Round Hill Music has acquired Herman Rarebell’s music rights, which includes his writer’s share of publishing, neighboring rights, and master royalty income. Rarebell is best known as the original drummer of the SCORPIONS, playing a major part in the band’s success with his songwriting.

Rarebell penned the lyrics for songs like “Rock You Like A Hurricane”, “Make It Real”, “Dynamite”, “Blackout”, “Arizona”, “Bad Boys Running Wild”, “Don’t Stop At The Top” and “Tease Me Please Me”.

SCORPIONS were formed in 1965 in Hanover by Rudolf Schenker and have sold over 100 million records around the world. They’re one of the best-selling hard rock and heavy metal acts with twelve studio albums that were in the top 10 in Germany. Three consecutive albums reached the Top Ten on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States. Two of the songs on their ninth studio album, “Love At First Sting”, are regarded as classics of the heavy metal genre. Those singles are “Rock You Like A Hurricane” and “Still Loving You”.

“The SCORPIONS are a truly legendary band with a catalog of truly iconic music that helped define the heavy metal genre,” says Josh Gruss, founder and CEO of Round Hill Music. “Herman played a pivotal role in their success with writing credits on some of their most enduring songs and is a welcome addition to our roster of world-class writers and performers.”

“The SCORPIONS are one of my favorite rock bands,” says Robin Godfrey-Cass, managing director of Round Hill’s London office. “To represent Herman’s great body of work as a songwriter and performer from the band’s first 11 albums is an incredible honor.”

“It is my pleasure to sign up with Round Hill Music,” adds Rarebell. “I feel I’m with the right company. I am grateful to Josh Gruss, Robin Godfrey-Cass and his team, and Marvin Katz, my attorney, for making this happen.”

Last September, Herman blasted his former bandmates in the SCORPIONS, calling them “rude” and accusing them of “greed” over their apparent refusal to allow him to rejoin the band.

Rarebell, who was a member of the SCORPIONS from 1977 to 1995, discussed the possibility of his return to the group in an interview with Classic Rock magazine. Asked if he was disappointed not to have been invited back into the fold following the 2016 dismissal of longtime drummer James Kottak, Herman said: “I’ll tell you how disappointed I am. I sent them a message offering my services, and never even got a reply. I thought that was very rude. Now I hear the SCORPIONS are claiming their new album will be a return to the glory days of the eighties. If they’re serious about that, they should get [former bassist] Francis [Buchholz] and me back, and also Dieter Dierks who produced all those classic albums. You know why they won’t do that? Greed. It would mean having to share everything five ways and not three.”

Rarebell also criticized his former bandmates for seemingly not giving him enough credit for their commercial success in the 1980s. “The band never mention me in interviews, which I find ridiculous,” he stated. “But there’s a new documentary in the pipeline from ITV on the band. I am being interviewed for this, so I can finally set the record straight on my role.”

In an interview with Classic Rock Revisited, Herman stated about the huge commercial success of SCORPIONS’ 1982 album “Blackout”: “Mercury Records was totally behind us and they believed in us. They wanted us to keep making albums. They wanted us to grow and do better each time out. ‘Lovedrive’ went gold. ‘Animal Magnetism’ went gold and then ‘Blackout’ was the first one to go platinum. [Rudolf] Schenker / [Klaus] Meine / Rarebell was a great songwriting team. You can see that from how many successful albums we had. After I left the band, they didn’t have any more hits.”

Rarebell also talked about the inspiration for the lyrics to “Rock You Like A Hurricane”, which was released as the lead single from “Love At First Sting”. “Those lyrics were very easy to write,” he said. “I woke up early in the morning after fucking and doing cocaine all night and I opened up the curtains. ‘It’s early morning, the sun comes out. Last night was shaking and pretty loud. My cat is purring and she scratches my skin.’ She had scratched my back during our lovemaking. I just sat down and wrote it right then and there. It was five in the morning and the girl was still in bed as I was sitting there writing it. The next day, I said to Rudolf, ‘I have some great lyrics for that riff you have.'”

Herman’s solo album “Nip In The Bud”, originally recorded 40 years ago, was re-released last August, remastered and available digitally for the first time.

Photo credit: Round Hill Music

GHOST performed the song “Call Me Little Sunshine” on last night’s (Wednesday, March 16) episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”. Video of the band’s appearance can be seen below.

The Swedish occult rockers were scheduled to perform on the January 20 episode of the ABC show, but pulled out just hours before, explaining that they “had a bit too much going on in Reno, getting all our shit together” for the band’s U.S. co-headlining tour with VOLBEAT.

GHOST’s 26-date arena tour with VOLBEAT and special guests TWIN TEMPLE kicked off on January 25 in Reno, Nevada and concluded on March 3 in Anaheim, California.

GHOST released its fifth album, “Impera”, on March 11 via Loma Vista/Concord. The band’s mastermind Tobias Forge worked on the follow-up to 2018’s “Prequelle” with producer Klas Åhlund and Swedish co-writers Salem Al Fakir and Vincent Pontare, whose credits include Madonna and Lady Gaga.

In March 2020, at final show of GHOST’s “Prequelle” tour in Mexico City, Mexico, the band officially introduced Papa Emeritus IV, the new character who would front the act for its next LP phase.

Forge performed as a “new” Papa Emeritus on each of the band’s first three LPs, with each version of Papa replacing the one that came before it. Papa Emeritus III was retired in favor of Cardinal Copia before the release of “Prequelle”.

