When the Scorpions returned home after a grueling tour in 1994, heavy metal was no longer the king of the mountain.
Instead, the neo-punk sound of Green Day, Hole and the dark drones of Nine Inch Nails were the sword-wielding masters of music."The whole scene was upside-down," said lead singer Klaus Meine during a phone call from Los Angeles. "We realized we were no competition with the new bands and looked around to see where the Scorpions would be in the 1990s."
The band took time to recharge its batteries and embark on a new studio project. But instead of hiring a world-famous producer, the group recruited guitar technician Erwin Musper to do the honors. The group even built the Scorpion Sound Studio, where the basic tracks were recorded.
"We did this one at home," explained Meine. "There wasn't any other way to do it. The Scorps are the Scorps and we do things our own way."
The Scorpions - Meine, bassist Ralph Rieckermann, guitarists Rudolf Schenker and Matthias Jabs - will play Wolf Mountain, Sunday, June 16. The show will also include the theatrical metal of Alice Cooper. New rockers My Head will begin the night at 7:30 p.m.
The result of the home-grown production became the Scorpions' latest album, "Pure Instinct." The title tells exactly how the Scorpions approached the work. The band made an effort to leave the political themes, such as world peace - which were found in the 1988 hit "Winds of Change" - on the back burner.
"We just wanted to make an album focused on the basic human emotions and relationships," Meine explained. "There isn't a political song on `Pure Instinct.' The last four years we tried to get away from the politics. Not run away, just get away. We are still very concerned with what's happening around the world, but we also wanted to get in touch with people as humans. And we don't want to continue to blast a message in people's faces."
Another change clawed at the Scorpions: The band's lineup did a twist. The band recently added drummer James Kottak, formerly with Kingdom Comem, to the Scorpion roster.
Herman Rarebell, who has played drums for the band since 1978, is pursuing other business-related roads in the music world.
"Herman decided to run his own record label," said Meine. "He and Prince Albert are putting together the business in Monte Carlo.
"Herman seems very happy," Meine continued. "And we're happy for him. He's leaving with no ill feelings and we are all still very close friends."
That's a little different than when former bassist Francis Buchholz left in 1989. The band cited creative differences and hired Rieck-er-mann, a bassist Rarebell discovered, to work the low-end groove.
The music on "Pure Instinct" is fresh and from the hip, said Meine. "It's going to catch a lot of people. There's quite a bit of melody and we experimented with some of the songs."
Acoustic guitar jangles and other imaginative narration are the strengths of "Pure Instinct," said Meine. Then there's the opening cut "Wild Child."
"The album was almost complete when Rudolf and I were invited to take part in a songwriting workshop in Bali last November," said Meine. "More than 40 songwriters from all over the world gathered to bridge the talents of Asian and Western culture. Rudolf and I were the only European representatives. Anyway, the point of the sessions was to write as many songs with Indonesian artists. `Wild Child' and another song `When You Came Into My Life' were the result.
"(The experience) was very educational," Meine went on. "And it rekindled the magic of the Scorpions. I have enjoyed this ride with the Scorpions. And this new album is fresh, and that makes it important to us. Sure the new music out there is hip, but there are still a lot of people who listen to the old rock. And that's why we're still around."