Scorpions
Formed: 1965
From:
Hannover,
Germany
Last Known Status: Active
Latest Scorpions News
Below is our complete Scorpions news coverage, including columns and articles pertaining to the band. Some articles listed may be indirectly related, such as side projects of the band members, etc.
Note: We began associating news directly with bands in late 2003. Therefore, earlier band news may not be listed on this page.
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Headline News
Former Scorpions Drummer James Kottak Passes Away
James Kottak, the longest serving drummer of German hard rock/heavy metal legends Scorpions and founding member of Kingdom Come, has sadly died at the age of sixty one. A cause of death has not yet been revealed. A message from his former band reads as follows:
"Very sad news. Our dear friend and Drummer for 20 years James Kottak has passed at the age of 61. James was a wonderful human being , a great musician and loving family man … he was our 'Brother from another Mother' and will be truly missed.
"Rock‘n Roll Forever. RIP James
"Klaus, Rudolf, Matthias, Pawel and Mikkey."
In addition to his work with Scorpions, Kottak was an original member of the band Kingdom Come, performing on their first two albums, "Kingdom Come" and "In Your Face." He also worked with the McAuley Schenker Group on their album, "MSG" and with Warrant for their 1995 album, "Ultraphobic," as well as heading up his own band Kottak. Kottak also had a stint with The Cult, Montrose (appearing on their 1987 record, "Mean,") Wild Horses and Buster Brown among others.
Scorpions Announces North American Tour Dates
Fresh off of their sold-out Sin City Nights Las Vegas residency, Scorpions will return to North America on the Rock Believer World Tour with special guests Whitesnake on their Farewell Tour. The two-month long run of dates kicks off on August 14 in Toronto with additional concerts in Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago, Dallas and Denver, amongst others. In addition to Whitesnake, Swedish band Thundermother will be joining the tour.
Tickets go on sale to the public on Friday, May 13 at 10 AM local time on Ticketmaster.com. Scorpions Rock Zone fan club members will have exclusive, first access to tickets starting Tuesday, May 10 at 10 AM, local time. For more information and to join the fan community visit The-Scorpions.com/RockZone. Get tickets here.
"After the amazing start we’ve had with our residency in Las Vegas, it‘s about time to come back for a real tour to rock the US like a hurricane again. We can‘t wait to see all you Rock Believers out there!" - Klaus Meine
"Once again it's time to feel the sting of the Scorpions & the bite of the Whitesnake!!! Can’t wait!!!" - David Coverdale
The tour dates are as follows: More...
Scorpions Streaming New Single
Ahead of the release of their new album, "Rock Believer," German hard rock/heavy metal icons Scorpions has shared a new song from the record entitled, "Shining Of Your Soul." You can check it out below. "Rock Believer," will be released on February 25th.
Tracklisting:
1. Gas In The Tank
2. Roots In My Boots
3. Knock 'Em Dead
4. Rock Believer
5. Shining Of Your Soul
6. Seventh Sun
7. Hot And Cold
8. When I Lay My Bones To Rest
9. Peacemaker
10. Call Of The Wild
11. When You Know (Where You Come From)
Limited deluxe edition bonus tracks:
12. Shoot For Your Heart
13. When Tomorrow Comes
14. Unleash The Beast
15. Crossing Borders
16. When You Know (Where You Come From) More...
Scorpions Posts "Rock Believer" Music Video Online
German hard rock/heavy metal icons Scorpions has released a new music video for the song, "Rock Believer," the title track from their forthcoming album, which is set to be released on February 25th. You can check it out below.
Commenting on the title track of their new album, Klaus Meine, both singer and author of the lyrics, said: "Over the years, we've heard people say lots of times that rock is dead. But there are still millions of rock believers out there all over the world that prove them wrong. Our fans are the best in the world. We'll see you someday somewhere out there, because we're Rock Believers, just like you."
The song is a fundamental commitment to rock music, composed by a band in the style of their outstanding, globally successful recordings of the 1980s.
