CD Review
Scorpions
Return To Forever
New Door/UME
2015
Review: Joseph Suto
✰✰✰✰
It has been an interesting tale to say the least for the Scorpions. The band was slated to call it a day after their last album Sting In The Tail. The plan called for the band to tour from 2010-2012 and then quietly fade into the sunset. As time grew the band changed their stance and said they would still continue to record. Well now that more time has passed the band decided what the heck and has decided to tour behind their newest effort Return To Forever. That is very good news for fans who missed their last tour.
Return To Forever was released in Europe in February. It will finally be released in North America on September 11. The tour begins one day prior on September 10 in Boston.
Return To Forever was an album like no other as the songs were written from the 1980s-2014, some as far back as the Blackout period. The band went into the studio with leftovers and outtakes and added new lyrics and other parts to freshen up the sound and song structure.
Some of the newer songs like the opener “Going Out With A Bang” and “We Built This House” deal with friendships, triumphs and lessons they learned during their illustrious career.
Other must listens include ballad “House Of Cards” which shows singer Klaus Meine in his finest voice. Make no mistake Meine sounds amazing throughout the mix of ballads and rockers. Don’t think for a moment this band has forgot how to rock either as evidenced by the fast paced “Rock ‘n’ Roll Band”.
Overall a surprising album that will delight fans old and new. Perhaps their most solid release since 1996s Pure Instinct.
Track Listing
01. Going Out With A Bang
02. We Built This House
03. Rock My Car
04. House Of Cards
05. All For One
06. Rock ‘n’ Roll Band
07. Catch Your Luck and Play
08. Rollin’ Home
09. Hard Rockin’ the Place
10. Eye Of The Storm
11. The Scratch
12. Gypsy Life
Tour Dates
Date City Venue
September
10 Boston, MA Blue Hills Bank Pavilion
12 Brooklyn, NY Barclays Center
13 Gilford, NH Meadowbrook
16 Moncton, NB Canada Moncton Coliseum
18 Toronto, ON Canada Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
19 Montreal, QC Canada Bell Centre
22 Columbus, OH LC Pavilion
23 Cleveland, OH Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica
25 Windsor, ON Canada Caesar’s Windsor
26 Chicago, IL Allstate Arena
29 Denver, CO Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
October
1 San Jose, CA SAP Center
3 Los Angeles, CA The Forum
6 Santa Barbara, CA Santa Barbara Bowl
7 Las Vegas, NV Hard Rock Hotel
9 Seattle, WA ShoWare Center
For more on Scorpions visit their website here
