Scorpions - Rock Believer

This new effort from hard rocking German mainstays Scorpions begins with a cacophony of motorcycles revving and zooming off, apparently chased by the cops as guitar simulates sirens. As is typical of Scorpions the bombast that leads off "Gas in the Tank" gives way to bright melodic rock and a singalong chorus, making the song not only a fun anthem but also metaphorically an apt description of this long-running band that proves here that they still have plenty of gas in the tank. And they're getting good mileage with the speedy "Roots in My Boots," on the big, arena-rocking title cut "Rock Believer" and on the reggae-tinged (yes!) "Shining of Your Soul." "Seventh Sun" owes something to Van Halen, "Call of the Wild" is the album's requisite booty call while "When You Know" is the record's quieter, swaying lighters-in-the-air moment, even though the guitars kick in pretty good at the end. "When Tomorrow Comes" adds a little punk and a touch of thrash to the mix while the bluesy swagger of "Crossing Borders" wraps up this 16-song set, except for a second version of "When You Know" performed acoustically. By now Scorpions fans know what the band sounds like and they never stray too far from their signature sounds; that's why the band continues to rack up rock believers of all ages.

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