The revamped and futuristic Meteora guitars and basses are announced in partnership with artists Portugal. The Man, Japanese Breakfast, and more.A completely new shape for a Fender guitar, the legacy of the Meteora has yet to be claimed by an artist, genre or era. Artists taking part in the launch of the Player Plus Meteora include creators that synonymously reflect a perfect storm of unexpected sonic elements, such as experimental pop band Japanese Breakfast helmed by Michelle Zauner, rapper Teezo Touchdown recognized for his larger-than-life persona and blend of pop punk and trap sounds and “Fed Up” artist Ghostemane known for merging elements of heavy metal, hip-hop and industrial music. Indie rock crooners and Fender gear fanatics Portugal. The Man will support by performing hit tracks on tour like “Feel It Still” while jamming on a Player Plus Meteora. Player Plus Meteora HHFusing innovative Fender design with player-centric features and new finishes, the Player Plus Meteora delivers superb playability and unmistakable style. A set of powerful FireballTM humbucking pickups blend the perfect amount of gain with great string-to-string note clarity. An S-1TM switch activates the coil-split, delivering crystal-clear single-coil tones. The silky satin Modern “C” neck fits your hand like a glove, with smooth rolled edges for supreme comfort. The 12” radius fingerboard and 22 medium jumbo frets facilitate fluid leads and choke-free bends. Smooth and responsive, the 2-point tremolo provides classic vibrato effects, while the locking tuners provide rock-solid tuning and make string changes quick and easy. $1,049.99 USD.Player Plus Active Meteora BassFusing innovative Fender design with player-centric features and new finishes, the Player Plus Active Meteora Bass delivers superb playability and unmistakable style. Powered by a pair of Fireball Bass Humbucking pickups, the Player Plus Active Meteora Bass delivers the punch and growl that defines Fender bass tone. A 3- band active EQ provides precise tone-shaping with switchable active/passive operation for ultimate flexibility. The Player Plus Active Meteora Bass neck is sleek, fast and smooth thanks to its silky satin finish, comfortable rolled edges on a 12” inch radius fingerboard and modern “C” back-shape. A rock-solid HiMass bridge provides sustain resonance and perfect intonation. $1,149.99 USD.FeaturesModern “C” Neck with Rolled Edges with a discerning moderate depth and softened edges.12” Radius Fretboard provides a flatter playing surface that allows more aggressive bending without “choking out.”Medium Jumbo Frets allow players to fret and bend notes easier, ideal for high speed playing.Modern Nut Width for intricate and precise picking patterns.Player Plus “Fireball” Humbucking Pickups produce powerful, thick tones with reduced hum.Advanced Switching Options for easy access to a wide array of tonal possibilities.High-performance Bridges deliver smoother, more precise tremolo action and modern feel in the Player Plus Meteora HH and provide improved sustain, stability and intonation in the Player Plus Meteora Bass.Locking Tuners (on Meteora HH only) give players impeccable tuning stability and make string changes seamless.Active Bass Preamp provides versatility of both passive and active modes and easy-to-use controls giving players a wide range of tonal possibilities.Michelle Zauner of Japanese BreakfastPortugal. The ManGhostmaneTeezo TouchdownIntroducing The Player Plus Meteora Series | FenderFor additional information on new Fender products and to find a retail partner near you, visit www.fender.com.

Exactly five years on from the release of their excellent “Lunar” debut, WITHOUT WAVES are in an uncompromising mood. “Good Grief” kicks off the Chicagoan quartet’s second album with a flurry of machine-gun riffs and cudgeling, syncopated beats, and the impact is undeniable. When the song takes a peculiar detour through dubbed-out post-rock before exploding again with even more unhinged intensity, this band’s subversive streak is writ large across every note. You might even call WITHOUT WAVES a progressive metal band, were it not for the fact that no prog metal band has ever sounded like this before. Songs like “Animal Kingdom” and “.algorithm” are unashamedly extreme and often fiendishly complex, but they also refuse to be rendered monotonous through mindless aggression. On “Animal Kingdom”, haunting melodies rise up from the multi-limbed battery of riffs and dissonance; on “.algorithm”, the fractious, blast-peppered groove that drives things along recedes midway through and nudges open a door into noirish, FAITH NO MORE-esque territory.

Ultimately, you could tie yourself in knots trying to pin WITHOUT WAVES down to a particular subgenre or sound. At their most epic and exploratory, they sound like they are having an obscene amount of fun: “Set & Setting” is an outrageous, seven-minute maze of great riffs, evocative dissonance and mellifluous vocal harmonies, all expertly blended for maximum theatrical effect, while “Do What Scares You” is a feast of bug-eyed macabre and mechanistic pounding with a tripped-out, psychedelic center. Most startling of all, “Sleight in Shadows” begins with sumptuous vocal harmonies that seem to promise the arrival of some wildly accessible prog tune, before a brutal, berserk torrent of fire and brimstone breaks the spell. When that opening vocal riff returns at the song’s end, skimming along the surface of WITHOUT WAVES’ eerily precise collective attack, it’s a sublime and audacious moment to savor. In contrast, both the gently meandering “Day 15” and shimmering shoegaze waltz “Worlds Apart” demonstrate that this band can be masters of restraint, too.

They reinforce the point with slow-build closer “Seven”: a simply magnificent, multi-part prog epic that builds and evolves with RUSH-like authority and just a hint of insanity.

The world needs more music as liberated and fearless as this. Smart, original and intermittently nasty enough to knock your teeth out, “Comedian” is no laughing matter.