Author: Wolfgang Strauß

Hammersmith

Posted on by Wolfgang Strauß

Hammersmith is an event venue located in the London district with the same name. Some artists who performed there were The Who, Queen, AC/DC, Motörhead, Metallica and Scorpions. 

The new single by the SCORPIONS is not just an anthem to an iconic music venue, it is also a contemporary manifesto, showing just how much enthusiasm they still have for hard rock, the roots of their fame and original metal. “The song,” says Klaus Meine, “takes us back to a time when we played in the smallest clubs, just dreaming about being able to perform in the Temple of Rock, the Hammersmith Odeon.” The music, composed by SCORPIONS-founder Rudolf Schenker, drummer Mikkey Dee and Magnus Ax, gives singer Klaus Meine (lyrics) a great opportunity to prove that not only he can perfectly intonate the balladesque tones of the great SCORPIONS songs, but that his rock voice is incredible as well. An almost brutal start, in which the great ex-Motörhead drummer Mikkey Dee is already letting off steam, followed by driving guitar sounds, opens the stage for Klaus Meine’s vocal excursion. Mixed with harmonic riffs, repeatedly interrupted by aggressive drumming, “Hammersmith” is something very special in the rock band’s brand-new repertoire. One of the highlights is when lead guitarist Matthias Jabs masterfully rocks his instrument until the song reaches its finale. As Klaus Meine sums it up: “Rocks Like Hell!”

“Hammersmith” will be released as a digital single on August 12th 2022 through Universal Vertigo

Rock Believer North America Tour Update

Posted on by Wolfgang Strauß

Attention Rock Believers!

We wanted to let you know that Whitesnake will no longer be joining us on our U.S. and Canadian Rock Believer tour. Nothing is more important than our fans and it was important to us that we keep the shows as scheduled. We wish Whitesnake all the best and look very much forward to seeing you and rocking with you all on tour along with Thundermother.

All Tour Dates All Tour Dates

Enter For A Chance To Win A Pair of Tickets to the Rock Believer US Tour

Posted on by Wolfgang Strauß

The Rock Believer World Tour is heading to the States this Fall! Follow Scorpions and/or RSVP to the show on BandsInTown for a chance to win a pair of tickets to the show of your choice.*

Enter Now Enter Now

Klaus Meine Believes ‘There’s Plenty Of Gas In The Tank’ For Scorpions

Posted on by Wolfgang Strauß

Earlier this month, SCORPIONS singer Klaus Meine was asked by Greece’s RockPages.gr how much “gas is left in the tank” for him and his bandmates after more than five decades of rocking as a group. He responded: “We played almost 30 shows now this year after two years break because of the pandemic. And I think there’s still a lot of gas in the tank. When you imagine that we went through shows we did in the U.S. and now all over Europe, it looks like there’s plenty of gas in the tank. It feels good.”

This past May, Meine, who turned 74 that same month, told Portugal’s “Metal Global” that there is no more talk of retirement for the SCORPIONS, as there was back in 2010 with what was purported to be a final album and a farewell tour that never quite took hold. “No, we scratched that word [retirement] out of our [vocabulary],” he said. “It’s not there. We don’t think about it and we don’t talk about it and we take it as it comes.

Continue reading at Blabbermouth

Mikkey Dee Performs The “Highest-Ever Drum Solo” In The History Of Metal

Posted on by Wolfgang Strauß

The Volvo electric heavy-duty trucks are just as flexible as their diesel equivalents and can be built for virtually any task. And the absence of noise and emissions makes them perfect for indoor jobs or nighttime assignments – like the possibly highest-ever drum solo in the history of heavy metal. Watch Mikkey Dee (Motörhead, Scorpions) take his skills to new heights at the classic Ullevi arena in Volvo’s and Mikkey’s hometown of Gothenburg.

SCORPIONS RELEASE FRENCH BONUS TRACK ”THE LANGUAGE OF MY HEART”

Posted on by Wolfgang Strauß

Since “Wind of Change”, Klaus Meine has probably not succeeded in creating a song that is as touching, as emotional, as raw as this one: a harmonious guitar solo by Matthias Jabs to start, then the unmistakable voice of the SCORPIONS singer picking up the sound and singing: “I walked down to Notre-Dame, To say a prayer for Bataclan…” The story of this song is from almost seven years ago, when an attack in Paris at the Bataclan music club tragically killed more than a hundred people by gunfire during a concert. In November 2015, the SCORPIONS were the first band to return to the stage and play a concert in Paris. Moving moments, both for the artists and for more than 20,000 fans who spontaneously tuned in the Marseillaise.

