If you believe the hype, Sting in the Tail is the final Scorpions studio album, at least until they get restless. Instead of putting out another greatest hits record or a box set, they want to go out rocking like the proverbial hurricane.
Sting in the Tail suffers from the same fate as a lot of latter day albums from hard rock elders. The musicianship is still there, but the songwriting spark is gone. Rudolph Shenker and Matthias Jabs’ dueling leads are technically flawless. They still have fantastic tone, but the boogie is gone. Some of the music feels disjointed. For instance, the riff of the title track could be a Nickelback or Hinder song, but the bridge and solo sound like vintage Scorpions. Meanwhile, Klaus Miene screams the first verse in a guttural howl, but goes back to sounding like himself for the bridge. The growl doesn’t add anything, it’s just an oddity.
The title track is the only real anomaly. The Scorps stick to the sound that brought them to the dance. There are songs about forbidden lust (“Turn Me On,” “Slave Me”), songs with “rock” in the title (“Rock Zone,” “Raised on Rock”), and plenty of power ballads. The band has essentially rewritten “Still Loving You” three times. The ballads are the highlight of the record because the Scorpions are masters of the acoustic/electric dynamic. When Rudolph Schenker hits the first big chord after the tranquil first verse, it’s still satisfying. He is also given plenty of room to solo, and he doesn’t skimp on the vibrato.
Klaus Mine’s vocals hold the record together. His voice hasn’t aged at all, it’s just slightly lower. He is able to hit every high note with a minimal amount of strain. His vocal chops and charisma save the lyrics, which are a checklist of hard rock clichés. They are all here folks, from the good dying young to the girl who looks like heaven and acts like hell. Unfortunately, these classic hard rock clichés are supported by unwieldy choruses. Choruses used to be The Scorpions’ bread and butter: “Big City Nights, “No One Like You,” “Rock You Like a Hurricane.” “You aren’t alone in the rock zone” is good enough, but it doesn’t roll off the tongue. The fans at the show are going to be so inebriated with the majesty of rock that they will forget to emphasize the last two words.
Sting in the Tail is exactly what you would expect. It’s a passable hard rock album from beloved elder statesmen. It’s a solid addition to their catalog, but not a breath of fresh air. They didn’t go out with a bang or a whimper, they just left. Nobody mentions a 40 degree day.