Meine says, "The new material sees us return to our roots. We simply wanted to reactivate the original Scorpions' DNA - great riffs, strong melodies. We tried to transport that live feel to the studio with all five of us playing in one room again at last. Having Mikkey Dee in the band is like a shot of fresh energy and real fun." More...
Scorpions To Release New Album In February
In February 2022 the Scorpions will release their 19th studio album, "Rock Believer," followed by a world tour. During the pandemic the band retreated to the studio in their German hometown in Hannover and started working on new songs.
"The album was written and recorded in the Scorpions DNA with core Schenker/Meine compositions," says Klaus Meine. "We recorded the album as a band live in one room, like we did in the '80s."
The Scorpions will kick off their Rock Believer World Tour in March 2022 in Las Vegas, where the band will play nine shows as part of their residency at Planet Hollywood Hotel. Afterwards, they will cross the Atlantic to Europe where they will play six concerts in France and six shows in Germany supported by Wolfgang Van Halen’s new band, Mammoth WVH.
Scorpions Rock Zone fan community members have exclusive first access to tickets and VIP packages beginning Thursday, September 30th at 10:00am CET here, with tickets going on sale to the general public on Friday, October 1st at 10:00am CET.
"Rock Believer" will be released on February 11th, 2022 with the first single, "Peacemaker", out October 21st. More...
Scorpions Postpones Las Vegas Residency
Another sting in the tale from the COVID-19 pandemic as German heavy metal legends Scorpions have postponed their Las Vegas residency. Promoted by Live Nation and Caesars Entertainment, Scorpions "Sin City Nights" was due to begin Saturday, July 4 at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, where they were to be joined by special guests Queensrÿche.
Scorpions state: "Our Vegas Residency at (Planet Hollywood) is postponed, new dates to be announced soon. We want our fans & everybody involved to be safe during these uncertain times. Please take care of yourselves, stay healthy and we will see you again when times are better. Lots of Love. Scorpions."
Five More Bands Confirmed For Bloodstock 2019
The organisers of Britain's Bloodstock Open Air festival has announced a further five bands for next years edition of the event. Headlining the Sophie Lancaster Stage on the Friday night will be Swedish heavy metal outfit Grand Magus, while added to the Ronnie James Dio stage that day are thrash metal legends Death Angel and Seattle metallers, Metal Church. Also confirmed to grace the Ronnie James Dio stage are Evil Scarecrow on the Saturday and former Manowar guitarist Ross The Boss on Sunday.
The festival is set to take place at Catton Park, Derbyshire between Thursday 8 August and Sunday 11 August 2019. The initial lineup is as follows:
Sabaton (Headliner)
Scorpions (Headliner)
Children Of Bodom
Cradle Of Filth
Death Angel
Dee Snider
Eluveitie
Evil Scarecrow
Grand Magus
Hypocrisy
Metal Church
Queensryche
Ross The Boss
Rotting Christ
Skeletonwitch
Soilwork
Four More Bands Confirmed For Bloodstock 2019
The organisers of Britain's, Bloodstock Open Air festival has announced a further four bands for next year's lineup. Joining Sabaton and Children Of Bodom on the Ronnie James Dio stage on Friday will be ohio natives Skeletonwitch, while the next day will see progressive hardcore outfit Code Orange appear on the same setting. The first bands for the second stage, named the Sophie Lancaster stage, have also been announced, with Greek black metal legends Rotting Christ headlining the opening night, while on Sunday, Swiss folk metal band Eluveitie will be performing.
The festival is set to take place at Catton Park, Derbyshire between Thursday 8 August and Sunday 11 August 2019. The initial lineup is as follows:
Sabaton (Headliner)
Scorpions (Headliner)
Children Of Bodom
Cradle Of Filth
Dee Snider
Eluveitie
Hypocrisy
Queensryche
Rotting Christ
Skeletonwitch
Soilwork
Scorpions To Headline Bloodstock 2019
he organisers of Britain's Bloodstock Open Air festival has confirmed the second headliner for next year's edition of the event. Bringing the weekend to a close on Sunday night will be German hard rock/heavy metal pioneers, Scorpions. The festival is set to take place at Catton Park, Derbyshire between Thursday 8 August and Sunday 11 August 2019. The initial lineup is as follows:
Sabaton (Headliner)
Scorpions (Headliner)
Children Of Bodom
Cradle Of Filth
Dee Snider
Hypocrisy
Queensryche
Soilwork More...
