MATTHIAS JABS Says SCORPIONS' Current Success 'Is Comparable To The One In The '80s'

August 17, 2022

In an interview with France 3 Pays De La Loire conducted at this year's Hellfest, SCORPIONS guitarist Matthias Jabs spoke about the band's enduring commercial popularity. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "When I joined the band, it's like 44 years ago. The band was already going in the '70s, and we were all too young to think about the age we have today. When you're young, you think there's no end to things, but you have no idea what to imagine. Meanwhile, when you look back, it is very astonishing that we are together for such a long time, still successful with a brand new album and touring the world like we've always done. And sometimes I must think the success we have right now is comparable to the one in the '80s — every place is full, sold out, and the fans are very enthusiastic. And we gained a lot of new ones — young people are enjoying the SCORPIONS music, which is great. We are 80, and they are 18 or 28. [Laughs] They are younger than most of our songs."

SCORPIONS's latest album, "Rock Believer", was released in February. The LP was recorded primarily at Peppermint Park Studios in Hannover, Germany and was mixed at the legendary Hansa Studios in Berlin, Germany with engineer Michael Ilbert, who has earned multiple Grammy nominations for his mix work with producer Max Martin on albums by Taylor Swift and Katy Perry.

SCORPIONS originally intended to record the new album in Los Angeles with producer Greg Fidelman, whose previous credits include SLIPKNOT and METALLICA. However, because of the pandemic, some of the initial work was done with Greg remotely, after which SCORPIONS opted to helm the recordings themselves with the help of their engineer Hans-Martin Buff.

SCORPIONS' new album marks their first release since 2017's "Born To Touch Your Feelings - Best Of Rock Ballads", which was an anthology of new and classic material.

SCORPIONS' previous full-length collection of new recordings was "Return To Forever", partially comprising songs the band had in the vault from the '80s. It was the final recorded appearance of SCORPIONS' longtime drummer James Kottak, who was dismissed from the band in September 2016. He has since been replaced by Mikkey Dee, formerly of MOTÖRHEAD.

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