As the release of their 19th album approaches, 50 years later Lonesome Crowtheir first, Scorpions have lost neither energy nor inspiration. WECB went to meet historic members Klaus Meine (vocals), Rudolf Schenker (guitar) and Matthias Jabs (guitar) to understand where this unshakeable faith came from.
You come back with your heaviest album in years. Where does this boost of energy come from?
Rudolph : It comes from the fact that we are “rock believers”. We took different directions with Scorpions, we sometimes sounded a little different, especially in the grunge era, but we learned from that period. We have identified our DNA. Someone from the label came to us and said it would be fantastic to make an album in the vein of Blackout. Klaus kept this idea in mind and started writing lyrics, which he sent to me while I was on vacation in Thailand.
Klaus : I came out of my comfort zone, because for all these years, I based my lyrics on music and here, it’s the opposite. I sent some to Rudolf and said, ‘Give me a big riff! We’ve got some gas left in the tank (‘Gas in the Tank’). He found some great songs afterwards.
Let’s talk about the production of this album, which didn’t go as planned.
Klaus : We started pre-production in 2020 with Greg Fidelman. We were supposed to record the album in Los Angeles, but that wasn’t possible due to travel restrictions. So we decided to continue without Greg and produce our album on our own. I think it was the right decision.
Matthias : The producer has an important influence: Keith Olsen produced Crazy World. Later, Bruce Farbain produced Unbreakable and with Desmond Child we went in a completely different direction with Humanity: Hour 1…
Rudolph : Don’t forget Peter Wolfe (producer of Eye II Eye)! (laughs)
Matthias : Yes ! This time, because of the pandemic, we weren’t able to work with a producer. So we recorded on our own and went back to our early 80s sound.
Rudolph : On top of that, we used period equipment. We decided to work together, in the same room, without artifice. That way, as soon as something is missing from a piece, you can see it right away. The result is great.
In addition to being a pillar of hard rock, you are also known for your ballads. This is your first album since Love At First Sting (1984) to have only one. Is this a desire on your part?
Rudolph : This comes directly from our idea of making a heavy album. There is still a ballad on it, “When You Know (Where You Come From)”, we thought it was a good way to end, plus the lyrics have a nice philosophical side.
Matthias : However, we have a special “bonus track” for France, which is a ballad. It’s called “Language of My Heart”. There is another bonus track for the UK and one more for Japan.
Rock Believer is a title that resembles a rock profession of faith. Have there been times in Scorpions’ career where that faith was shaken?
Rudolph : Never ! 55 years ago, when I started my career in music, people didn’t understand. People laughed at me when I told them it was for life. To last this long, you have to believe in it. We respect the adage Peace, Love & Rock’n’ Roll: love is “Still Loving You”, peace is “Wind of Change” and rock’n’roll is “Rock You Like a Hurricane”. We believe in the power of music.
Matthias : None of us had a plan B. So it was complicated during the grunge era to secure an income, I had also started studying law. But even during this period, none of the members of Scorpions lost their faith. We are lucky to have fans who have remained loyal. We did not betray them by moving away from our basic purpose.
Klaus : A lot of people say that rock is dead these days. However, we play in front of three different generations. I see kids in the front row. I think rock fans are alive and well and we dedicate this album to them.
Find this interview with Scorpions in full in WECB Hebdo n°72
Here is our chronicle of Rock Believer
