SCORPIONS Frontman Lands On Bulgarian Building

According to Metal Hangar 18, a building in the city of Kavarna, Bulgaria features a specially commissioned portrait of SCORPIONS singer Klaus Meine painted onto it. The artist responsible for the Meine piece is Jasen Nenkov, who has previously painted portraits of Ian Gillan (DEEP PURPLE),Ronnie James Dio (HEAVEN & HELL, BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW) and Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, BLACK SABBATH) on various buildings in Kavarna.

The mayor of Kavarna, Tzonko Tzonev, loves rock and metal music and personally invited SCORPIONS to perform at this year's Kaliakra Rock Fest. Around 15,000 fans reportedly attended the concert, which was held on July 2 at the city's Kaliakra Stadium.

SCORPIONS are currently in the studio with Swedish producers Mikael "Nord" Andersson and Martin Hansen (the team behind THE RASMUS' "Dead Letters" CD) recording their new album for an early 2010 release.

Commented Meine: "We have a lot of new songs and are very much looking forward to the creative time ahead of us. Hopefully, when this time comes to an end, we will be able to present another awesome album that rocks and finds a place in your heart."

Added guitarist Rudolf Schenker: "It is such a great feeling to be back in the studio and creating something new and genuine. As early as the first recording day with my bandmates, I realized pure creativity is in the air. I am sure that our new album will surprise all our fans. We are up to something big, so let your curiosity get the best of you!"

Stated guitarist Matthias Jabs: "Now that our 'Humanity World Tour' is over and we toured the world twice very successfully, it is time to record new songs, to write new songs — songs that come from the heart and relate to our fans' emotions around the world. I am very excited about recording our new album with lots of energy and feeling. As always though, the bar is set very high, especially as I like to measure it with our albums 'Blackout' and 'Love at First Sting'."

SCORPIONS recently extended their record deal with Ariola, which is part of the international media conglomerate Sony BMG Music Entertainment.

The band's latest CD, "Humanity - Hour 1", was produced by James Michael and co-produced by songwriter/producer Desmond Child, who has worked with such high-profile pop/rock artists as AEROSMITH, BON JOVI, ALICE COOPER, KISS, RICKY MARTIN, CHER, MICHAEL BOLTON and BONNIE TYLER.

Rudolf Schenker will release his official German-language autobiography, "Rock Your Life", in Germany on October 14. An English-language version is also planned. More details will be revealed soon.

All photos below are courtesy of Metal Hangar 18