By the time Eye II Eye was released in 1999, the German metal outfit, the Scorpions, had been recording since 1972. Their sound has evolved over the years, became sometimes a bit more sophisticated, and yet sometimes simplified. But for this 1999 album, they drastically altered their sound - and not for the better.

     With the exception of several excellent songs, including the main single "Mysterious", most of the album is directionless and unfortunately filler. I often try my best as a fan to appreciate the new ground one of my favorite bands treads - be it Chris Cornell for example with his Scream album, which was a great departure from his usual fare. Eye II Eye though is a clear example of an older rock band catering to a newer type of sound. When they do it well in a song like "Mysterious", it sounds good. Other times it sounds unnatural, and clearly more like a fad because you know they wouldn't keep up this type of sound forever - it wasn't going to be their new direction.

     Is Eye II Eye a bad album? In a word, no, but it is not one of their stronger efforts. Frankly, it is overall their weakest. The effort is there, but the song quality is uneven. Interestlingly, the first track and the last track are the albums best. Sprinkled in between are some good solid tunes, along with some really forgettable ones. If you are curious of this album, or a big fan of the Scorpions and need to hear all of their work, I would just stick to the song highlights listed below - that's all you'll need from Eye II Eye.

TRACK HIGHLIGHTS:

"Mysterious"

"A Moment In A Million Years"

"Obsession"

"10 Light Years Away"

-Kurt L.

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     Crossing into the new millenium, the Scorpions could be considered dinosaurs - but judging from the album Unbreakable, that would be a ill-concieved claim. In fact, in Unbreakable, the decades old act sound rejuvenated with a new aggression vision. From the outset, with the opening track "New Generation", the Scorpions realize they are existing in a new era and the message of the song is passing on the torch for the future. Though while their message seems genuine, the fact can't be denied that the Scorpions can still rock, and rock hard, well into the 21st century. In fact, all of their 21st century albums are all quite strong - especially 2007's Humanity Hour I. Unbreakable not only looked to pass the torch, but certainly ushered in a new era of Scorpions music.

     For the most part, it is a fairly strong album but isn't without its flaws. While the entire album is listenable, there aren't a particularly vast collection of truly memorable tracks. Considering the strength of the aforementioned opening track, and the other truly strong highlights - "Love 'Em or Leave 'Em", "Deep And Dark", "Through My Eyes", and the exquisite "Maybe I Maybe You", the rest of the record is sort of average. Like I said, it is passable, but not very gripping - which is acceptable, not exceptional.

     The direction of this album is a lot more focused than the Scorpions' uneven Eye II Eye released in 1999. While they were clearly trying something new - which was successful to a solid degree, Unbreakable features more clarity and cohesion. As a whole it is better, and some of its track highlights are some of the bands best work. The half-piano, half-rocker ballad "Maybe I Maybe You" is one of their best songs they've ever created and is a truly beautiful, thought provoking song - in fact, it gave me goosebumps! Only so many songs can provoke such an emotionally charged physical response such as that!

     The musicianship on this album sounds very strong too. Klaus Meine, well into a 40 year career as a lead vocalist, has a voice that has remained untouched and unscathed by age. The band itself sounds just as tight as I had expected they would - as they always do.

     Unbreakable is a fairly heavy album by Scorpions standards, and that is a good thing. They are once again exuding how they can flex their musical muscle, even within the borders of rock and roll. They've done so much, so many different things within rock throughout all of their albums, it's quite an accomplishment on a musical front. While Unbreakable isn't perfect, it still indeed does deserve a listen. I do recommend it. It features some of their best work. The Scorpions, even well into their 4th decade in the business, still remain, like the title of this album, unbreakable.

TRACK HIGHLIGHTS:

"Maybe I Maybe You"

"New Generation"

"Love 'Em Or Leave 'Em"

"Deep And Dark"

"Through My Eyes"

-Kurt L.

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     If you thought the Scorpions always sounded like they did on the song "Rock You Like A Hurricane", you'd be greatly mistaken. While they became famous toward the end of the 70s and largely throughout the 80s and beyond, their 1972 debut simply sounds nothing like it. What you will hear is a very unique album with a very distinct early 70s hard rock sound. It sounds like something that Led Zeppelin would have made - which is amazing. It contains elements of blues, and especially jazz. Often the songs on Lonesome Crow will deviate from their original rythyms and go off on a jam, and then suddenly return to the original song progression - which is clearly influenced from jazz. It's really a tour de force performance by the band.

