A metal band and orchestra seems like an odd combination, and yet it makes a lot of sense. Both can convey power, evil, and excitement. There are no musical sounds that are more powerful then a distorted power chord and a deadly rhythm section or a full orchestra playing away like the end of the world was upon them. Sometimes mixing the two by taking the metal and adding the classical can lead to both ingenious and disastrous results depending on those who attempt the feat. Metallica tried it once and succeeded in parts and failed in others. Deep Purple is often mentioned as the creator of the idea.
So when the Berlin Philharmoniker and the Scorpions decided to join forces and record Moment Of Glory together, they attempted to continue this difficult but potentially rewarding tradition. Like those before them, the song selection was easy to figure out: a collection of some of the Scorpions most famous songs reimagined as orchestrated heavy metal masterpieces, and a couple original songs to keep things new.
Unsurprisingly, the ballads are prime examples of where the added muscle enhances the original compositions. “Wind Of Change,” one of the Scorpions more well known songs is introduced with light and airy wind instruments, leading into a sweeping and epic feel that makes one feel like they’re flying. The song continues as those remember it, powerful and exciting. The chorus is given a wall of sound treatment that could bring about debate among fans as which versions they prefer, this one or the original. “Still Loving You,” another famous Scorpions song, is greatly heightened by the power and glory that comes with a large orchestra. In many ways, one could say that this version is what the Scorpions intended this song to originally sound like. SInger Klaus Meine gives one of his best performances on this song.
The heavier songs are where things get a little bumpy. Some fans will find “Hurricane 2000” too over the top for them, however it’s an intense where the added orchestration creates a unique arrangement. Swirling violins and flutes create winds as the seas of sound begin to wash over you. If you knew the original song, initially you might be confused to what song it was. Once the familiar and highly catchy guitars by Matthias Jab and Rudolph Schenker come in, you are blown away by the storm. “Big City Nights” is an example of a song that’s almost too rocking to really need the added muscle, though a little melody that evokes the music from West Side Story allows for chuckle.
Some might be put off by the guest vocalists that appear every now and then. For the song, “Send Me An Angel,” Italian pop singer Zucchero joins Meine for a verse and a duet chorus. Depending on how one feels, this is a nice little addition to the mix, though could confuse fans to the reasons for this collaboration within a collaboration.
The original songs range from well written, to brilliant, to just bland. “Moment Of Glory” is a song that feels like it was composed with this album in mind, thus the balance between metal ballad and classical taste is perfect. The right amount of guitars and orchestra makes it a delicious track. “Here In My Heart” is a song originally written by Diane Warren, and is clearly neither a metal song nor a classical piece, which begs the question, what is it doing here? It sounds nice, catchy, and potentially will be in one’s head for days, but feels like a song that should be on a collection of adult contemporary tracks opposed to a metal/classical collaboration.
The real praise should be the two middle instrumental tracks that truly bring the two sides together. “Crossfire/Prologue” is the one of the few instances where the orchestra is backed by the metal band, at least the first half which is a beautifully done version of a Vassily Solovyev-Sedoy piece. The beauty is slowly transitioned into an epic and not as well know Scorpions track. The song almost tells a story of a day that begins nice and delightful, but then is shattered by a forbidding doom and excitement. “Deadly Sting Suite/He’s A Woman, She’s A Man/Dynamite” is comes right after with a bang. Probably the heaviest track on the album, the orchestra and metal band are one in this piece of unadulterated classical metal magic. These two tracks are the highlights of the album.
Moment Of Glory is indeed a success for this attempt at metal/classical bonding, though it will remain to be seen whether fans will embrace it. |
