Scorpion Child – ‘Scorpion Child’ (2013)
I like these concerts held at clubs. Even more if you are sure that the band will play at bigger places in the near future. It gives you a more convenient private feeling feeding your senses with a higher quality of, well, everything.
When you come to that place called RØMPØMPØM the first time, don’t be afraid: it has nothing in common with some kind of muppet show nor some witches’ kitchen. It’s a nice location of a smaller kind not to be expected in an old industry building where they formerly made all kinds of brushes. After ascending some stairs to the second floor and successfully crossing a wedding party I was ready to slip into… you will pass by the merchandising area with its retailers and then enter the show room. There’s a living zone-like area to your right and the stage to your left with a long bar between both which had some attraction…
After the opener The Vibes from Aarau / CH and the support of Spiralarms (they are right saying they’ll provide you an adequate heart massage), so to say nicely revitalized after a hard day work and well equipped with a refreshed soul for the evening, it was up to Scorpion Child.
These guys take you by the hand and get you seated for their kind of a roller – coaster. Starting in a psychedelic manner with some spherical and distorted sound escapes of the guitars they led us into their first song which slowly turned out being a classic hard rocking thing. What a great song to lead in and welcome! In one part Aryn sang “come on, come on, come on” and I fastened my seatbelt! There I realized one of the earlier mentioned merchandise retailers playing the bass?!
‘Polygon of Eyes’ was already giving an impression of being played by a full – blooded hard rock band. Chasing you from one hook to the next supported by never pedestrian riffing, the two guitars seemed to be woven into each other. And what kind of voice Aryn Black is blessed with! Sort of an amazing powerful one, that reminded me of the young Ronnie James Dio. Aryn is using his voice the natural way and does not try to sound like somebody else nor pushing it to some unknown shores. His voice matches perfectly with the music and you will notice that one in a million. And the band is coming along with such a huge amount of joy in playing, it’s simply breath-taking. To talk about the feeling the song creates: somehow it may make you think of an open heart sucking up a fires’ energy with a happy look on the future.
The next song ‘Salvation Slave’ brought such a nice dream-like sequence reminding you of a well – known dinosaur of the seventies. But, to be precise, they are using the same styles which made classic hard rock adorable and build up their songs in a quite similar manner. There’s something beyond the dimensions’ your capable of!
With ‘Antioch’ they played a song of hope. This one will wrap your soul warm and cosily letting it know that there’s a light at the end of every tunnel and ensuring it of a secret…
‘The Secret Spot’. It’ s a mid tempo thing about reliability and trust in a deeper truth without the matter of time. Something you can rely on. Feels like the wheel slows down… taking a deep breath for a while…
‘In The Arms of Ecstasy’ gained speed again with a complex drum pattern in the main theme. Embrace yourself to be prepared for some unexpected changes! It’s an adventurous path you are on, because these arms will move you to and from but they will only lull you into security.
Then they headed for their perfect interpretation of ‘Keep Going,’ Lucifer’s Friend left a superb piece of craftsmanship behind that will still give you the thrills. A timeless beauty…
‘Paradigm’ threw us back in our seats and took us for a wild ride. It surely is a perfect example of how necessary it is to count through, check out the interlude and try! That song somehow mixes up everything. Could it be about the order in chaos?
After that one I got lost, sorry! I had to organize the correct glasses for some of the best Bavarian wheat beers and introduce them to a brother. So the rest of the set somehow changed from a live concert to an alive and true come dream with a splendid spirit and with an audience sailing on a rare selection of waves… As far as I remember Aryn asked the audience to choose one song out of two for the encore leaving it yelling and cheering but not voting at all (for the next occasion you should show up one hand if you took a decision!). So they played both and ‘Kings Highway’ surely was one of them. It’s a powerful song with a longing… for something extraordinary.
I know I end up missing ‘Liquor’. They surely played it and it must have been one of the two the audience could decide on. It is transporting a feeling like if you question yourself and feel yourself in deep despair… but there’s still time to change the road you’re on…
I couldn’t discover or see a difference between this venue as a main act or the one in Zürich in November where they opened up for Orchid and Blues Pills… only in spite of the length of the set. Highest quality hard rock, that’s what all their music is about and what you can expect, live as on record! They can look back on such a huge concert list since 2006 and they achieved professional pure perfection!
I don’t have to guess that most of our grandparents and parents disliked the new noise in the seventies and stuck to rock’n’roll, blues, traditionals or whatever! The last decades I hoped for the return of that sound. And I also knew first that it was up to my generation and second that there will come a time when someone picks up that old torch, wipes off the dirt and reanimates the blue flame to hold it up high with a fresh and proud flame again! It may come to a torch – light procession! This legion is growing stronger! Using that style with respect and a huge amount of dedication brought them to the creation of their songs which are all far from being simple if it comes to talk about the lyrics and the arrangement of music! And it’s not about the flowers and the bees! And they are also not made of the same three chords and an over and over repeated hookline.
