A capa que precede a música em reputação
You’re A Demon! – 100%
Sweetie, May 7th, 2018
Virgin Killer is one of the three back to back albums by Scorpions that I deem to be flawless, along with In Trance and Taken By Force. The latter of the two was touched on a few years back, so it’s well overdue for me to praise and gush about the others. This record may not contain the sheer heaviness that their 1977 effort had, but it definitely has its harder moments, as well as being flooded with groovey hooks, pummeling riffs, and some of the coolest tracks that Schenker and co. would put out.
Advanced tune construction isn’t a good enough description to detail this release, and it should be a given that that’s one of the key factors on this monster. And they’re all over the place! There’s the disruptive raw energy of “Catch Your Train”, immediately followed by one of the most tame, slow and soft tracks, “In Your Park”. The similarity lies in the idea that both of them are constructed in a way that doesn’t have any predictability, yet don’t need complexity. “Catch Your Train” rides on a pretty simplistic rhythm with jam-packed energy, and some of Klaus’s highest pitch, yet on point and with fierce vocal delivery! The other one shows the emotion they can deliver in a slower track that really doesn’t have much change. It’s quite soothing.
Along with the energy bestows some pretty hoarse and doom driven tracks, such as the mighty title track, or the instrumentation to “Crying Days”. The guitars are even more heavily distorted and use bass kicks to top off this layer of fury. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Scorpions record if it didn’t contain a few rock n rollers that hone in strictly on rhythm, tight solos, catchy and harmonic choruses, and s general friendlier vibe. Tracks like the album opener “Pictured Life” use this to grab the listener’s attention from the start, and sprinkling others in that use this same tactic, such as “Backstage Queen” and “Yellow Raven”. Fans have mixed thoughts on Ulrich Roth taking vocals; some say he should stick to the guitar, and others, including myself, think he’s great! He does the vocals for “Polar Nights” and “Hell Cat”. Definitely a different feel to them, but a good one nonetheless. “Hell Cat” actually has a doomy touch to it, using heavier, chugged riffs during the chorus, where he delivers some of the catchiest lines, and displays a fair amount of attitude.
When all is said an done, the biggest thing that makes this so incredible is the way Scorpions take simplistic and catchy ideas, and turn them into unpredictable, musical gold. Rudolf Schenker is somewhat known for that, and this combined with Klaus Meine’s ability to convey many emotions is pretty much unstoppable. This time period was the band’s musical prime. Killer tunes were being banged out one after another, and this release falls right in the center of that streak. Absolutely an essential metal record.
(…)
For an album that goes out of its way to shock at first sight, Scorpions might seem somewhat tame and ordinary when judged from a purely sonic point of view. This is 1976 and hard rock is the order of the day, with some stomping rhythms, speedy riffs, and a couple of ballads. Oh, and there are lots of tasty solos too, courtesy of Uli Jon Roth. This era of the Scorpions probably has the pick of musicians and the highest level of creativity, eventually culminating in the standout albums ‘Taken by Force’, which has proven to be the pinnacle of the band’s experimentation, and ‘Blackout’, which simply has the best set of tunes of any of the 80s rock acts. ‘Virgin Killer’ remains in the shadows of those two efforts, except for its controversial cover, which is probably more famous than all the albums put together – yes, that naked 10 year old girl¹ you’ve been trying not to notice. Considering that conversation starter, most of the songs here don’t stand out too far from the slew of Deep Purples, Judas Priests, and Rainbows that surrounded Scorpions back then. There’s a song called ‘Backstage Queen’, a ballad which is far soppier than everything else, and even one number about a high-speed lifestyle. However, it’s the exceptions that make this worth listening to.
¹ O correto é 15 anos e esta é uma foto artística, não pornográfica.
(…)
I come back again to that cover image, just as I did with ‘Lovedrive’. And, just as with that review, I ask “Why?” It’s just not suitable for this music. Any band who can make a 35 minute journey so complete and varied can’t be summed up by such a simple, stark, and – for some people – offensive image. But, maybe that was the point? How to express this kind of music with an image? Besides, that naked girl means so much just by using such a simple motif, while that shattering of glass is the final touch to ensure that we are always on one side or the other – rarely decided, always teetering. That’s what happens to my emotions and my mood as I pass the mystic stomp of ‘Pictured Life’ and move towards the poignant nostalgia of ‘Yellow Raven’, coming to the edge and back again almost with each new riff and vocal fluctuation. ‘Virgin Killer’ is a really great album, just remember to treat it with caution and respect.
Virgin Killer is just a milestone. In every sense of the word, it wows the listener with a fresh, rocking sound and an all around tighter musical base. It lacks the psychedelic noodling that I loved on In Trance, but the songs are catchier, more polished and Klaus Meine’s vocals are the best they’d ever get in the 70s. His light, attitude-filled crooning sails deftly over the crisp guitar riffs and energetic drumming. This whole album is just really tailored to perfection all around. The songs are short and manageable and the hooks are as sticky as Gorilla Glue stuck to a strip of Velcro.
(…)
“Backstage Queen” is more hook-mastery, and the throaty title track has riffs that could be said to have originated Thrash – but really, that debate could go on for hours, and my reviews are already long enough.
Talk about audacity. Who else but the Scorpions can come up with covers like this. An adolescent in all her naked glory on top is the kind of cover that just HAD to be controversial. But anyways, I am not here to talk about the cover. Virgin Killer is the logical continuation of the idea that the band had come with on In Trance. Although they were still far from worldwide glory but atleast musically, Scorpions were able to make a mark among the public with this release. The mediocrity displayed on their debut is nowhere to be seen. What we have here is instead is the refined hard rocking yet commercial approach that they had displayed on In Trance and to some extent on Fly to the Rainbow as well. They continued to improve after this (although with a few hiccoughs on the way) and as saintinhell noted before me, this was the album when the Scorps had finally arrived.
Yes, that’s a naked, pre-teen girl on the original album cover. Her name is Controversy, the forbidden fruit with which the Scorpions would shamelessly flirt during their brief separation from previous lover Inspiration. Though they would reconcile for next year’s Taken by Force, the romance was simply not meant to be: the Scorpions would fall head over heels for that vapid, spoiled whore Commercialism, whose beauty is only equaled by her infidelity. But anyway, of all the Scorpions many notoriously sex-themed album covers (In Trance, Lovedrive, Love at First Sting, Animal Magnetism, etc), this one is definitely the most illegal
Killing virgins – 75%
MetalReaper, August 27th, 2004
Scorpions’s fourth album was actually the first release to define their sound with distorted killer riffs and screaming solos. While the earlier three records were more experimental, this is more heavier and straightforward. There’s still some experimental elements left. Album contains even couple of power-ballads. Album has at least two different covers. Censored version has a naked girl with broken glass covering “it”, while the other has a band posing on it. Klaus Meine and Rudolf Schenker have written half of the album’s material, lead guitarist Ulrich Roth another half. And one with Meine/Schenker/Roth line-up. (…)
Deixe um comentário