Critic's evaluation
It is the first album in seven years, the longest gap between studio album releases for the group. But not only that. Rock Believer is also the first without James Kottak, and consequently the first with Mikkey Dee, who had already been touring with the Scorpions on their Return To Forever tour, which began in 2015.
The sound is like that of a chainsaw being turned on in such a way that it refreshes in the listener's memory the introduction of Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy, Mr. Big's single that benefits from a similar idea. The sequential blows on the bass drum and snare drum made in a strong and precise way by Dee break this similarity by giving way to a blues rhythm, but electric in a way that allows the dawn of a sexy hard rock and rough scrap dominated by the synchronous dance between the guitars of Rudolf Schenker and Matthias Jabs. Then a high-pitched, tuneful vocal dominates the front of the melodic spectrum. It is Klaus Meine bringing a lyricism that is like a salute, a reverence, a relief, a collective ecstasy caused by the return of the Scorpions in the field of phonographic releases. "The king of riffs is back in town", he says in a warning tone. That's why Gas In The Tank is a good opener for the German sextet's new work: swinging, soft, bluesy, exciting, sticky. Hard rock.
A ripping, provocative scream is positioned on the horizon. The thundering groove drums followed by a homogeneous unison among the string trio gives a broken cadence, but still with great swing immersed in their identity. As far as the landscape is concerned, it is as if the lyricist were walking through streets, alleys and avenues with little movement on a summer night with a full moon. Mist covers the entire environment in such a way as to obscure any silhouette meters ahead, but it hides flashing warm lights indicating that something of interest is near. With crescendoing points of lamplight from a full-bodied, swinging groove bass performed by Paweł Mąciwoda, Roots In My Boots is pure hard rock lethargy. Enjoying the night, living intensely, and living every moment to the fullest are the mottos of the song's lyricism.
The guitar is strident, sour, somber. The bass notes are so low that they tremble, while the treble sounds hollow, raw and dry. There is a suspense in this atmosphere that causes a cold, dripping sweat. It is as if danger is lurking, just waiting for the right moment to strike. Your eyes are wide open. Your pupils dilate. Adrenaline dominates the blood that warms your body in a way that provides uncontrollable sweating that makes your mind alert for the next move. Reminiscent of Van Halen's sound, Knock'em Dead has an intrinsic darkness in the melody whose bass is positioned in the most visible layer of the sound conjuncture. In the lyrical plot, it is interesting to note how the sextet uses metaphor by bringing in the alligator as the personification of fame. After all, in the track it is brought in just like a drug of great addictive capacity. So Knock'em Dead is, like the tracks The Path Less Followed and Boulevard Of Broken Hearts, tracks from Slash ft. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators, a description in the form of a warning about the effects of fame. No wonder Meine intones "don't let the fame go to your head" and "don't walk the wrong side of the street" in a clear allusion to the idea of not being succumbed to what success can cause.
"I'm a rock believer", Meine shouts as he gives way to a purely melodic sound whose taste is sweetened like honey thanks to the riff of the lead guitar that stands out before the salty sonar of the base guitar. In the form of a hard rock with a rigid blues foundation, the song even has hints of the cowbell sound imprinted by Dee giving an accent on the swing of the intro. Flowing into an intimate first verse, the title track uses the expression 'rock believer' as an allusion to the idea of believing in dreams in order to make them come true. Bringing a strong and melodically penetrating chorus, the title track achieves the same feat as Gas In The Tank by bringing a catchy climax, but whose message is, in short, to believe in yourself and in your ability to make things happen.
The sound emerges timidly. Suddenly it grows and takes on a largely dramatic character from the guitar riff, which is pronounced in a subtly sour tune. Still, the way it sounds is as if it were the sonorization of the flow of heavy tears streaming down the face of the lyric self. The origin of this emotional liquid is still uncertain, but there is, in the passage, a strong suggestion of melancholy. Within this melancholy, however, there are hints of fear, density, and tension. Flirting with reggae, the melody that builds from the first verse on brings softened touches and Latin swings whose sway is contagious. Despite such dramatic fusion in the reggae aesthetic, Shinning Of Your Soul is a nostalgic song whose plot is about love, about memory, about longing. It's about searching for a plausible explanation for the sudden death of a loved one. It is about believing in true love that exists beyond life.
