The very first Scorpions album was released in 1972. It is only apt that 50 years later, they mark the occasion by releasing an anniversary album.
For a while it didn’t look like this would happen. The band decided to retire, but changed their minds and came back (or rather, they never went away after all). Using retirements as a ploy to sell tickets has become a bit of an industry joke when it comes to heritage bands, and Scorpions certainly got their share of grief for also doing the goodbye/hello thing, although it certainly wasn’t meant as that type of ploy.
In the case of Scorpions, the decision to retire really seemed like it came from the brain, not from the heart. It felt like they started thinking things like, “we are getting up there in age, shouldn’t we retire soon? Perhaps we should do it while we’re still on top?” And so a decision was made, but before too long, it started feeling like it was a mistake. In that case, why force yourself to go through with it? If it’s fun and you can still do it, why not continue?
If anything, their flirtation with stopping seems to have given them a new lease of life. They seem to appreciate the band even more – taking it less for granted perhaps. They certainly seem to focus on enjoying it while it lasts. The end will come soon enough, and is inevitably lurking somewhere in their not-too-distant future whether we/they like to or not. In the meantime the smiles have seemed wider in the period after their decision to continue, and the crowds have been similarly happy to see their band still performing. The last decade has been a good time for the band.
Rock Believer is their nineteenth studio album and the first since 2015’s Return To Forever. This is the band’s longest gap between studio albums. It is also their first album with former Motörhead drummer Mikkey Dee, who replaced James Kottak in 2016. Otherwise, the band consists of stalwarts Klaus Meine (vocals), Rudolf Schenker (guitar), Matthias Jabs (guitar), and Pawel Maciwoda (bass).
Work on the album started as early as 2019, and most of the album ended up being recorded remotely due to the Covid pandemic. The first single Peacemaker was released on 4 November 2021, with the album following on 25 February 2022.
The band has no doubt benefitted from Mikkey Dee’s inclusion. The Motörhead drummer has brought new levels of energy to the band, which by itself puts this album above most of the ones from the past few decades. Not that the music is suddenly like a steam train on full throttle – the music is just very engaged and well-oiled slabs of classic hard rock, very much similar to how it was in the band’s heyday.
This matches the sense of defiance which permeates Rock Believer lyrically. Over time, Scorpions may have become best known for their many ballads and this has become a big part of who they are. On Rock Believer they seem keen to readdress the balance, refusing to settle for just being a “ballad band”. Song titles such as Gas In the Tank, Knock ‘em Dead, and Rock Believer underlines a desire to prove that Scorpions can still kick ass and rock out with the best of ‘em.
What primarily makes Rock Believer such a delight for long-time fans is the attention to songcraft. Stylistically, this album frequently reminds me of their early 1980s heyday. The material is overall catchy with an intensity and spark that befits it.
At the same time, the band is forward-leaning and push every delivery with an intensity in their performances that they may have lost some of over the years. They now seem keen to reclaim it.
Look no further than the album opener for an example of this. Gas In the Tank features a classic-sounding Scorpions guitar riff, comfortably set against a bedding of pounding rhythm. Klaus Maine sounds as good as he always did, his melodic delivery playing up against the riffs. The song – well, the entire album – also benefits from a live production and a very direct and raw sound. It is clear that the band wants this to be an in-your-face production, with great results. With the right set-up at home, it feels like you’re sitting between the amps in their rehearsal room.
The energy levels are kept up with Roots In My Boots, which starts with a scream and keeps a rock intensity throughout, perhaps containing shades of the drive found in Another Piece of Meat (Lovedrive, 1979). Knock ‘Em Dead completes a 1-2-3 punch of hard-hitting tracks with yet another classic-sounding tune, this time more measured in its delivery, more than anything sounding like a long lost 1970s Uli Jon Roth-era hard rock track.
The title track Rock Believer is a delight. It’s the kind of song that could have taken the shape of a ballad, and indeed it starts out a bit like that, but the band has opted to give it more of a rock approach. The result is a very melodic and somewhat emotional hard rock song. The melodic quality in the choruses especially, with Klaus providing exquisite layers of vocals that will no doubt result in massive singalongs live, makes this into an instant Scorpions classic. It didn’t light me on fire the first few times, but it’s a grower of an earworm that you will discover you don’t mind having on your mind.
