DVD Review: Scorpions – Forever And A Day

DVD Review: Scorpions – Forever And A Day
Specticast and Tempest Films
All Access Rating: B+

The Scorpions - Forever
And A Day 2015

All that retirement talk was a bit premature. Billed as their farewell tour, 2011-2012's "Final Sting" was going to close the book on the Scorpions, one of metal's most enduring outfits. That final chapter has yet to be written.

Eons ago – actually 50 years – in their hometown of Hanover, Germany, the fun-loving Scorpions came to life, and they are still going strong, having given no indication that the end is nigh. Things looked very different, however, a few years ago when renowned director Katja Von Garnier signed on to document their last days on the road. Part free-flowing tour diary, part stodgy history lesson, "Forever And A Day" soon to be available in DVD, Blu-ray and digital formats as its theatrical run comes to an end, is ultimately an engrossing study of a band trying to come to grips with its own mortality, only to find themselves reinvigorated by the experience.

The elephant in the room in the well-paced, good-natured "Forever And A Day," it's the overriding issue that drives a story with many sub-plots, as The Scorpions discover the fountain of youth in the form of infectiously enthusiastic crowds greeting them as conquering heroes. Performing a complicated balancing act, Von Garnier deftly intersperses rousing, arena-rock concert clips of the Scorpions performing songs like "Crazy World," "The Zoo" and "Big City Nights" with loads of intimate, behind-the-scenes footage from the "Final Sting" tour in taking viewers on a whirlwind journey across the world. At the same time, a makeshift video scrapbook emerges from candid, vintage still photos and home-movie footage of their formative years that leads to warm reminiscing about The Scorpions' past.

There were gigs at Liverpool's famed Cavern Club, and the story of how finishing second at a "battle of the bands" contest actually resulted in a record contract, while the documentary also touches on why it was so important for them to sing lyrics in English, rather than their native tongue. What makes "Forever And A Day" more compelling, though, is its examination of the relationship between Meine and guitarist Rudolf Schenker, as talk about their shared ambitions, their artistry and Schenker's visionary leadership. Disappointingly, "Forever And A Day" glosses over the crucial contributions of guitar masters Uli Jon Roth and Michael Schenker. On the other hand, it redeems itself with a deeply insightful look at The Scorpions' historic 1991 meeting at the Kremlin with Mikhail Gorbachev, who appears in the movie, and the socio-political impact of their hit single "Winds Of Change," as well as providing a detailed explanation of why the transition to Matthias Jabs made perfect sense for a band that made no secret of its commercial aspirations.

For the most part, the film transitions seamlessly from curating an informative biography to hurriedly catching up with the Scorpions wherever their victory lap happens to take them. Given seemingly unlimited access, Von Garnier unveils both the good and the bad of their trip, including how Klaus Meine's vocal troubles momentarily jeopardized the whole enterprise. How long The Scorpions continue will depend greatly on the most fragile of instruments, the human voice. Meine and company aren't naive enough to think this will last forever, but it's clear from "Forever And A Day" that they and their fans are going to enjoy the ride until the very end.
– Peter Lindblad

CD Review: Michael Schenker's Temple of Rock – Bridge The Gap

Michael Schenker's Temple of Rock – Bridge The Gap

Inakustik

All Access Review: A-

Michael Schenker's Temple of Rock - Bridge
The Gap 2014

There's only room for one high priest in this Temple of Rock, and that's guitar god Michael Schenker. Although for Schenker's new album under that moniker, the near religious experience for guitar freaks that is Bridge The Gap, he's assembled a small group of trusted heavy metal clergymen to help conduct these rock 'n' roll rituals, including his old Scorpions' mates Herman Rarebell and Francis Buchholz.

Not since 1979's seminal Lovedrive album have these three appeared on a record together, so this is, indeed, a momentous occasion. That, in and of itself, however, wouldn't be enough to recommend Bridge The Gap if it wasn't simply a marvel of dramatic song structures and synergistic guitar worship.

And it's different from Schenker's first Temple of Rock outing in 2011. A jaw-dropping spectacle of wild, blazing solos and torrential riffing, made with a loose gathering of guest stars, that sprawling record suggested that Schenker was chomping at the bit to reclaim his position as one of rock's most awe-inspiring guitarists. Though not without its moments of orgasmic six-string explosions from Schenker, who blends finesse and fury in crunching riffs and leads that can be understated and stylish or aggressive and staggeringly brilliant, Bridge The Gap feels more like a group effort, as Schenker steps back a bit, assuming less of a leadership role and becoming part of a spirited rock 'n' roll cavalry that charges forward with swords brandished and a sense that they have nothing to lose through surprisingly strong song-oriented material and barely harnessed bombast.

Out on CD, a glossy deluxe edition with a bonus track in "Faith" that's sung by Don Dokken or as a 180-gram LP, Bridge The Gap sees this united front building up a strong head of steam on "Rock n Roll Symphony" and the frenzied "Temple of the Holy," the rhythmic might of Rarebell and Buchholz – their performances generating great momentum – coming to the fore as Schenker fires off salvo after salvo of imaginative, wide-ranging fretwork. Heavy, bludgeoning intros to "Where the Wild Winds Blow" and "Horizons" set the stage for blazing sonic uprisings that build into great epics, thanks to massive synth swells from the band's secret weapon, keyboardist/guitarist Wayne Findlay. Darkly melodic, all caught up in a thicket of hooks and trudging forth with weighty, crunching steps, "Black Moon Rising" and "Dance for the Piper" find common ground with Dio's best work. And with its bounding movements and whirling neo-classical energy, "To Live for the King" sounds like latter-day Rainbow on horseback, racing to the finish in a mad dash with pulses pounding.

It's no accident that Bridge The Gap is reminiscent of Ritchie Blackmore's former band, what with Doogie White writing the record's fantasy-based, romance-obsessed lyrics and singing with his usual masculine clarity. And like Rainbow, this Temple of Rock balances traditional metal power and melodic magic, dipping back into the past for inspiration while also managing to sound current and in the "now." Although scenes of Led Zeppelin in their prime drifting off in an opium den come to mind in the mysterious and intoxicating "Shine On," And while Bridge The Gap isn't the platform for unfettered shredding that the first Temple of Rock was, Schenker doesn't take the day off.

Amid the powerhouse riffing, beautiful plumes and soaring, well-articulated leads, there is interesting activity going on underneath the surface, as if Schenker is digging a complex series of underground passages. Take time to walk through them. Schenker has sublime surprises in store for those who do. http://www.in-akustik.com/en/MuM/default.asp
– Peter Lindblad