The beginning is similar to Gas In The Tank, but this kinship lasts only a few seconds. When the sound of the amplifier increases in intensity, a sudden drop to an inhospitable, minimalist and tense atmosphere governed by the shrill, bass groove played in a purposefully spaced-out manner. It is then that the melody takes on a provocative dramaticity as Meine introduces an epic lyric plot whose message is immortality and a sense of unconditional freedom. Seventh Sun is a song that mixes religious beliefs and mysticism that, in the end, unite in the sole objective of promoting awareness and respect for the wisdom of the ancestors that aims to encourage unity. As the narrator intones: "even if your soul is old, a million years. Time traveler, here and now. The ones who are gone are still around. Your heart and soul will be one in the seventh sun".
The softened cadence produced by the guitar reminds us of that riff designed by Cliff Burton in the introduction to From Whom The Bell Tolls, Metallica's single. From a sour and intoxicating ambience, the present song evolves to a thundering hard rock like the one in Barracuda, Heart's single. Taking on more aggressive airs and with extra doses of pressure, the track reminds us, from the sonority formed between voice and guitar in the wake of the first verse, of the melody existing between the end of the pre-chorus and the beginning of the chorus of Girls, Girls, Girls, Mötley Crüe's single. Based on such rhythmic assimilations, Hot And Cold establishes itself as a hard rock song that narrates the sensuality, the hypnotism, and the thirst for pleasure that the supporting character causes the protagonist.
At measure 4x4, the song emerges with a linearity that tends toward electricity, but whose apex of excitement is still in the process of awakening. Guided by the stridency of the bass, the melody acquires an accelerated hard rock structure, When I Lay My Bones To Rest holds an interesting joke. While its title suggests calmness, what the lyricism and rhythm bring is a high dose of adrenaline whose message is, like Roots In My Boots, to live intensely and test the limits. At the same time, the track is closely related to Gas In The Tank in its praise of the Scorpions as a frenzied event.
Explosive, swinging, energetic, contagious. This is what defines the introduction of Peacemaker, a song whose awakening has great sonic kinship with the one built in If I Was Your Mother, Bon Jovi's single. However, the dangerousness of this track far exceeds that of the neo-Joyersian, after all, it is more aggressive, with a more ripped sound, and with a mesmerizing rhythmic sexuality. Its precise linearity captures the listener with ease and its message in favor of a world without war, ruled by love, a sense of freedom and equality. "Into a world without frontiers, with no hate, regrets or fears", "if we don't change, we're gonna crash" and "it's been written in the stars: forever love, stop the war" are examples of emphatic verses whose message leaves no doubt as to the desire for a better world. This makes Peacemaker a key piece of the Rock Believer tracklist.
A softened melody immerses. However, in the first chorus the track begins to reveal more rebellious and rebellious behavior that exalts a pronounced flavor of sensuality and provocation. Wild and sexy, Call Of The Wild is the narrative of the meeting of funk with rock, of dance with counterculture stance, of swing with stateliness.
From purely velvety riffs into an immersive blues aesthetic, the guitar builds to a tactile softness of intoxicating comfort. Flowing into a more intimate setting, however, there is a certain tension governed by a sigh of insecurity amidst the melody under construction in the first verse. When You Know (Where You Come From) is a song that speaks about belonging, self-knowledge, and the awareness that those who hold the reins of life are the people themselves. "Just be true to yourself", advises the narrator in a tone of advice with a mixture of order.
Kicking off the deluxe version of Rock Believer comes a song whose awakening is linear, yet energetic and with a provocative sensuality. Its structure is penetrating in a way that captures the listener's attention and raises the adrenaline level. The body hair stands on end in unison with the trio of strings and drums, while the lyricism draws out the significance of its message. Behold, with the verse "living free like a Bird. Heaven is a place on Earth. Can't find the door to say goodbye. Maybe tomorrow, but not tonight" shows that Shoot For Your Heart is, like Roots In My Boots and When I Lay My Bones To Rest, another song on the album that prioritizes living intensely.
There is aggression, but it is not ruled by sensuality, distraction, or the spirit of fun. It is present as a form of warning. The chorus of voices consisting of Meine, Hans-Martin Buff, Jakob Himmelein and Alex Malek gives a breadth to the drama that the song communicates to deliver. "Good morning world! How do you feel?" asks Meine in a harsh tone that borders on aggression and provocation at the beginning of the first verse. When Tomorrow Comes is the song with the most current and humanitarian message in Rock Believer, as it discusses climate effects, the evident cyberwar and concludes, after a shrill, high-pitched and flirting with chaotic solar performed by Ingo Powitzer, with a rendition such as an obsessor: "when tomorrow comes, we'll pay the price for today". For this reason, it is possible to note a thematic kinship with the one addressed in Peacemaker.