Def Leppard Announces Australian Tour
British rock legends Def Leppard has announced that they will be embarking on a headlining run of Australia and New Zealand this November, where they will perform their classic album, "Hysteria" in full. If that wasn't enough the band will be joined by German heavy metal/hard rock icons Scorpions on the trek. Tickets go on sale Friday, May 4th with Rock Brigade fan club presale beginning Friday, today.
The tour dates are as follows:
November 2 – Perth, Australia
November 4 – Adelaide, Australia
November 6 – Brisbane, Australia
November 8 – Melbourne, Australia
November 10 – Sydney, Australia
November 12 – Auckland, New Zealand
Mikkey Dee Joins The Scorpions
German hard rock/heavy metal legends has confirmed that former Motorhead drummer Mikkey Dee has joined the group on a permanent basis, following the departure of American James Kottak, who spent twenty years with the band, making him their longest serving drummer. The Swedish veteran, who has also performed for King Diamond, Helloween and Thin Lizzy, had previously been filling in for Kottak for some American concerts. A statement from the bands as follows:
"We would like to thank James for so many years of lasting participation in the band and personal friendship. We understand and respect his need for time as he makes his way through the final stages of his healing process.
"After our incredibly successful shows in the US, Europe and Asia, we are sure to have found a fantastic drummer with Mikkey Dee. He brings a fresh energy to the band and we look forward to the exciting time together that lies ahead." More...
Just For Fun
Jim Breuer Premieres New Music Video
Jim Breuer and the Loud & Rowdy's premieres a new music video for "Old School", taken from the band's debut album "Songs from the Garage", out in stores now via Metal Blade Records. In the clip, Breuer name drops some of his favorite metal and hard rock songs and references and also does his best impersonations of some of hard rock and metal's biggest personalities.
Check out now "Old School" below.
Mikkey Dee Recruited By Scorpions For U.S. Tour
Iconic rockers Scorpions will hit the road in May for twelve North American headlining dates with Mikkey Dee, formerly of Motörhead sitting in on drums for James Kottak. Kottak is currently on break while he seeks medical attention. Swedish-born Mikkey Dee joined Motörhead in 1992 and is well-respected among the rock and metal community.
Scorpions singer Klaus Meine states “we would like to continue our 'Return to Forever' tour with James, but we have to realize that his health is priority. We wish James a speedy recovery and he will be back to Rock you later in the fall! We look forward to seeing all our fans this month."
The band’s first release via the Century Mediawill be The Tour Edition of "Return To Forever," which comes opulently stacked with two brand-new live DVDs and is bound to make fans’ hearts leap for joy. The live DVDs are even more expansive, offering generous bonus material. Look for it everywhere now and direct purchase links are now live and listed below.
Scorpions kick off the 2016 U.S. leg with twelve dates in May beginning at Carolina Rebellion in Charlotte, NC on May 6th and include a Las Vegas residency. Full routing below.
SCORPIONS – U.S. 2016 Dates:
May 6 Charlotte, NC (Carolina Rebellion)
May 9 Nashville, TN (Grand Ole Opry)
May 10 St. Louis, MO (The Fabulous Fox)
May 13 Las Vegas, NV (Hard Rock Hotel & Casino)
May 14 Las Vegas, NV (Hard Rock Hotel & Casino)
May 18 Las Vegas, NV (Hard Rock Hotel & Casino)
May 20 Las Vegas, NV (Hard Rock Hotel & Casino)
May 21 Las Vegas, NV (Hard Rock Hotel & Casino)
May 24 El Paso, TX (Don Haskins Arena)
May 25 Albuquerque, NM (Isleta Amphitheater)
May 28 Pryor, OK (Rocklahoma)
May 29 San Antonio, TX (River City Rockfest)
Rocklohama 2016 Adds More Bands
Onsite festival experience details and additional bands have been announced for the 10th year of Rocklahoma, set to be held May 27, 28 & 29 this year at the "Catch the Fever" Festival Grounds in Pryor, OK, just outside Tulsa.
