Return to Forever [LP]

by Scorpions

Overview

German heavy metal icons the Scorpions hit the 50-year mark in 2015, being initially conceived all the way back in 1965 by a 16-year-old Rudolf Schenker as a beat band very much in line with the trends of the time, and slowly evolving into a hard rock force to contend with by the end of the '70s. Multi-platinum-selling singles and omnipresent commercial success peaked out for the Scorpions sometime in the early '80s, but they kept the flame alive for a dedicated army of followers for decades to come. Return to Forever is the band's 18th album of new studio material, following 2010's Sting in the Tail. While many of the group's '90s and 2000s efforts experimented with stylistic divergences or convoluted concept record themes, Sting in the Tail was a declarative return to the radio metal roots of the band's most popular work from the '80s. Return to Forever follows suit very much, with the 12 new songs here embodying the same over the top celebration and hedonistic revelry of a much younger Scorpions. At times the throwbacks are a little transparent. The gated reverse-reverb thump of the floor tom that propelled the band's 1984 ueber-hit "Rock You Like a Hurricane" shows up again on the anthemic chorus of "We Built This House." Power ballad "House of Cards" is constructed from the same formula of haunting minor-key chords and wailing feedback in the background that made "Winds of Change" a worldwide hit in 1991. Luckily, the energy of Return to Forever is all fun and swagger, not diminished at all by the '80s hair metal nostalgia trip that serves as its foundation. Production handled by longtime Scorpions collaborators Mikael Nord Andersson and Martin Hansen replaces some of the thin production choices of the '80s with smarter arrangements and better sound on radio-ready pop-metal jams like "Rollin' Home" and more introspective tunes like "Eye of the Storm." The songwriting here is on par with some of the band's best work, which figures, as they've been working in a field they helped originate for decades. Fans of the band's best-loved material will immediately connect with the fun-loving party burners and soft-edged power balladry of the album, all leaning just enough on the band's own storied past for influence but inspired enough to avoid dipping into self-parody. They pretty much wrote the book on sleazy FM radio metal, so in the case of revisiting their glory days on Return to Forever, who's to blame the Scorpions for taking a few pages from the book they wrote themselves? ~ Fred Thomas

Product Details

Release Date:	09/11/2015
Label:	Sony Legacy / Sony Music
UPC:	0888751211810

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Going Out with a Bang
2. We Built This House
3. Rock My Car
4. House of Cards
5. All for One
6. Rock 'n' Roll Band

Disc 2

7. Catch Your Luck and Play
8. Rollin' Home
9. Hard Rockin' the Place
10. Eye of the Storm
11. The Scratch
12. Gypsy Life

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Scorpions   Primary Artist
James Kottak   Drums,Vocals (Background)
Matthias Jabs   Guitar,Guitar (Rhythm),Guitar (Acoustic)
Klaus Meine   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Rudolf Schenker   Guitar,Guitar (Rhythm),Vocals (Background)
Pawel Maciwoda   Bass
Brandon Niederauer   Featured Artist

Technical Credits

James Kottak   Group Member
Matthias Jabs   Composer,Group Member
Hans-Martin Buff   Editing,Engineer
Klaus Meine   Composer,Lyricist,Group Member
Rudolf Schenker   Composer,Group Member
Martin Hansen   Mixing,Composer,Engineer,Lyricist,Producer
Mats Lindfors   Mastering
Mikael Nord Andersson   Mixing,Composer,Engineer,Lyricist,Producer
Pawel Maciwoda   Group Member
Tim Eckhorst   Cover Illustration
Oliver Rath   Photography
Clifford Gauntlett   Composer