Humanity - Hour 1

Inside Out

German veteran hard rockers The Scorpions have returned with what is undoubtedly their most mature effort to date. Following hot on the heels of 2004’s successful return to form Unbreakable, Humanity - Hour 1 finds the guys focusing their attention on world awareness while leaving behind their testosterone infused girl chasing ways. Wanting to present a modern tinged album without forsaking their classic Scorpions sound, the band enlisted the talents of legendary producer Desmond Child (KISS, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith) to bring their vision to fruition.

Although the band did try to deliver a modernized version of themselves a few years back with the rather disappointing “Eye To Eye” release they have truly managed to tap into the current playing field without abandoning their identity. From the opening cut of “Hour 1” it is evident that the guys haven’t lost their ability to shell out a solid rock hit in the slightest. Monster riffs, coupled with crisp sonic textures and emotionally charged melody lines, paint a musical landscape that at times rivals anything they’ve accomplished in the past. Straight ahead rockers such as “You’re Lovin’ Me to Death”, “321” or the heavy hitting “Game of Life” represent the band at their absolute best. After nearly 40 years of existence The Scorpions continue to impress with their superior song writing abilities. In addition to the powerful set of heavy rockin’ hits no Scorpions CD would be complete without the inclusion of the ever-astonishing power ballad and there are a few worthy   mentions found here including the inspirational “We Will Rise Again” and the heartfelt “The Future Never Dies”. Throughout the CD there seems to be a pretty fair blend of heavy rockers, ballads and mid-tempo offerings. Perhaps the two most thought provoking songs come via the acoustically driven “Love Is War” and “The Cross” where surprisingly the guest vocal by Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan was scarily compelling and didn’t sound out of place at all. The first single and subsequent video for “Humanity” is probably my favorite track on the CD as it is so beautifully orchestrated from beginning to end.

Vocalist Klaus Meine is as capable as ever as is co-founder Rudolf Schenker and his guitar shredding counterpart Matthias Jabs. Needless to say The Scorpions have once again outdone themselves and fans everywhere can rest assured that there is still great music to be had in the world. Humanity - Hour 1 scores a perfect ten in my book.

-Priest