     Every musician is in top notch form here. The dynamic abilities to craft such avant garde music is incredible. The only two remaining members from the debut album are singer Klaus Meine and rythym guitarist Rudolf Schenker. About Meine, a truly awesome singer, sounds much different here than he normally does on every future album since. Normally he dwells in a high tenor vocal range, but here, his tone is much deeper at times, more so than any other time in his career. His voice booms, it echoes, it commands. Upon a first listen, you wouldn't recognize it as Klaus Meine, but with more exposure to the album, you can surely tell. He does visit his high tenor self - and it's awesome.

     The real star of this album is lead guitarist Michael Schenker, who is Rudolf's younger brother. Michael Schenker was a guitar virtuoso who carries this album with his truly impressive and wowing solos. Unfortunately, Michael had a tenuous stay in the band due to his alcoholism and eventually departed from the band for good following 1979. He went ahead and launched a fairly successful solo career though. Anyway, his work though on Lonesome Crow is brilliant - along with the rest of the band.

     It turns out that this album was actually used as the soundtrack to a German film entitled Das Kaite Paradies. I never heard of the film until I did a little more research on Lonesome Crow. In any case, this is such a unique work in their library - with its nuances of jazz, blues, psychedlic rock, jam band, hard rock - it's truly great. I scored it fairly high on this review, and you may be wondering...is this the best Scorpions album ever? Well, I wouldn't say so - but I scored it high based on its own musical merits. There have been many terrific Scorpions records, and this is one of the their best, but ultimately not their best. I highly recommend though! I truly do.

     It took a few listens before I really felt I was able to appreciate this album. Initially I was turned off because it sounded nothing like the great Scorpions we all know. But I felt I was able to appreciate their roots and to see how they have evolved so much over the years. This album breaks their convention before they were able to even form their conventions. So who knows how a casual fan will receive this record because it is so different. If you invest some time, you will see the aesthetic power of this classic album.

TRACK HIGHLIGHTS:

"Inheritance"

"I'm Goin' Mad"

"Leave Me"

"It All Depends"

"In Search of the Peace of Mind"

"Lonesome Crow"

-Kurt L.

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     From the outset, the Scorps pull in the listener with one of the vew few rousing rockers entitled "Wild Child." From that great opener, to the intro of the next track "But The Best For You", you'd think that it is following the typical formula - but it is not the case. Once "But The Best For You" breaks into the first verse, you are treated a much more mellow sound - it's quite refreshing. Pure Instincts as a whole is such a departure from their larger body of work, it's startling, but also stunning, as it is done so very well.

     Pure Instincts not only showcases a legitimate songwriting talent, but from an actual band chemistry standpoint, the musicians themselves are all in top form. Klaus Meine delievers some breathtaking vocals throughout the piece, and the versatility exuded by the guitarists, bassist, and drummer, is simply amazing.

     One of my all time favorite Scorpions songs is on this record, entitled "Soul Behind The Face." For some bizarre reason, Pure Instincts is currently absent from iTunes, as I would recommend picking up that song right away. Though, that isn't to say this album isn't worth getting! Quite the contrary! It's a terrific and unique piece of Scorpions lore that stands out in their larger body of work. I always felt the Scorpions were among the very elite in terms of arena rock bands, as they have always showcased a certain talent much better than the likes of the mediocrity in that genre (bands like Ratt, Tesla, Bon Jovi, etc.).

     I know I've been gushing over this album, but it also has a few misfires along the way. These few tracks, like the banal "Stone In My Shoe" for example, do not detract from the great strides made here. I also must make note of the closing track - "Are You The One?" It is a song of such simplicity - in its message and in its delievary. Klaus Meine sings his heart out in front of a orchestral ensemble, with some light guitar touches in the background - it's gorgeous.

     Overall, Pure Instincts is a wonderfully mellow, sometimes theatrical showcase of this bands talent. If you ever thought that the Scorpions were simply a glam-arena rock band, think again. Listen closely, and you'll find out they are so much more.

TRACK HIGHLIGHTS:

"Soul Behind The Face"

"But The Best For You"

"Are You The One?"

"Wild Child"

"Does Anyone Know"

"You And I"

"When You Came Into My Life"

-Kurt L.

