Scorpions – Return to Forever
Release Date: February 20, 2015
Label: New Door/UME
When I first heard that the Scorpions were releasing a new album in 2015 I just had to ask myself one question: Why? I mean, in all due respect, I fucking LOVE the Scorpions but in all honesty, they haven’t put out an album of new material that I’ve really liked since 1990’s Crazy World. I totally went into listening to Return to Forever with low expectations and I have to admit that I really enjoyed the hell out of this album. As the opening track “Going Out With a Bang” kicked it all just felt really good and familiar. This is a fantastic, fun opening track that the band that proves that the Scorpions understand that they have a formula and that there’s really no need to stray from it.
First off, there’s a lot of “rock” on this record… literally. Songs like “Hard Rockin’ Place”, “Rock N’ Roll Band”, and “We Built This House (on a Rock) all have that that now legendary signature Scorpions sound and formula. “House of Cards” kind of reminds me of “Send Me an Angel” and I have to say that this may be one of the best Scorpion songs in decades. Lead vocalist Klaus Meine sounds as amazing as he ever has on this song and it blows my mind that his voice has remained as pristine as it has after all these years. The only song that really seemed to kind of seem uber weak was “Rock My Car.” That is a song that just could’ve and should’ve been left on the floor.
All in all, Return to Forever is a really fun listen. There’s nothing groundbreaking or overly amazing about this album but it is what it is and that’s a fun, no frills hard rock album that sounds as timeless as the band itself. Is it the best Scorpions album to date? No, it’s not. Is it the worst Scorpions album to date? Not by a long shot. Return to Forever does however prove that after over 40 years the Scorpions are still capable of putting out good songs and delivering them with top notch professionalism, near perfect execution, and stellar production.
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