SCORPIONS: Humanity: Hour 1 (New Door Records)
By Fizz
Rating: 7.0
You know the music business is in sad shape when the Scorpions, a band with such a legacy, have trouble getting their new album released in America. Apparently, Humanity: Hour 1 has been floating around since the late spring of this year, but is only now getting a stateside release. The collapse of Sanctuary Records has really fucked things up for a lot of bands, I guess.
Well, no matter, because the new Scorps record is here. It would seem that, after some pretty dismal offerings in the late ‘90’s, the German metal legnds are back on an even keel. Their 2004 album Unbreakable, was prthe best thing they’d put out since 1993’s Face The Heat, and Humanity: Hour 1 continues in a similar, steady vein. For this adventure, the band brings in songwriting aces Desmond Child and Eric Bazilian. Buddying up with outside songwriters usually spells doom for most bands (just look at Aerosmith), and I was expecting the worst from the Scorps too, but luckily, it seems to have worked out fairly well.
The first half of the album is far better than the second, however. The party gets rolling with “Hour 1,” with an immediately catchy rhythm. They really couldn’t have picked a better song to start the record with, and it makes a good choice for first single as well. I’m not really sure I get the whole “humanity/hour-one” concept, though. “The Game Of Life” is up next, and manages not to make the tired old “soft verse, loud chorus” thing sound completely horrible.
“We Were Born To Fly” is the first hint of what the rest of the album holds, as it’s a very mid-paced track that’s not quite a ballad. Still, at this early stage, you don’t mind too much. They save the full-on ballad for “The Future Never Dies,” and once again, it features a piano. WHY? It’s a mystery to me why a band with two guitarists as great as Rudolf Schenker and Matthias Jabs would feel the need to resort to a piano, but they do. It’s not a terrible song even so, and definitely better than the two putrid ballads on Unbreakable, that’s for damn sure.
Another slow-ish but heavy-ish rocker turns up in “You’re Lovin’ Me To Death.” I have to admit, I get a kick out of this song, as Klaus Meine gets smothered with kindness and drowned in affection, all the while waiting fearfully for the other high-heeled shoe to drop. The tempo picks back up, finally, for “321,” and you have a reason to sit up straight again. This one rivals “Hour 1” for sheer catchiness and rockability. One small problem: the lyrics are a joke, and it’s hard not to feel silly even as you pump your fist to the endless chants of “Are you ready to rock? Are you ready to rock?” Fuck it, it’s the Scorpions. They’ve always had their share of cringe-worthy moments that rock all the same.
Now it’s time to break out the pillows and pull the shades, because the latter half of the disc is almost entirely slow- to mid-paced semiballads. I mean, one right after the other, with varying degrees of hardness, from “not at all hard,” to “kinda … firm I guess.” To tell the truth, none of the next five songs stood out for me, and it was just too many slow-ish tunes in a row. Nothing made me cover my ears and scream in agony, though, so I suppose that counts for something.
The last song is called “Humanity,” and although it’s yet another semi-ballad, it immediately got my attention, with a patented Scorps melody and lyrics that made me actually want to try to decipher them. Like I said, I’m not sure what this whole concept is supposed to be about, but I get the sense that there is indeed some sort of common thread running through these songs. “Humanity” seems to be talking about how we as a society have lost our essential humanness in this modern, mechanized world where technology reigns supreme, and some say it’s just a matter of time that we become obsolete. That’s what I take away from this song, anyway, but I think I’m on the right track. Anyway, this song could’ve fit right in on Face The Heat, an album I liked a lot as well. The weird thing is, as the song ends, we’re treated to a very strange half-minute of what sounds like New Orleans second-line funeral music or something. It’s just such an odd sound to hear on a Scorpions album, I can’t see it as anything but a sly, wry joke on the part of the band.
Humanity: Hour 1 is not Blackout. It’s not Lovedrive. It’s not Crazy World. But it’s also not Eye II Eye, either, thank God. If you liked the direction the band was headed on Unbreakable, you’ll probably like this as well. Desmond Child’s influence is felt, but he doesn’t suffocate the album, as most of the songs sound like something the band could have come up with on their own anyway. One thing I’ve noticed in recent years—ever since “Wind of Change” became a huge hit, in fact—is that the tone of Scorpions ballads has changed. Remember in the old days, they all seemed to have a sinister, almost desperate feel to them, and were set in some odd minor chord? Now they’re all pleasant and easygoing and, while a few are still pretty bummed out, others are pretty “encouraging,” like a lecture from a high-school guidance counselor. Strange. Anyway, Klaus Meine still sounds as strong and full-voiced as ever, and Rudolf and Matthias can still rip it up when they want to. As much as it’s possible for a metal band to do so, I think the Scorpions have done a pretty good job of aging gracefully, and more power to ‘em for it.
Best Songs: “Hour 1,” “You’re Lovin’ Me To Death,” “Humanity”
Worst Song: “We Will Rise Again”