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     The sound of this album certainly marks the beginning of a new era in the Scorpions. Crazy World (1990) seemed to close out the 80s-like (yet still timeless) sound, while Face The Heat features a more "Americanized" sound. What I mean more specifically is that this album has flavors of Van Halen and Guns N Roses, rather than your typical Scorpions - which is not a bad thing either. The Scorpions are indeed a band of German descent, however, that isn't to say they sound disctinctively such. It's just simply tough to describe, or articulate, but regardless, it still is some quality Scorpions music - and no worries, it does contain the band's signature tone.

     Perhaps this infusion of a different sound is owed partially to famed rock producer Bruce Fairbairn. The late Fairbairn was a truly successful and renowned producer - his credits include the mega-hit Bon Jovi album, Slippery When Wet, and also one of my favorite Van Halen albums, Balance, made in 1995. Clearly, those two albums are from some of America's favorite rock bands, so that touch of American-made rock could have made its way into this Scorpions album.

     From a songwriting perspective, Face The Heat is generally heavier than prior releases, especially in the opening track "Alien Nation." It is a thunderous, well-crafted, and technical wonder that will surely grab your attention from the start. The rest of the album boasts a fine selection of modern classics - and like most Scorpions albums, it contains some nice ballads, despite the album's lean toward a heavier tone. These classics include the John Lennon-esque "Under The Same Sun", which seems to pay homage to Lennon's song "Imagine" with the lyric, "Why can't we live as one?" Other great tunes include the very Van Halen/Sammy Hagar-ish "Someone To Touch", the rich sound of "Woman", and also of "Taxman Woman." It also closes with one of the very best songs in the Scorpions library - "Lonely Nights." In similar fashion to the finale of their must-have 1984 release Love At First Sting (which ended with the epic "Still Lovin' You"), this album closes out with a gorgeous ballad that has such emotional strength, and great textured and layered composition in the musical sense, from the vocals to the guitar and basslines, to the drums - it's superb.

     The U.S. release of Face The Heat, which I have, also has a hidden bonus track at the end of "Lonely Nights" entitled "Marie's The Name (His Latest Flame)." Whether or not it correlates with "Lonely Nights" is debatable, but regardless, this surprise ending is simply awesome. Originally, it was an Elvis Presley song - and who would have thought the Scorpions would cover an early 1960s pop song? It certainly remains the most unique of songs in Scorpions lore - it's great stuff.

     Overall, Face The Heat is better than some critics had given it credit for. Sure, it may be one of their lesser known releases, but that's because it was buried underneath the new grunge albums of the time. Regardless of that, its slight obscurity should not outweigh its legitimate merits, as it is indeed another strong, solid Scorpions album that is littered with some truly awesome songs, that I would say have since become Scorpions classics.

TRACK HIGHLIGHTS:

"Lonely Nights"

"Alien Nation"

"Under the Same Sun"

"Someone to Touch"

"Woman"

"Marie's the Name (His Latest Flame)" [Hidden Track]

"Taxman Woman"

-Kurt L.

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     The pacing and track positioning of this album is superb. It seems to have a natural flow about it. It isn't a particularly long album either, with only nine tracks, it sort of makes me want to hear more - I think that is a good thing! Does it feel complete then? Yes, definitely. It has one dud track right smack dab in the middle of it, entitled "The Same Thrill" - and that's it. Aside from that, the rest of the record is terrific!

     The other eight tracks are tremendous. From the opening hard-stomp of "Bad Boys Running Wild", to the thematic "Rock You Like A Hurricane", to the catchy "I'm Leaving You", the half ballad, half hard rockin' "Coming Home", the album is not short of greatness.

     The latter half of the record is just as impressive. "Big City Nights" has some unforgettable guitar riffs and awesome melodies. I love "As Soon as the Good Times Roll"; now that is a song that conveys as great sense of musicality and songwriting savvy. It's not the Scorpions best song ever, but it is definitely a career highlight. From the technical standpoint, I love the sound of that track. For the first half of the song, the drums are played off the beat of the rythym - it's not jarring at all, it really works well. The second half of the song, the band switches and then the drums play on time with the beat, but then the guitar plays behind the rythym, it's really cool stuff. Plus, they take the traditional rock convention of "letting the good times roll", which dates back to the days of Chuck Berry in the 1950s, and they, the Scoropions, create their own discintive take on it.

     While "As Soon as the Good Times Roll" exudes great ability of song construction, many, many other tracks on this album do just the same in their own respects. The following track, "Crossfire" is another classic - with its military march drums driving the song, it features a howling vocal performance from Klaus Meine and an awesome sense of political interest and rebellion, about how innonence should not be caught up in the 'crossfire.'