The song is written from the band to the fans, and their temporary plans to go away still seem to linger in everybody’s collective minds. Klaus Meine sings “We came back to make you feel / Our love in every song we play” and with a song (and album) like this, he’s not wrong.
The band continues to remind us of who they used to be. Shining of Your Soul contains guitar rhythm patterns not too dissimilar to those in Is There Anybody There? from the classic Lovedrive album (1979), but as we find out, this is a heavier song with a bit more emphasis on guitar riffs and a heavier bottom end. A middle section with multiple layers of backing vocals shows a willingness to experiment. All the while, the song never loses any of the melody that the Scorpions infuse their better songs with. The result is one of the most enjoyable tracks on offer.
Seventh Sun is a slower song with a menacing riff, which in many ways sound like a follow-up to the classic China White from the Blackout album (1982). Just like that one, this is a more atmospheric, droning song with an intense build-up. The song is surprisingly strong, to the point that I would say it has a significantly stronger vocal melody and an overall more interesting arrangement than its 1982 counterpart. Saying this is probably sacrilege, but when the kudos is deserved, I believe it should be said.
The tempo is turned up again on Hot And Cold, which is a solid rocker. It may not have as many melodic hooks as some of the other tunes, but man does it feel good to hear the band riff and rock throughout. Yet another one that reminds me of why I got into this band to begin with 40+ years ago.
When I Lay My Bones To Rest is the kind of title you’d expect on an emotional ballad. What we actually get is an energetic burst of a song, with Mikkey Dee propelling the band onward. They fire on all cylinders here. “Rising to the top, I’m giving it all I got” Klaus Maine sings, and it sounds like they are. The song is about the band doing their job well enough to make sure their legacy will live on when the day finally does come that their bones are laid to rest as a band. It’s got an enjoyable swagger about it, and it’s cool to hear the band rock out like this, even if it falls a bit short when it comes to melodic quality.
Peacemaker is next, which was the first single from the album. The pick represents the album well, as it is an energetic and riff-heavy song. They have more melodic and commercial songs on the album, so it’s definitely a cool choice to go with something different than perhaps they would have picked some years ago. It feels like it was important to the band to signal that they are rock believers again.
Call Of the Wild is a very well-constructed song – on the slow side of mid-tempo, it is carefully laced with a strong vocal melody and catchy, melodic arrangements. The verses feature a groovy start-stop backing track, which gets more of a droning quality in the choruses. The melodic songs have become Klaus Meine’s forte, and he sings particularly well (and multi-layered) here. The song has so many hooks that you will be tangled up in it before you know it.
After an album of mostly energetic rock’n’roll, you can allow the band to end things on a calmer note. There hasn’t been a proper ballad on the album yet, and When You Know (Where You Come From) is as close as we get. I am very happy with this track, which isn’t the typical slow power ballad we’ve come to expect. This is more of a melodic, mid-tempo rock ballad that keeps building into a mid-tempo melodic rock song with the same forward-leaning and energetic performances that the entire album has had.
By the time the guitar solo enters the picture, the song already has some momentum, making it a rather fierce solo for a ballad, but it is exactly the type of ballad that this type of album should have. It is more organic, with some energy in its performance, yet with a melancholic twist as it tells the listener to be true to themselves. It is their own life to live as they want to, not as others expect you to. Do things on your own terms. Perhaps those words ring a bit true for the band as well after their near-retirement.
Rock Believer is a tremendous achievement for Scorpions. It’s the album I didn’t expect them to make, full of references to the band they used to be. I would go as far as to say that this is the first album in quite a while that contains some metal anthems that may have a quality and longevity similar to the classics, but time will be true judge on that one. This is in any case an album that will particularly please fans of the classic Scorpions years, but its melodic qualities are strong enough to embrace fans of every era.
Early pressings of the album include bonus discs and additional bonus tracks. My own copy has an additional 5-track disc with songs cut from the same cloth as the main album, with Crossing Borders being a particularly strong track. While this is a nice thing for fans, the album itself is more than strong enough on its own to need selling ploys.
Inevitably, the band is significantly closer to their end than their beginning at this point. Who knows if this is the final Scorpions album or not. I hope not, but if it is, I am certainly very happy to see them go out with such a strong album. On Rock Believer, they have found back to some of the elements that made them household names to begin with, and that is a grand accomplishment.
Scream for me screamer
I’m a rock believer like you
Just like you
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