KLAUS MEINE On SCORPIONS' New Album: 'This Time, The Focus Is On The Harder Songs'

SCORPIONS frontman Klaus Meine spoke to Talking Metal about the band's upcoming studio album. Tentatively due in 2021, the 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.

"We hooked up with [producer] Greg Fidelman — he used to work with METALLICA and SLIPKNOT — so we're right on our way bringing the old vibe from albums like 'Blackout', 'Love At First Sting' or even 'Lovedrive'," Klaus said (hear audio below). "We try to focus on those albums and this attitude. If we get there, who knows — it's so many years later. But it's the spirit and it's the whole vibe around this album. To start with, it's crazy enough to say, 'Let's make a new record.' It's quite a challenge after all these years. While most other artists say, 'Okay, we put out a couple of [standalone] songs,' like the way we did it with [the recently released single] 'Sign Of Hope', that's good enough. But we said, 'No.' We go the old-fashioned way and make a whole new album. And this time, the focus is on the harder songs. 'Sign Of Hope' is like a real short, sweet and nice ballad, just reflecting this moment in time. But the album will be more on the harder edge. Thankfully, we started writing last year already, and we picked it up after the tour this year, and there's lots and lots of material. Fortunately, and I'll tell you, it's such a privilege and it's a blessing, in this very, very difficult situation we all go through with the coronavirus, it's a blessing we can do something. We go into the studio, work on new songs, new material and really take a deep dive into the creative world and create something new. It's wonderful."

The early songwriting sessions for the new SCORPIONS album are taking place at the bandmembers' homes or at the Peppermint Park Studios in Hannover, Germany, with Fidelman taking part via Zoom.

According to Meine, SCORPIONS' new LP will feature "no outside writers at all," unlike 2015's "Return To Forever", which was largely co-written by the album's producers, Mikael Nord Andersson and Martin Hansen.

Fidelman began his career as the guitarist and songwriter for RHINO BUCKET before launching his career as a producer, engineer and mixer, finding an early mentor in Rick Rubin.

SCORPIONS' last full-length collection of new recordings was the aforementioned "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.