Scorpions

Rock Believer UNIVERSAL

Punk was meant to barge aside bands such as Scorpions, with their long hair, their album covers that even in the 70s raised eyebrows, their big riffs and their even bigger choruses. So, while we’re at it, was grunge, hair bands, industrial rock and the heritage circuit. No chance; the wind of change didn’t even ruffle what’s left of frontman Klaus Meine’s hair.

Extraordinarily, 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of Scorpions’ debut album, Lonesome Crow. Two 73-year-olds, Meine and rhythm guitarist Rudolf Schenker, have lasted the course, while Matthias Jabs, a young pup of 66, has been lead guitarist since 1979.

Now comes , delayed by covid travel restrictions that detained bassist Pawel Maciwoda and debutant former Motörhead drummer Mikkey Dee in their native Poland and Sweden respectively. Uniquely for a Scorpions album, the songs contributed by the Schenker/Meine axis were written lyricsfirst, but from its very title there’s a sense of real defiance about . Titles such as the sirens-drenched (naturally this particular engine is not running low, especially since ‘’), and re-enforce the message: age ’ on .