The beginning of the end of the 40 year career of the Scorpions has begun. The new CD from the Scorpions is, according to the band, the last album the band will release and their hope is that this CD will be a positive note to close out their illustrious career. Following the release of “Sting In The Tail” they will be going out on a three year tour through five continents before calling it quits. I suppose if you’re looking to end on a positive note then that is one way to do it.
“Sting In the Tail” is the 17th studio album by Germany’s beloved hard rock gods. With over 100 million record sales in their 40 year career the Scorpions have returned with a CD that is guaranteed to satisfy the cravings of fans of the “Savage Amusement” and “Crazy World” era. Opening the CD is “Raised On Rock” and is pretty much a “typical” Scorpions song and according to the band “It’s a song that gets to the heart of what the band is all about.” The CD continues with classic Scorpion rockers “Sting In the Tail”, “No Limit” and “Turn You On”. Also included are three (yes I said three) ballads, “The Good Die Young”, “Lorelei”, and “SLY”. “SLY” is a ballad that ties in with their early 80’s smash hit “Still Loving You”. According to the band it is not a “coincidence that these three letters refer to (the original single).”
Personally I had some higher expectations for “Sting In The Tail”. Three ballads is too many in my opinion. I felt 2007’s “Humanity Hour 1” was one of their best releases in nearly a decade so I was hoping the creative juices were still flowing. Instead I feel as though this CD is more of a “let’s try to sound like we did back in the late 80’s and 90’s” type of album.
I guess it depends on what kind of Scorpions fan you are will determine whether you like “Sting In The Tail” or not. As I mentioned, if you are of a fan of “Savage Amusement”, and “Crazy World” then I have no doubts this CD is for you. If you are a fan of albums like “Love Drive”, “Blackout” and even “Humanity Hour 1” then I make no guarantees. Personally I think it is a weaker CD to end a career on (and I don’t want to imply this is a bad CD either) and I wouldn’t be surprised if they release another CD in the future.
