Scorpions
Moment of Glory (feat. Berliner Philharmoniker)

THE REVIEW

One word to define this album: masterpiece, if not even the apotheosis of music.

A true "moment of glory" for the Teutonic group, which with this reinterpretation of some of their greatest hits in a classical style, accompanied by the Berlin Philharmonic (no less), confirms themselves on all fronts as one of the leading international hard rock - heavy metal bands. The rawness and violence of hard rock perfectly blending with the elegance and style of classical music; on the cover, a tyrannosaurus adorned with jewels, symbolizing this strange but successful union.

Unmissable for fans of the group, but also for classical music enthusiasts who want to hear something new. It’s not a live album, so we can enjoy all the clarity of the studio-recorded sounds, without any annoying retouches.

An album to listen to in one go, strictly following the tracklist

Overture with the classic of classics, "Rock you like a hurricane", which became "Hurricane 2000", embellished by an intro of the violins of the Berliner accompanied by bass and drums, then opening the curtain to the entrance, one by one, of the main members, singer and the two guitarists: always present Rudolph Schenker and Matthias Jabs, the blond and the dark-haired, with their perfectly distorted guitars, very clear and ultra-precise solos; additionally, a female choir, and similar-progressive parentheses in the finale. It generally gives the idea of a sort of ride of the Valkyries.

Interesting "Moment of Glory", written by singer and leader Klaus Meine, and sung in the company of the children of the Vienna Boys' Choir, but the highlight comes with the appearance, almost unexpected (not indicated on the back cover), of our Zucchero. Yes, him, who expresses all his blues verve in "Send Me an Angel", introducing at no. 4 of the tracklist the most famous song of the Scorps, "Wind of Change", elegantly re-proposed with an orchestral intro that recalls the song's theme, but at the beginning seems to hint at another song, almost addressing the song politely.

Splendid instrumental interlude, with two pieces recalling "Crossfire", and the medley "Deadly Sting Suite", which re-proposes in couple "He’s a Woman, She’s a Man" and the powerful "Dynamite", in a triumph of guitars, bass, drums, violins, trumpets, flutes, and percussion: they remind us of epic battles, mythological clashes, and are easily imaginable as the soundtrack of a great cinematic work. Taken this way, these pieces have little to envy from the great compositions of the past.

"Still Loving You" is also re-proposed, but first, it is announced by the sentimental "Here in my Heart", cover by Diane Warren, performed in a duet with the beautiful and talented Lyn Liechty, a young singer who wouldn’t be wrongly defined as the European Celine Dion. In "Big City Nights" surprisingly there’s not Meine’s resounding voice, but Ray Wilson, Scottish, who perfectly fits into the part, the piece seems written for him. It beautifully closes with "Lady Starlight", enriched by the sound of the Indian sitar.

There's everything and more in this fantastic album, which also boasts several attempts of imitation, including that of Metallica, but this certainly is a cut above the rest. The Scorpions, with age, prove to be increasingly mature and professional, becoming one of the "immortal" bands, despite those who, after a long silence, thought they were finished. We await more feats of this kind.