Escape The Fate, Shaman’s Harvest, RavenEye and many more join Rocklahoma’s lineup of the best current rock artists and classic bands, which includes Scorpions, Disturbed, Rob Zombie, Five Finger Death Punch, Megadeth, Chevelle, 3 Doors Down, SIXX:A.M., Collective Soul, Sebastian Bach, and many more.
The three-day camping festival features music on three stages each day, as well as premium onsite camping amenities and VIP packages. In addition, the Rocklahoma campground stage hosts performances during the Thursday night campground party and in the afternoon and late night hours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Full info on the lineup and vendors, as well as ticket details, can be found here. Registration for the Miss Rocklahoma competition is also underway now through April 20. Voting on the Top 10 finalists begins April 25 and five finalists will compete on stage at Rocklahoma for the chance to be named Miss Rocklahoma 2016. More...
Scorpions Announces U.S. Shows
One of the most iconic and influential hard rock bands of all-time, Scorpions, is back on the move. After last year’s massive sold-out world tour, the band is back to rock stages even harder.
The group is returning to the U.S. with a five-night run at The Joint inside Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, headlining such major festivals as Carolina Rebellion and Rocklahoma and playing even more shows in cities around the globe. See the complete U.S. touring itinerary below.
“We're looking very much forward to seeing all of you in Vegas in May…Are you ready to be Blacked Out? We can't wait to come back for our first ever five-show limited engagement and to rock The Joint again and again,” states Klaus Meine.
The band’s new release via the Century Media will be the tour edition of "Return To Forever," which comes opulently stacked with two brand-new live DVDs. Look for it everywhere on April 22nd, with pre-orders now available here.
Included are two complete concerts from last year: The open air gig at the French Hellfest Festival, headlined in June, and the Scorpions show at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. See the band live on these dates: More...
OpEd
Heavy Metal Video Games: The Return Of Music Games
With the king of music games about to make a triumphant return in less than two weeks, it seemed like a good time to take another look at the limited offerings available where video games collide with heavy metal.
For those who missed our previous three articles discussing various games with heavy metal soundtracks, be sure to go back and check 'em out (and let us know if you end up playing or re-playing any of these gems!):
Part 1: the amazing Brutal Legend, Saints Row III, Killing Floor 2, Pain Killer, and Guilty Gear X2 Reload
Part 2: Splatterhouse, Twisted Metal 2, The Witcher's bonus music disc, and Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost And The Damned.
Part 3 (the retro edition!): Rock And Roll Racing, Beavis And Butthead, F-Zero X, Earthbound, and Heavy Metal Geomatrix
Rock Band
There was this utterly glorious time where console gaming was flush with a stable lineup of music games and every weekend involved a bottle of something hard and your best friends making drunken fools of themselves in your living room till 2 AM. Typically your neighbors would not be amused, but fuck them because they don't like metal anyway.
Unfortunately that time died when Activision decided to flood the market with an absurd number of Guitar Hero entries and the era of the music game came to a sudden, crashing halt.
Obviously the Rock Band titles had plenty of rock tunes, but a handful of legitimate metal was also involved in the various incarnations and weekly DLC updates, adding in the likes of Emperor, Machine Head, and a whole lot more. Where things really took off was in the Rock Band Network, which let bands make their own tracks, seeing tons of underground groups add in their own music.
It was a truly sad day when Harmonix announced there would be no more DLC coming to Rock Band back in 2013, but an unexpected light at the end of the tunnel appeared just a few months ago. Back in March, Harmonix made a whole lot of fans happy by officially announcing Rock Band 4, which seemed like nothing more than a pipe dream up till that point.
Due out October 6, Rock Band 4's launch lineup of metal will include Dream Theater, Ozzy Osbourne, Scorpions, Baby Metal, System Of A Down, and more, with loads of metallic downloadable songs no doubt prepped and ready to drop each week.
Needless to say I'm greatly looking forward to it, except that unfortunately Guitar Hero is also returning. Maybe Activision can keep it in its pants this time around and not kill music gaming again by releasing six or so games a year.
