SCORPIONS Guitarist: New Album 'Will Have Superb Power Ballads And Hard-Rocking Songs'

Malaysia's The Malay Mail recently conducted an interview with SCORPIONS guitarist Rudolf Schenker. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

Q: What's new with you and the band?

Rudolf: "We are currently working on our new album which will rock you guys like a hurricane (laughs). We are hoping to get it out late this year or early next year."

Q: New album? Tell us about it?

Rudolf: "For now, I can only tell you that it's going to pick up where 'Unbreakable' left off. It will have superb power ballads and hard-rocking songs playable on commercial radio. I've been listening to GREEN DAY and SYSTEM OF A DOWN, which I think is very fresh and different compared to other rock music out there. I guess you can say that the new SCORPIONS album is going to sound fresh and rocking. Also one more thing, it's going to be a great album and not an album with one or two great songs."

Q: This year marked the band's 36 years together. Did it ever come across your mind that you would achieve what you've achieved?

Rudolf: "Never in our wildest dreams. I think we are one of the first generation of rock bands that lived the rock 'n' roll lifestyle. Of course, as musicians life won't always be straight but we are extremely happy with what we've achieved over the years. At the same time we are also really looking forward to achieving more things."

Q: Klaus lost his voice in 1981 while recording "Blackout" and wanted to pull himself out of the band. How did that affect you losing the other half of SCORPIONS' songwriting force?

Rudolf: "The thing about SCORPIONS is, we are not just a band, we are close friends. When Klaus came to me saying that he wanted to quit the band, I told him no way! I told him that we’ve already refined and established our sound and there’s no way I want to continue if he's not on board. I then told him that we’ll bounce back no matter what."

Q: How does the band plan to keep on doing what it does best while at the same time stay relevant with today's popular music?

Rudolf: "Well, like I said earlier, to become a great rock band we must have great riffs and great songs. Stick to that and things will never go wrong. Speaking of that, that's what you'll hear in our new album. One more thing, it also helps if you go on the road and perform it in front of your fans. That's why when the album is released, the first thing we are going to do is to embark on a world tour."

Read the entire interviewe at www.mmail.com.my.