Scorpions Album: “Unbreakable”

The Scorps are back with a real good, rockin' album. No, they will never make another Black Out or Love At First Sting, but this album is as good as we could expect, especially from a band that is trying to appeal to such a global market. I think that if they were trying to please only the USA fans, some of the songs would have been different. Like the Stones, The Who, etc, the band's best days are behind them; BUT, this new album is closer to what we love about the Scorpions than anything we've heard from them in 14 years.

The album's opening track, "New Generation", leaves no room for doubt that the Scorps can still rock. Immediately, we hear the symbiotic guitar work of Rudolf Schenker's heavy riffing with Matthias Jabs' six-string-sting lead, in what will be a new Scorpions classic. This sets the tone for the rest of the album. Here's my take on the rest of the songs:

"Love `Em of Leave `Em - straight ahead rocker, cool riffs, I bet it'll come off live real good.

"Deep And Dark" - one of the best songs on the album, heavy guitars, killer riffs, great chorus

"Borderline" - mid tempo rocker, good verse sections, really generic chorus, overall not bad

"Blood Too Hot" - Fast rocker, sounds like it was written to play live, still a little generic

"Maybe I, Maybe You" - starts off slow and sappy (with some random guy playing piano) but builds into an amazing triple meter ( a la Hendrix's "Manic Depression") rocking tune! They should have started this song differently but it ends up being another one of the best tracks.

"Someday Is Now" - Good fast rocker, another one that'll be good live

"My City, My Town" - Scorps give props to their hometown, mid tempo rocker

"Through My Eyes" - here's the song we've been waiting 14 years to hear, classic Scorpions chord progression and melody, vintage Klaus Meine harmonies, a little like "No One Like You", the best song on the album IMO

"Can You Feel It" - rock anthem style tune, very generic chorus but totally killer verse sections

"This Time" - mid tempo rocker written by Matthias Jabs, the 2nd best tune on the album IMO, very cool!

"She Said" - one more ballad, good melody and all but enough already!

"Remember the Good Times" - 60's style song structure (but heavy sound), sounds like they wrote in 5 minutes but it's still a fun song

Overall, the album is very good, with all the musicians really executing well. The sound is classic yet modern. The production is very good and the mixing is clear. My only real complaint is that Matthias' solos are mixed too low (listen to Blackout to hear proper lead guitar mixing). Scorpions fans will not be disappointed. The album is a refreshing departure from the Scorpions' musical direction of the past several years, and very refreshing "alternative" to the dull thud of most of the current "rock" bands.

I was pleasantly surprised when I first heard this cd. There are plenty of catchy songs. My favs are New G, Deep & Dark, Blood Too Hot, Through My Eyes, She Said, and Remember the GT. At first I would have given this cd 4.5 or 5 stars but after a while I got tired of some of the songs. I put this album among the Scorps top ten though. It is better than anything they have done since LAFS. I'm glad to hear the Scorps are still going strong! This cd is worth getting.

I don't usually review anything at all on Amazon, but the other guy's ill-founded commentary on this album has sparked me into it. It sounds as if 'a music fan from NH' wasn't looking for a Scorpions album at all.

With 'Unbreakable,' you've got a good amount of straight-ahead rockers with catchy riffs (and in some cases, lyrics), and a handful of ballads that honestly aren't bad. I've heard far worse, and not many better.

The guitars are just about as powerful as it gets for the method used to record this. Did I mention that 'a music fan from NH' must have missed the enhanced CD content, which not only shows the Scorpions in the studio, but explains how the CD itself was recorded? Must have slipped my mind. The entire band was together creating these songs, with just some headphones to keep track. It's very close to live Scorpions, and in that, I think it captures some of that particular magic.

I wasn't aware Sanctuary isn't considered a major label, seeing as they have some of the top bands of all time on their release lists.

And this is a hard rock, back to basics CD. As basic as it gets. Here you have an 'unbreakable' band just picking up the instruments, stepping up to the microphone and creating music.

To summarize: it doesn't give me a headache. It's pleasant to listen to, the enhanced content is interesting, and it's the Scorpions. The. Scorpions. This album alone is going to tide me over until the new Megadeth one comes out.

A longtime fan of the Scorpions who considers their truest artistic successes to be the albums "Animal Magnetism" and "Blackout," I am having a very, very good time listening to "Unbreakable." As other reviewers note, it flat-out rocks. Scorpions sound like they're done aping Def Leppard ("Savage Amusement"), Guns N Roses ("Wind of Change") and Metallica (the embarrassing Berlin Philharmonic experiment) and have decided to just be the Scorpions. The opening sound of "New Generation," "Unbreakable's" first track, instantly takes the listener back to "World Wide Live's" breakout effect and from there on out it's a true Scorpions rock record. The guitars are right-on, the vocals are pure Klaus, and production is the tightest I've heard on a Scorpions release. In the end it might be considered their best since "Love at First Sting," although in today's hip-hop and pop-post-grunge radio world it probably won't sell a third as many copies. Too bad, because the Scorpions just don't get better than this. Excellent.

Okay, I will not say that this album is as good as Blackout, but no bands can really meet their pinnacle standards a second time. This is a fantastic album. I am the first to admit that I'd written the Scorpions off after the last few efforts. Eye II Eye was horrific in my opinion, and it had been a long time, at least since Crazy World, since they had put out something worth listening to. Yes, I'm a fan of old Scorps. When I saw this on the shelf I was hesitant to say the least. After I heard it in my friend's car, I had to buy it. It is absolutely terrific. The songs are melodic, heavy, catchy, sexy, and emotionally charged. Just like the band always was in the old days. The only song on this album I don't care for is Borderline and it's not that bad either. I cannot convey as much as I'd like how surprised I was by this album. It is absolutely to the standards they used to hold themselves to. Even die-hard old Scorpions fans like me will love this. Pick it up, you will be glad you did!!