Klaus Meine: “It’s a tribute to France, with its wonderful culture and our fantastic fans.” A tribute to the legendary Olympia, to Johnny Hallyday, to the unique city on the Seine, with a good portion of rock in the finest SCORPIONS style – and an amazing ending…

A new single from our album will be out Tuesday… France, stay tuned 🇫🇷

Posted on by Wolfgang Strauß

Music is and has always been our favorite language.
France, get your limited vinyl now with our new song “The Language Of My Heart”!
Rock Believers, you can stream our new song now everywhere.

Stream now Stream now

 

Scorpions Announce “Rock Believer” North America Tour 2022 With Special Guest Whitesnake

Posted on by Wolfgang Strauß

Fresh off of their sold-out Sin City Nights Las Vegas residency, Scorpions will return to North American on the Rock Believer World Tour with special guests Whitesnake on their Farewell Tour.
The two-month long run of dates kicks off on August 14th in Toronto with additional concerts in Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago, Dallas and Denver, amongst others. In addition to Whitesnake, Swedish band Thundermother will be joining the tour.

Rock Zone members will have exclusive, first access to tickets starting tomorrow, Tuesday, May 10th at 10a local time.
Visit https://the-scorpions.com/rockzone for more information on how to join.

Tickets go on sale to the public this Friday, May 13 at 10am local time on Ticketmaster.

“After the amazing start we’ve had with our residency in Las Vegas, it‘s about time to come back for a real tour to rock the U.S. like a hurricane again. We can‘t wait to see all you Rock Believers out there!” – Klaus Meine

ROCK BELIEVER NORTH AMERICA TOUR 2022:

** Scorpions & Thundermother Only

Related show(s)

Rudolf Schenker Tells Of Trouble In Corpus Christi In Latest ‘Beyond The Bus’ Starring Scorpions

Posted on by Wolfgang Strauß

Shortly after releasing their celebrated new album, Rock Believer, Scorpions have become the latest band to be featured on uDiscover Music’s animated video series, “Beyond The Bus.”

Filmed exclusively for uDiscover Music, ‘Beyond The Bus’ has already showcased tales of ribald rock’ n’ roll revelry from Billy F Gibbons, Eagles Of Death Metal’s Jesse Hughes, irrepressible Aussie rockers Airbourne and blues-rock legend George Thorogood among others. Indeed, it’s fair to say that only bands with an unquenchable thirst for the road and the more exotic fare available at rock’s top table are likely to be immortalized in this series. This is where Scorpions come in, who have plenty of tales from their decades on the road.

“We’ve Been On a Very Long Encore”: Rudolf Schenker and Matthias Jabs Testify to the Power of Electric Guitar

Posted on by Wolfgang Strauß

Rock Believer, Scorpions’ new album, has been a long time coming. It’s their first release in seven years, since 2015’s Return to Forever, and, happily, it is exactly the record Scorpions fans would want, bringing elements of their most successful albums, 1979’s Lovedrive and 1984’s Love at First Sting.

As it happens, that was no accident. The band deliberately set out to channel the forces that were at work back then, even resorting to using the same guitars and amps that were used on those landmark Scorpions albums.

With estimated total album sales of around 100 million, Scorpions are a huge live draw around the globe.

Just ask rhythm guitarist Rudolf Schenker. “We’ve played in 88 countries,” the founder of the German hard-rock group notes.

“I remember James Hetfield being asked by an interviewer how many countries Metallica had played in, and he replied that he wasn’t sure, but he knew it wasn’t as many as Scorpions.”

Schenker and Scorpions singer Klaus Meine may be well into their 70s, but they are showing no signs of slowing down the pace of their live work.

The band were in the middle of intensive rehearsals when Guitar Player tracked down Schenker and lead guitarist Matthias Jabs to discuss the new album. They were in fine spirits, overflowing with enthusiasm for the record and the chance to get back onstage. 

Rock Believer is one of the strongest records in your catalog. What accounts for that?

Matthias Jabs I’m really delighted with the result. The circumstances were different from how we recorded in the past, because the pandemic forced us to work by ourselves, as the producer that we’d chosen couldn’t come to Germany, and we couldn’t go to L.A.

We decided that we’d have to produce it ourselves, but that turned out to be the right move, because we had no outside influence and could really concentrate on doing exactly what we wanted to do.

Rudolf Schenker Yes, we were in our own bubble in the studio, and we could work on it as long as we wanted – but without overworking it, which can sometimes be a problem. We knew exactly what we wanted though, which was to capture the DNA of [1982’s] Blackout and Love at First Sting.

It’s very much the record every Scorpions fan would want to hear.

Schenker We wanted to make a rock album that was not too polished. We wanted to go back into the center of what Scorpions should be, because sometimes we have been a bit too polished. We wanted to make a rock album for the rock community.

Jabs I think so too. Looking back, I think we found our signature sound in the early ’80s, and you can hear, without any outside influence and advice from producers, that is still what we sound like.

Continue Reading at Guitar Player