Taken By Force [Original recording remastered]

1978 marked the end of an era for the Scorpions. It was in this era that the band's lead guitarist, virtuoso Ulrich Jon Roth left the band. This was also the album that marked the entrance of drummer Hermann Rarebell. But, before Roth's departure, the band would record one final studio album with his mastery - Taken By Force. How does their final effort with him measure up? Read on and find out.

To put it simply, if you liked the Virgin Killer album, or if you just like classic metal in general, you're going to love this album. The band kicks off the album with one of the fast-paced hard rocker, Steamrock Fever. They could not have started the album with a better track. Its fast and furious stylings grab your attention and hold onto it. Track two, a lengthy rocker entitled We'll Burn The Sky, combines heavy and melodic stylings, making for one of the band's finest efforts. I've Got To Be Free and Riot Of Your time, the next two tracks, are also masterpieces in their own right. Don't overlook them just because they were never popular - you'll only be hurting yourself! Track number five, Sails Of Charon, is the track on the album that tends to get the most praise - and with good reason. To the time, this was the hardest and heaviest song the band had ever recorded. The guitar stylings here are very similar to those found in Megadeth's Hangar 18. Ulrich Jon Roth never sounded better. Your Light is another rock masterpiece that is severely underrated. He's A Woman She's A Man, another extremely hard and heavy fast-paced rocker, comes next. Next to Sails Of Charon, this is the track on the album that gets the most praise - listen to it and find out why. The band closes the album out with the lengthy power ballad, Born To Touch Your Feelings. This is one of the finest ballads the band has ever recorded, and in my opinion it puts the ones they recorded in the eighties to shame. Overall, this is one of the band's best albums ever - DO NOT overlook it!

There are two different versions of this album available on compact disc. Version one is the original version of the album, which features the "Graveyard" album cover. Version two features pictures of the band's faces against an otherwise black background. This version of the album has an edited version of Sails Of Charon, but it adds two bonus tracks - The studio cut Suspender Love, and the live version of Polar Nights from the Tokyo Tapes live album.

It's too bad that Ulrich Jon Roth left the Scorpions following the recording of this album, because the band would be forever changed without his guitar mastery. He is by far the greatest lead guitarist that ever played in the band (that's not to say Michael Schenker and Matthias Jabs aren't good, though.) If you're a classic metal fan, this is an album you simply can't be without - it's essential.