Sting in the Tail

Sting in the Tail is the seventeenth album on which Scorpions line up hard guitar riffs, powerful rock numbers and lyrical ballads in good balance. Their long-cultivated melodic sense is intact, and even simple songs have a chorus that stays with you after one listen — a record that returns without hesitation to hard rock, their origin. From the drive of the opener “Raised on Rock” and the bite of the title track “Sting in the Tail” to the drama of “The Good Die Young” and the great melancholy of “Lorelei,” you can enjoy the drive of linear rock and the melancholy-tinged vocal melodies at the same intensity. Simple, powerful songs recalling the 1980s golden era line up throughout. Even in a period when a breakup was once whispered, its great significance is that Scorpions faced the style they do best head-on and showed its appeal anew. A clean-handed choice to win on the strength of an established style rather than flashy experiment feels good. Uniting a veteran’s maturity and an unchanging love of rock, it is a fulfilling hard-rock record.