     In my opinion, I've always been fond of an album that closes with a sweeping epic song. Love At First Sting ends with such a disctinction. "Still Loving You" is pretty much the ultimate in terms of having a closing song. With its tear-jerking theme, its subdued yet restless guitar riffs and melodies, to the throaty and wide ranging performance from Klaus Meine on vocals, it has it all. It clocks in at six plus minutes in length, it packs a lot of punch, and leaves an indelible impact - it's a bonafide classic. You couldn't ask for a better way to finish out an already awesome album!

     As you can see, this was a pretty lengthy review, but I had a lot to say about Love At First Sting. I could have simply said, 'this album is great,' or, 'you should go buy this,' but more needed to be said. This album is much more than another 80s rock album, it's wholeheartedly, a great rock and roll album. It very much captures the essence of a 1980s arena rock record, but it doesn't sound dated. It is very representational of the time in which it was recorded, but it transcends that time because it features so much great nuance - whether its in the songwriting itself, or the intricate guitar work, the melodies, or of the intense singing by frontman Klaus Meine; there simply is a lot to like. With all this being said, is Love At First Sting, the Scorpions best album ever? Tough call to make, but it is definitely up their amongst the elite.

TRACK HIGHLIGHTS:

"Rock You Like A Hurricane"

"Bad Boys Running Wild"

"Still Loving You"

"As Soon as the Good Times Roll"

"Big City Nights"

"Crossfire"

"I'm Leaving You"

"Coming Home"

-Kurt L.

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     Was the full written review not quite enough for you? Well, then take a look at the newest video review from Ethos on the Scorpions' newest album Sting In The Tail. I take an in-depth look at the thematic points of the album, and also I discuss some of the other cool things I liked about it - I even play a little Scorpions stuff on guitar for some fun!

     Click the link below and check out the brand new Ethos Video Review: Sting In The Tail CD Review. An Ethos Nation Production. Thanks again for watching!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXDivkwpL5M

-Kurt L.

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     The opening track, "Raised On Rock", also the album's single, is absolutely one of the Scorpions best songs I've ever heard. It has a boisterious energy that hopefully will amp up its chances of making a splash on the radio or iTunes. It's a terrific, rousing, rock stomp with that awesome signature double-guitar attack. It's got a catchy melody, and a cool bravado.

     Aside from the great opening song, the rest of the album trades back and forth between a ballad and a hard rocker. The hard rockers on this album are all loud and intense, but not the most cohesive of songs. They sometimes feel like they, the band I mean, are simply trying their darndest to go out with a bang. However, the ballads on this album are excellent. "The Good Die Young", "Lorelei", "SLY", and the half-ballad, half-anthem, ironically titled closing track "The Best Is Yet To Come" are all some of the best work here. So, aside from "Raised On Rock", are there any other good rockers here? Well, yes, "No Limit" is definitely a highlight. The strength of this album largely lies within the work of the ballads though.

     I noticed a rather interesting thematic element throughout the entirety of Sting In The Tail. There is definitely a lot of allusions to their roots, and to their past influences. Often hear some both obvious and vague references to the late 1960s, The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and to the legacy of the rock n' roll genre as a whole - "Spirit of Rock" is a good example of the rock legacy being exemplified. I never really noticed before, in any other Scorpions record, this sense of nostalgia and their past influences. It was certainly a nice thing to hear, as they are not only providing you with a fun, energetic final album, but a personal sense of how they got to be where they are.

     Sting In The Tail is certainly a valiant effort. It's not a perfect album, but it definitely provides a fitting farewell to its fans. It salutes them with a one-two punch of what they do best - engage you in their ballads, and energize you with their heavy rockers. After all these years, the band itself still sounds so professional and tight. Klaus Meine, the lead singer, is 62 years old and his voice sounds as crisp, clear, and as powerful as ever - it is remarkable. So with that all being said, I recommend Sting In The Tail. The Scorpions have had a long, illustrious, and successful career, and I hope they all enjoy their final tour together, as they bow out here with grace. Goodbye Scorpions, we the fans, thank you for all the wonderful years.

TRACK HIGHLIGHTS:

"Raised On Rock"

"Lorelei"

"The Best Is Yet To Come"

"The Good Die Young"

"SLY"

"No Limit"

-Kurt L.

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