SCORPIONS Guitarist: We Don't Know Yet Whether We're Doing A New Album Or Not

SCORPIONS guitarist Rudolf Schenker has confirmed to Scorpions News that the band has commenced the songwriting process for a possible new studio album. If it materializes, the upcoming disc will mark the German hard rock legends' first release since 2017's "Born To Touch Your Feelings - Best Of Rock Ballads", which was an anthology of SCORPIONS' new and classic material.

"I am in the studio, trying to find new ideas and get them together," Rudolf said in a new interview (hear audio below). "But we don't know yet whether we're doing an album or not. It's a question of inspiration. When the inspiration is coming well, then we go. It's up to the inspiration. We want to be inspired." He clarified: "We are not doing an album at the moment. We are looking where we have inspiration and whether we are ready for an album. It has to be inspired, the album… We wait for the right moment. Now we have Mikkey Dee on drums, which is a new kind of element, a new chemistry, which gives us a lot of possibilities of creating something special. But you have to feel… It's like cooking a soup. You cannot eat a soup now directly — no. You have to wait until the taste is good, until the spice is good and until the temperature is good. And when the soup is too hot, it's even sometimes very good, because then you have to eat it slowly. This is the way how to create music — not going and playing something. You have to get goosebumps to your own music."

SCORPIONS' last full-length collection of new recordings was 2015's "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 He has since been replaced by Dee, formerly of MOTÖRHEAD.

SCORPIONS singer Klaus Meine told Scorpions Brazil last month that "there were plenty of ideas" when the band returned to the studio in April. "It was a really good vibe to work without big pressure or anything — just come back together, write a couple of songs, enjoy some time in the studio," he said. "And it really turned out really good and in a very positive way. Because we hadn't been in the studio for quite a while, so it was a very positive experience. And I would have loved if we could keep going, because we just have a great flow. But knowing that we go back on the road soon — in June — there's just limited time right now."

Meine went on to say that there was a "good feeling in the SCORPIONS camp" that "there might be a new album out in 2020… It's just a very positive experience, and it feels like such a great start with songwriting; we recorded some demos and stuff," he said. "So it really feels good; we're in a good way to come up with something next year."

Last fall, Schenker told Headbangers Lifestyle that SCORPIONS have tapped "a famous and well-known" producer to helm the band's new LP. He added: "We are all very excited to produce a new, historic rock 'n' roll album."