AMG Review of Scorpion Tales

Greg Prato
All Music Guide

There's no denying the Scorpions' influence on '80s heavy metal -- and particularly, on hair metal bands. And this point is certainly proven on 2008's Scorpion Tales, by former Dokken guitarist George Lynch. This 12-track release sees Lynch paired with a gaggle of singers who were consistently splashed across the pages of ~Hit Parade and ~Circus Magazine during the late '80s, all of which cover tunes from Klaus Meine and company. As with all "tribute" releases, it's a mixed bag of the good, the bad, and the ugly, as you'll find Hurricane/Foreigner singer Kelly Hansen sounding quite Don Dokken-ish on "Rock You Like a Hurricane," Quiet Riot's Kevin DuBrow warbling through "Big City Nights" (on one of his last-ever recordings), and Kix's Steve Whiteman simply slaying (and not in a good way) "Still Loving You." While Scorpion Tales is certainly not the biggest "must hear" of Lynch's career, it does succeed on shining the spotlight on an oft-overlooked metal act.