The excitement begins to slowly regain ground. Here there is explosion and pressure, but the melody is governed by a sense of urgency that gets the fun out of the way. No wonder Meine discusses, with lyricism, the salvation of humanity in a way that encompasses the complete desire for change in social behavior, removing all futility and personalism. It is almost like a criticism of those who lack critical sense and follow the texts said by personalities without question. That is Unleash The Beast.
The sunlight, the warm afternoon, the sea breeze, and a summer sunset. These are the initial landscapes of the track whose melody is still under construction. Based on the blues aesthetic, it drastically escapes from the tension and seriousness impregnated in the lyricism of the previous songs and offers lightness and a contagiously soft sensuality. Crossing Borders joins the team formed by Roots In My Boots, When I Lay My Bones To Rest and Shoot For Your Heart in offering a lyricism that drinks of the explosive desire for freedom. It's like being on an empty road, bathed in a sunny sunset, at high speed and with the window open making your hair flutter frantically when in contact with the gusts of wind.
The acoustic version of When You Know (Where You Come From) is of an aesthetic minimalism that over amplifies the dramatic aspect already latent in the original variation. However, it is clear that the new model is charged with a superior visceral ambience whose rhythmic sensibility reaches sectors of intense emotional depth while flirting with folk-based melodies.
The seven-year break may have caused many to contemplate a possible end for the Scorpions. But what Rock Believer communicates is something completely different. Under a new formation, the German sextet has produced an authentic record, with strength, swing, and vehemently affirmed that, even at 57 years of age, they have the same energy, synchronicity, and synergy as when they were at the beginning of their career.
Based on a hard rock album of intense provocative sensuality, the record is a work that, above all, cries out for freedom, for the intensity of relationships, and urgently asks for a global transformation. This duality is what makes the successor of Return To Forever a mixed album.
After all, while songs like Gas In The Tank, Roots In My Boots, Hot And Cold, When I Lay My Bones To Rest, Shoot For Your Heart and Crossing Borders are melodically exciting and with a simplistic lyricism that praises living intensely from an unconditional freedom, others have a great emotional appeal.
In this team are songs like the title song, Shining Of Your Soul, When You Know (Where You Come From) and Knock'em Dead, the latter being worth the concern for the spirit of those who glorify fame without knowing its consequences.
A major achievement of Rock Believer, however, lies in the strong humanitarian consciousness that fills the lyricism of certain songs. Seventh Sun, When Tomorrow Comes and Unleash The Beast. However, the trump card in this regard lies in the track Peacemaker as it seems premonitory.
As the album was produced between 2020 and 2021, at the time he seemed to be a seer of the war conflict between Russia and Ukraine that began on February 25 this year. After all, just as the German sextet used music to talk about the changes that the end of the Cold War, the breakup of the Soviet Union, and the fall of the Berlin Wall represented for Europe, resulting in the epic Winds Of Change, the Scorpions repeated this feat in Peacemaker. This is because the song calls for an equal, free world without wars and ruled by love. A great message of support that was mindlessly composed and inserted in the tracklist of Rock Believer.
Mixed by Michael Ilbert, the album exudes pressure, competence, and mastery in the creation of a swinging and at the same time metallic hard rock in a way that even makes it possible to hear Pitti Hecht's percussive elements brushed on the melody of some of the songs. However, what stands out to the ears is the light, relaxed and free atmosphere in creation made possible by the fact that the album was produced by the group itself with the support of Buff.
This is why Mikkey Dee's presence at the drumsticks didn't bother us, since it seemed that, due to his own sense of togetherness, he had always been part of the group. But it must be emphasized that his versatile ability was able to absorb all the weight of the heavier, faster songs composed by Motörhead and take on a lighter demeanor whose precision is an indispensable ingredient.
From a visual point of view, the cover art sounds even curious. Done in union between Rocket and Wink and Jeff Thrower, it features a woman's face in the center wrapped in a kind of transparent fabric that, by its forms, makes the character look like a nun. Having a hand placed over her head, this same woman is in a position of intense screaming, communicating to the interlocutor a possible exorcism session. Such a description marries with the album title in the sense that if you are rock-fearing, no evil will affect you.
Released on 02/25/2022 via Vertigo, Rock Believer is hard rock that mixes humanitarian consciousness with sensuality and an unbridled thirst for freedom and intensity. A record that makes you reflect while offering high doses of adrenaline.
