It’s no secret that German metal legends Scorpions have been staring down Herr Time defiantly, proving as much by their athletic live shows, suddenly peerless against any band of their generation, which you might say is the 1970s, although rhythm guitarist Rudolf Schenker reminds me that he first pulled up to the pumps for a tank of heavy metal-leaded back in 1965.
But with Rock Believer, the band — Schenker, Matthias Jabs, Klaus Meine, Pawel Maciwoda and new firecracker drummer Mikkey Dee — prove that the fine fettle mettle that you see onstage has translated boldly to record. Rock Believer, across the 16 tracks offered in limited deluxe edition, contains but a single ballad, “When You Know (Where You Come From),” granted done twice, in acoustic and electric versions. On the 11-track regular edition, there’s just the single full-band rendition of the song.
The rest of the album is varied, high-quality classic Scorpions heavy metal, specifically of a style that spans , and (and no, not particularly , the first of the Jabs era), although, as you will see, features prominently in the direction of this thrill-ride.
