that bad so to speak. On the other hand for every good riff or bridge, there’s also one rather uneventful chorus, so this is a mixed bag of chips. The band, studio wise, seems to be in good shape though, rocking and rolling as hard as they ever did.
“Going out With a Bang” sounds like it was culled from the 80s and has a nice groove. It serves as a nice enough opener for the album and all, but doesn’t hit “the spot” exactly, although it manages to land, nearby.
“We Built This House”, the lead single from the album, is a solid enough “anthem”, by far not the best “single” that the band ever did, but still one of the better songs, in their “latter day” history, led by a strong riff and with a strong chorus, and nice melodies, it surely shows that “zem” Scorpions, still have a pretty deadly sting and a parchment for writing good tunes.
“Rock My Car” is loud and fuzzy, with riffs to match it and also an 80s sort of “touch” and even some moments that are a little “Queen”-like, but overall, is a little less impressive than one would be expected to believe, still not all that bad.
“House of Cards” is a ballad and usually, that’s a “strong card” for “Ze Scorps”. Without being terribly exciting, possibly because of a rather uneventful chorus, the song passes and makes it presence felt, without however leaving its mark.
“All For One” reminded me a lot of the early 90s period of the band, loud, brassy, even slightly glammy, with a cocksure character, it has some cool verse and a locomotive rhythm, which prepares you for some huge chorus, that unfortunately never arrives… it's pretty good though.
“Rock ‘N’ Roll Band” is rather simple and again “loud” and defiant, with a big riff, but still a couple of clings in its armor. Still that doesn’t mean that it’s not one of the better songs on the album.
“Catch Your Luck and Play” marks another one of those songs that are average... average verses – a brilliant bridge but unfortunately not the best chorus, so to speak.
“Rollin’ Home” is probably one of the lesser tracks on the album, typical fair, a mediocre melodic mid-tempo track, with no particular charm overall.
“Hard Rockin’ the Place” has another driving riff, another good melody in its bridge and an OK chorus, not too bad, If I say so... hehe.
Going back to the ballads... “Eye of the Storm”, is a melodic one, which starts in a somewhat vague fashion but turns into a full blown ballad with some nice “acoustics”. Still not a match for the band’s “80s” balladry, but pretty good nonetheless.
“The Scratch” is rather questionable… it’s a little 70s oriented, but not “Scorpions 70s”, so those of you that expected an Uli type of throwback, can turn the other side and continue their dreaming. The riffs are worthwhile, but the chorus… not so.
Last but not least “Gypsy Life” is a ballad, with Klaus Meine, once again showing how great of a singer he is... the chorus is a little too “bright” and happy, so it sort of contrasts less than ideally with the rest of the song, that’s more atmospheric, but all in all, it’s hardly “bad”, although I’m sure, it could have turned out a little better too.
There are another 5 tracks as well, reserved for the special edition(s)…
“The World We Used to Know” is a more mid-tempo and Spartan in orchestration song, that Klaus, mostly carries, with his melodic voice and has a humanist approach, lyrically. (unlike what politicians do)…
“Dancing with the Moonlight” is a straight out and out rocker, that could have easily been included in the “normal” album, song sequence. It bears a title that has been overused, but it ain’t bad, at all!
“When the Truth is a Lie” is a nice softer song, with certain electric parts that come up, in usual intervals. A half ballad if you will. Rather unconventional in its approach, it has some nice parts and a rather decent chorus.
“Who We Are” is a ballad, in which Klaus excels and even if it doesn’t have a bit release/break it’s possibly the best ballad of the album. Simple, poignant, breathtakingly beautiful.
The last song of these “bonuses” is “Delirious” which starts with a dynamite of a riff and a really 80s vibe in its cool verses and a good chorus, which however could have been a bit better.
All in all these five “bonuses” are anything but bad... adding value to ze special edition(s)…
Fifty years, after their “birth” and pushing nearly seventy, “Ze” Scorpions, still manage to rock... which in itself is a bit of an achievement! A very good album, by the masters of the genre, of melodic rock and metal, that might not reach the dizzying height of their 80s output, but manages to stand side by side with their better post “Face the Heat” material… not bad. Not bad at all…
Scorpions, a couple of years ago, had announced their “last tour” and all, but who could picture them, rock animals as pensioners? Soon after the tour and deciding that they were still “fit” to rock, they decided to back out, on their word, to give a new generation of fans, the chance to see them and to probably rock, “until they drop”. So on their nineteenth studio album, The Scorps gathered some old riffs and songs, that had remained unused, during the eighties and reworked them and tried to write a few more songs in a similar style to make up an entire album of new material. “Old Rope”? Maybe and sometimes you can see, why some of these tracks were cast aside, but some of these “leftovers” are not that bad so to speak. On the other hand for every good riff or bridge, there’s also one rather uneventful chorus, so this is a mixed bag of chips. The band, studio wise, seems to be in good shape though, rocking and rolling as hard as they ever did.
