Return to Forever

Back when this came out, I actually thought it was pretty incredible! It was probably just the fact that a new Scorpions album in 2015 just seemed unrealistic, thus overhyped by my naive nineteen year old self. But not one spin later, it seemed to have lost some of the luster. And that's all it really has going for it; the idea of it, not the art itself. In reality, Return To Forever is a very bland release that probably didn't need to be put out, but as long as this is it, then perhaps it's forgivable. Afterall, it isn't terrible.

The issues don't lie within the places that spawn common complaints. "It's not metal enough". "It's too poppy". "There are too many ballads". "They're old". While all of those statements are true, none of them are the actual issue, and come from a pretty specific mind set. However, the devil is in the details, or I guess, lack of details. There is a giant void that fails to drop hooks, the riffs are pretty boring, the tone is weak, and there's not an ounce of creativity on here beyond being able to make soothing sounds with the instruments, and write basic "starter kit" rock songs. In other words, take the few problems that were buried in Sting In The Tail, and spread them all over this record. Gone are the genuine emotions conveyed in the ballads previously, now making them snooze-fests. Gone are the sharp hooks of the hard rockers that reeled listeners in on past efforts. Gone are the lyrics that resemble actual life.

Actually, that last statement if somewhat false. The lyrics here actually do still reflect reality, but they're so much cornier and stick to the same themes of "rocking" and "making it through" that have been beaten to death by Klause and co. in the past decade or so. It lacks the authenticity. There are a few tracks that are pretty good and drift outside the boundaries a little bit (I use that phrase very liberally in this example). "Catch Your Luck And Play" displays a fantastic cloud of harmonics that the band has mastered before. "We Built This House" is a bit of a jam, but mostly relies on how catchy it is. Nothing else really stands out though. The music itself definitely isn't horrible, but doesn't have many redeemable qualities about it. If Sting would have been their final album, then they truly would have gone out with a bang. This lacks detail, foundation, and just comes off as average at best. Probably worth listening to once, but don't get your hopes up.