In a brand new interview with Vikram Chandrasekar of Tales From The Street, SCORPIONS founder Rudolf Schenker seemingly dismissed any discuss of potential retirement however acknowledged that the band won’t be able to proceed indefinitely. “It isn’t a unending highway,” the 75-year-old guitarist mentioned (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). “The highway can be completed ultimately; it is as much as you and to our gods. However in 2025, that might be a good time for our sixtieth anniversary. 2025, it is the time when SCORPIONS is 60 years outdated. So, then, to rejoice 60 years of SCORPIONS might be a risk, as a result of I am in touch with our very outdated drummer, who was taking part in on [SCORPIONS‘ 1972 debut album] ‘Lonesome Crow’, and the bass participant, and use them additionally on stage to see the completely different sort of states we went by way of. As a result of we’re very a lot related nonetheless in all of the completely different musicians, and that exhibits once more, once we could make it, that music is all the time there for making friendships.”

Again in Could 2022, Rudolf‘s bandmate, SCORPIONS frontman Klaus Meine, instructed Jorge Botas of Portugal’s “Metallic World” that there was no extra discuss of retirement throughout the band, as there was again in 2010 with what was presupposed to be a last album and a farewell tour that by no means fairly took maintain. “No, we scratched that phrase [retirement] out of our [vocabulary],” the now-75-year-old singer mentioned. “It isn’t there. We do not give it some thought and we do not speak about it and we take it because it comes.

“We’re simply rising older and we do what we do and we hope our followers get pleasure from it as a lot as we do,” Klaus continued. “However who would have thought we’re nonetheless round after celebrating 50 years of being recording artists — our first album got here out in 1972 and now ‘Rock Believer’ seems prefer it hits the massive time with the followers and so many optimistic opinions from all around the world. And in spite of everything these years, who would have thought? And it is a fantastic factor.

“However all we all know is [that] the highway forward is manner shorter than what’s behind us,” Meine added. “And we by no means take it as a right — we by no means take success as a right. We work onerous on what we do as a result of we nonetheless adore it and we nonetheless get pleasure from it. Nevertheless it’s what it’s. And I believe each artist is aware of what I am speaking about, as a result of to go on the market, play an incredible present for the followers and never let ’em down, it takes lots of preparation, takes lots of work. And being the singer, you attempt to ensure your pipes are in a very good situation.

“It is lots of issues,” Meine mentioned. “And we do not know what the longer term will convey. Check out the subsequent nook, and also you by no means know what is going on on. However proper now, life is nice. We’ve got an incredible new album on the market. And we’ve lots of enjoyable. We get pleasure from it.”

Meine beforehand mentioned SCORPIONS‘ aborted retirement in a 2018 interview with SiriusXM. “The factor is we’ve a a lot completely different view now,” Klaus mentioned. “And it is a younger era — that is the gas that retains us going, and it is actually motivating.

“To be trustworthy, each different 12 months, you have a look across the nook: ‘Can we do that?’ ‘Can we nonetheless ship on the identical excessive stage, the way in which we used to do it?'” he admitted. “And that is the one manner, and it is solely enjoyable should you can go on the market and play an incredible rock present, wherever you do it. Like within the final couple of weeks, we had a lot enjoyable. However then you definitely get sick on the highway, like I did final 12 months with the extreme laryngitis. What are you able to do? There’s not an opportunity. After which typically, after all, you ask your self, ‘How lengthy can we do that?’ Particularly for singers — and I do know I am not the one one. Nevertheless it’s all the time, typically you ask your self, ‘Klaus, c’mon, how lengthy can you retain up this stage?’ And then you definitely go on the market, all the pieces feels good.”

Circling again to SCORPIONS‘ 2010 “farewell tour” announcement, Klaus instructed SiriusXM: “After all, we had our second of doubt once we mentioned, ‘Okay. Perhaps we should always retire. Perhaps this can be a good second.’ After which we realized we had been flawed, as a result of there’s nonetheless lots of sting within the tail, so to talk, and it nonetheless feels good. There’s such a requirement for the SCORPIONS, and we’re one of many few bands who play this world stage. If there wasn’t this sort of demand, after all, there isn’t any level after so a few years, and also you’d higher go, ‘Nicely, I am going residence and take it straightforward.’ However there’s such a robust demand and that actually feels good and difficult — it is a problem. After all, you do not do it for the enterprise. It is a good enterprise, sure, however you do not do it for the enterprise and for the cash — you do it for the enjoyable, you do it for what’s within you, what’s in your blood, what’s in your veins, and that is the rock and roll music. And also you wanna exit and play in entrance of an viewers, as a result of that is what it is all about.”

SCORPIONS‘ solely steady member has been Schenker, though Meine has appeared on all the band’s studio albums, whereas guitarist Matthias Jabs has been a constant member since 1978, and bassist Paweł Mąciwoda and drummer Mikkey Dee have been within the band since 2003 and 2016, respectively.

SCORPIONS‘ newest album, “Rock Believer”, was launched in February 2022. The album was recorded primarily at Peppermint Park Studios in Hannover, Germany and was blended on the legendary Hansa Studios in Berlin, Germany with engineer Michael Ilbert, who has earned a number of Grammy nominations for his combine work with producer Max Martin on albums by Taylor Swift and Katy Perry.

SCORPIONS initially supposed to file the brand new album in Los Angeles with producer Greg Fidelman, whose earlier credit embrace SLIPKNOT and METALLICA. Nonetheless, due to the pandemic, a few of the preliminary work was carried out with Greg remotely, after which SCORPIONS opted to helm the recordings themselves with the assistance of their engineer Hans-Martin Buff.