In the high time of hardrock it was only about the music with the inexistence of music videos; it was just music for itself as it was meant to be listened to. Without gimmicks! “Music is meaningless if no one listens.” (Ennio Morricone: may you check the PBM concert review Orchid 10.13.2013)
But how can you watch music? Doesn’t that interfere with the audible sense leading to disturbed senses leaving you with an incomplete or wrong picture? Not that much if you catch it alive with you standing in front of a band or an orchestra because the spirit and the vibe will be delivered! And that’s the essential point: catch an authentic and real thing! Be there with open senses!
This band has found its style. A fresh “adult” space rock – “riff hook riff rock” thing (may you repeat that word a couple of times until you can hear and feel the sleepers… now you are on track! ). I can see some similarities looking at the first RUSH album (in reference to the first side!), some in the voice and the style the bass plays in interaction with the drums and the guitars, the guitar’s workout of a heavy and bluesy kind and the precise drumming. Now add some psychedelic-like facets for a slight out of this world impression and you’ll understand! And keep in mind that they also do have a splendid rhythm section with a bright and cheerful bass and an outstanding arrangement for the drums taking it also calm and reduced to a minimum where necessary. Scorpion Child’s debut will take its place among its ancestors of classic rock and these days it does set a mark! So there’s hope!
I know now that I made a mistake only recording my favourites for the car because I cut them out of the context (I am not saying that the songs don’t work on their own). But if you were to buy a house you would open all doors, wouldn’t you? And you would also check every corner in every room! So I heard their debut as a whole a couple of times and all over again and came to the point that there’s more… subtle… it doesn’t appear easily, the record demands time for approach! So concentrate and listen closely, this shiny diamond deserves it! This goes out to Chris “Frenchie“ Smith: you did an awesome great job in recording, production and arrangement. It’s such a dense high quality load of information in that production and that without any overload! It will give you the thrills.
Nerds’ corner
Now, digging even deeper, I come to talk about the etching, the picture on the C – side, showing the ‘Polygon of Eyes’:
… It shows an equilateral triangle with eyes in all corners. Maybe to refresh your mathematical knowledge a bit: that kind of triangle is the only one to have the same angle value in all corners with the sides named A, B and C. With that proposition I leave you alone for now… have fun…
Stop complaining of the cicadas, there is an intention behind and that is not about filling up the record as I promise! Most things we do follow an intention, especially if it comes to art. Maybe you will discover something behind it if you listen to the whole record in the given order. So nice if you care and I really wish you good luck and success for your approach! And if you‘ll get there you won’t believe it at first and you’ll listen to the whole record again and again until you’re about being sure and achieving an idea. And then you’ll listen to it all over again to become really sure about the idea. What a perfect massage for the intestines of your skull as a side effect, isn’t it? Then your soft brain will blast and maybe your world will turn upside down! Now you’ll tip your head looking at this superb masterpiece, speechless and surprised about all these thoughts behind a record! What brilliant brains that made it! There‘s an intention and the record was made to serve that! Even if I would be on the wrong track… it will offer you an amazing value for money! But for those who are riding the horse of fast consumption it will forever hide itself in the grey cold haze…
Gold diggers in a time tunnel chewing on old roots!? Moleshit! They know how to make gold of dedication, hard work, love and true belief!
I don’t care if I have to wait another seven or more years for their next album because I already waited for 35 years! I’m so much satisfied with their debut! Somehow I think that it is not of this world… as it is a kind of revelation… But there’s one thing: their age confused me a little but I ended up thinking that I became an old fart and that only old farts will argue alike. Any style of music is ageless! So I left the RØMPØMPØM with a bigger smile (hey friends, rock ‘n’ roll is not dead yet! and the impression that I have just witnessed a whole decade of rock history in one band within about one and a half of an hour. Fear of death? Not if there will be some equal kind of music after… Aryn stated once that music is the language of love and I like to add that love changes your life. So, if music has the power to change your life this album could do… open your eyes, ears and your heart while you listen! Now I leave the D – side and the rest of the secrets for you! And there are more hidden if you read that piece! And that’s a promise… May you let us all know…
Thanks to the band for creating that lifetime friend! I’m so much looking forward to seeing them the next time they’re around and to listen to their songs again and luckily that possibility is close at hand! To see you all soon… Viva…
Janoir
Scorpion Child – ‘Scorpion Child’ (Nuclear Blast)
