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"Plagued by a poor ending, "Face The Heat" remains a decent album from Scorpions, with many classic and effective tracks."
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4/5
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Three years after the phenomenal success of "Crazy World", driven by the hit 'Wind Of Change', Scorpions returns with "Face The Heat", their new studio opus produced by Bruce Fairbairn (Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, AC/DC, Poison, Krokus...). The quintet's line-up has undergone a change for the first time in a long time with the departure of Francis Buchholtz, the band's historic bassist, replaced by American Ralph Rieckermann following disagreements over the management of the band's finances.
It's never easy to offer a follow-up to an album that has succeeded in reaching the public, and Scorpions had already experienced this with a rather average "Savage Amusement", which had followed on from the hit singles "Blackout" and above all "Love At First Sting". "Face The Heat" may not leave its mark on the Scorpions' discography, but it does have some definite qualities. First of all, Meine, Schenker & Co. don't hesitate to take a few risks - measured, admittedly, but interesting nonetheless. Such is the case with a particularly heavy and powerful album opener, consisting of the dark and ultra-effective 'Alien Nation' with its catchy chorus, and "No Pain No Gain", composed to support the Mannschaft (German national soccer team) during the 1994 World Cup. The other new feature is the presence of keyboards, even though John Webster is not part of the official line-up. We find them in the form of layers reinforcing the guitar riffs on 'Alien Nation' or carrying the melody of the ballad 'Woman', a successful track with a bluesy, plaintive feel.
For the rest, the band works in more traditional territory. Success is to be found on tracks such as the sympathetic, catchy Hard Melodic of 'Someone To Touch' or the catchy 'Taxman Woman' and 'Nightmare Avenue', the heavy, aggressive 'Unholy Alliance', or the ballads 'Woman' and 'Under The Sun'. Unfortunately, the rest of the album is not up to scratch and is of no particular interest ('Hate To Be Nice', 'Ship Of Fool'), and the end of the album even sinks into the ridiculous with its sequence of three ballads, each more unsuccessful than the last.
While "Face The Heat" falls far short of the heights offered by its predecessor, it is nonetheless endowed with real qualities. It's a pity that Scorpions didn't concentrate on a dozen or so tracks, which would have kept the album's melodic and effective momentum. That said, there's no reason why you shouldn't stop listening before you reach this finale, which spoils a rather decent whole. - Official website
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TRACK LISTING:
01. Alien Nation - 5:44
02. No Pain No Gain - 3:55
03. Someone To Touch - 4:28
04. Under The Same Sun - 4:53
05. Unholy Alliance - 5:17
06. Woman - 5:56
07. Hate To Be Nice - 3:33
08. Taxman Woman - 4:30
09. Ship Of Fools - 4:15
10. Nightmare Avenue - 3:54
11. Lonely Nights - 4:50
12. Destin [Bonus] - 3:17
13. Daddy's Girl [Bonus] - 4:17
LINEUP:
Herman Rarebell: Batterie
John Webster (guest): Claviers
Klaus Meine: Chant
Matthias Jabs: Guitares
Ralph Rieckermann: Basse
Rudolf Schenker: Guitares
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(0) MIND(S) FROM OUR READERS
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Top of the page
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(0) COMMENT(S)
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READERS
3.5/5 (4 view(s))
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STAFF:
3.5/5 (6 view(s))
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IN RELATION WITH SCORPIONS
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LAST INTERVIEW
SCORPIONS (FEBRUARY 16, 2022)
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Spotlight on the rhythm section of Scorpions who came to present the twentieth studio album of the band!
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OTHER REVIEWS
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OTHER(S) REVIEWS ABOUT SCORPIONS
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