“Going out With a Bang” sounds like it was culled from the 80s and has a nice groove. It serves as a nice enough opener for the album and all, but doesn’t hit “the spot” exactly, although it manages to land, nearby.
“We Built This House”, the lead single from the album, is a solid enough “anthem”, by far not the best “single” that the band ever did, but still one of the better songs, in their “latter day” history, led by a strong riff and with a strong chorus, and nice melodies, it surely shows that “zem” Scorpions, still have a pretty deadly sting and a parchment for writing good tunes.
“Rock My Car” is loud and fuzzy, with riffs to match it and also an 80s sort of “touch” and even some moments that are a little “Queen”-like, but overall, is a little less impressive than one would be expected to believe, still not all that bad.
“House of Cards” is a ballad and usually, that’s a “strong card” for “Ze Scorps”. Without being terribly exciting, possibly because of a rather uneventful chorus, the song passes and makes it presence felt, without however leaving its mark.
“All For One” reminded me a lot of the early 90s period of the band, loud, brassy, even slightly glammy, with a cocksure character, it has some cool verse and a locomotive rhythm, which prepares you for some huge chorus, that unfortunately never arrives… it's pretty good though.
“Rock ‘N’ Roll Band” is rather simple and again “loud” and defiant, with a big riff, but still a couple of clings in its armor. Still that doesn’t mean that it’s not one of the better songs on the album.
“Catch Your Luck and Play” marks another one of those songs that are average... average verses – a brilliant bridge but unfortunately not the best chorus, so to speak.
“Rollin’ Home” is probably one of the lesser tracks on the album, typical fair, a mediocre melodic mid-tempo track, with no particular charm overall.
“Hard Rockin’ the Place” has another driving riff, another good melody in its bridge and an OK chorus, not too bad, If I say so... hehe.
Going back to the ballads... “Eye of the Storm”, is a melodic one, which starts in a somewhat vague fashion but turns into a full blown ballad with some nice “acoustics”. Still not a match for the band’s “80s” balladry, but pretty good nonetheless.
“The Scratch” is rather questionable… it’s a little 70s oriented, but not “Scorpions 70s”, so those of you that expected an Uli type of throwback, can turn the other side and continue their dreaming. The riffs are worthwhile, but the chorus… not so.
Last but not least “Gypsy Life” is a ballad, with Klaus Meine, once again showing how great of a singer he is... the chorus is a little too “bright” and happy, so it sort of contrasts less than ideally with the rest of the song, that’s more atmospheric, but all in all, it’s hardly “bad”, although I’m sure, it could have turned out a little better too.
There are another 5 tracks as well, reserved for the special edition(s)…
“The World We Used to Know” is a more mid-tempo and Spartan in orchestration song, that Klaus, mostly carries, with his melodic voice and has a humanist approach, lyrically. (unlike what politicians do)…
“Dancing with the Moonlight” is a straight out and out rocker, that could have easily been included in the “normal” album, song sequence. It bears a title that has been overused, but it ain’t bad, at all!
“When the Truth is a Lie” is a nice softer song, with certain electric parts that come up, in usual intervals. A half ballad if you will. Rather unconventional in its approach, it has some nice parts and a rather decent chorus.
“Who We Are” is a ballad, in which Klaus excels and even if it doesn’t have a bit release/break it’s possibly the best ballad of the album. Simple, poignant, breathtakingly beautiful.
The last song of these “bonuses” is “Delirious” which starts with a dynamite of a riff and a really 80s vibe in its cool verses and a good chorus, which however could have been a bit better.
All in all these five “bonuses” are anything but bad... adding value to ze special edition(s)…
Fifty years, after their “birth” and pushing nearly seventy, “Ze” Scorpions, still manage to rock... which in itself is a bit of an achievement! A very good album, by the masters of the genre, of melodic rock and metal, that might not reach the dizzying height of their 80s output, but manages to stand side by side with their better post “Face the Heat” material… not bad. Not bad at all…