Report
Graspop Metal Meeting: Day Three
The final day of a festival always seems to be the most subdued and relaxed, most likely a result of tiredness, but with such a solid lineup to look forward to, who has time to take it easy? Graspop Metal Meeting still had plenty to offer the head bangers on this Sunday, with things getting off to a great start at the second main stage, where New Zealand hard rockers, Like A Storm got things underway. This was another case of checking out a band I had never heard of and they proved well worth a gamble, as their brand of hard rock with a tinge of alternative metal was the perfect way to wake up the sleepy unwashed and accentuate a few hang overs. Like The Dead Daisies two days before, Like A Storm are all about having a good time. It's rock the way it was designed to be, a lot of fun and high energy, though they put their own, native stamp on things by utilising the didgeridoo, which believe it or not, actually works really well with their music. The instrument was first used in a solo performance, before being brought out again for their song, "Love the Way You Hate Me," and there were other surprises in store too, most notably a cover of the Coolio hit, "Gangsta's Paradise." A great way to start the day.
A little bit of Pop Evil followed, which continued the theme of enjoyable hard rock, before the day's first trip to the Marquee came, this time to check out Winterfylleth. This was another band I was unfamiliar with, despite seeing the name in passing a number of times. I assumed from the name that they were a black metal group, but there's a lot more to them than that. They display an amazing musical talent which goes beyond the simple goal of making music just to be extreme, which some bands are guilty of, and don't conform to the uniform of corpse paint and spikes out of a mistaken sense of obligation, something else young black metal groups have done from time to time. Winterfylleth are another outfit that let the music do most of the talking, which is guaranteed to win over newcomers and please fans who turned up to see these metal Mancunians. More...
Uli Jon Roth Streaming "Catch Your Train"
Uli Jon Roth will release "Scorpions Revisited," a brand new double album of 19 re-invented Scorpions tracks, on January 26th (digital) / March 10th (physical) via UDR Music.
Today, LA Weekly is hosting the premiere of Roth's re-working of the Scorpions track “Catch Your Train.” Give it a listen below.
The full "Scorpions Revisited" track listing is as follows:
CD 1
1. The Sails Of Charon
2. Longing For Fire
3. Crying Days
4. Virgin Killer
5. In Trance
6. Sun In My Hand
7. Yellow Raven
8. Polar Nights
9. Dark Lady
CD 2
1. Catch Your Train
2. Evening Wind
3. All Night Long
4. We’ll Burn In The Sky
5. Pictured Life
6. Hell Cat
7. Life’s Like A River
8. Drifting Sun
9. Rainbow Dream Prelude
10. Fly To The Rainbow More...
Uli Jon Roth Releasing "Scorpions Revisited"
UDR is set to release guitar legend Uli Jon Roth's brand new double album of 19 re-invented Scorpions tracks, entitled "Scorpions Revisited," on March 10th, 2015. Pre-orders for the album will be available soon. For over four decades, Uli Jon Roth has forged new frontiers in the world of guitar, both in terms of approach and style.
“The material for this double CD was recorded last year in the same hall in Hanover that we used for the Scorpions rehearsals 1973-1978,” explains Roth. “Together with an amazing bunch of very talented young musicians, I revisited my personal favourites from the early Scorpions period, some of which were written in that same hall. It was an emotional few days and I am very pleased with the results in more ways than one. The idea was to stay truthful to the original spirit of the music, while also putting a new slant on it whenever it felt like the right thing to do. I feel we really succeeded in this and I’m very excited about this project. It was a intense journey into the past and I think we really managed to bring the songs back to life with a vengeance.” More...
Headline News
Scorpions Releasing New Album
Celebrating 50 years (!!!) of rocking, a new Scorpions album titled "Return To Forever" is due to drop on February 20th, 2015. The band comments:
"Yeah, baby, 2015 will be our year! We're looking forward to celebrate our 50th Anniversary next year together with all of you! See you on the road & in the cinema!"
An announcement clip can be seen below, while a teaser for "Return To Forever" is available at the band's Facebook profile here.