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Let me get this out of the way right away: with Humanity Hour 1, The Scorpions have delivered their first GOOD album in nearly 15 years. If it sounds like I’m saying that with a bit of surprise, well, I am. As a fan, I’ve listened to the band’s output since 1993’s Face the Heat, and suffered through a series of bad-to-unlistenable discs. The last time out, with 2004’s Unbreakable, they came close, but not quite close enough. On Humanity – Hour 1, the Scorpions finally get back to the level that made them one of the biggest hard rock acts of the 80s and early 90s. This CD features a balanced attack of rockers and ballads, with the former hitting hard and fast, and the latter adding wistful notes to this concept album about the aftermath of epic disaster and the re-establishment of society in its wake.

Granted, there’s no single breakout hit on the album, nothing like a "Rock You Like a Hurricane," or "Wind of Change," to propel the album up the charts and the Scorpions brand name back onto casual music fans’ minds. But if this were a just world, Pawel Maciwoda’s wicked bassline for the track 321 would be pounding out of speakers everywhere. While the lyrics are missing the double entendre quotient that marked Scorpions albums in the 80s, they do a decent job conveying the storyline, which is fortunate given the lack of details in the liner notes.

Interesting story and occasionally touching lyrics aside, this album succeeds because of one thing – the fact that the Scorpions go a long way towards recapturing the swagger they had in their glory days. Frankly, it’s weird for me to be saying this, because Humanity – Hour I is far from a metal album, light years away from the stuff the Scorpions originally made their name with. At the same time, there’s a confidence there, a polish that’s been missing for a while. A large part of the credit for this resurgence goes to songwriter/co-producer Desmond Child ("Livin’ on a Prayer", "Aerosmith’s" "Crazy’), who receives songwriting credits on all but one of the album’s tracks.

Child’s guiding hand helped Rudolf Schenker and company shape a number of outstanding tracks, including, The Game of Life, and Love is War. Chief among these is the ballad, Love Will Keep Us Alive, the best song on Humanity – Hour 1. Carried along by Klaus Meine’s distinctive and legendary voice, the song firmly stays on the good side of that line dividing touching and cheesy, and should be a concert staple for the rest of the band’s career.

On the heavier end of the sonic spectrum, the "Scorpions" bring the heat with rockers like the aforementioned 321, (possibly the heaviest song they’ve ever put on record), We Will Rise Again, and the nu-metal tinged opener, Hour 1. The latter track gets the disc off to a flying start, with Schenker and rhythm guitarist Matthias Jabs providing a dark sonic palette to set up the album’s post-apocalyptic concept.

Put it all together, and Humanity – Hour 1 turns out a fine disc, and a welcome surprise for Scorpions fans. Now, if only anyone outside the already converted would notice this gem, the band could recapture a bit of the limelight they used to enjoy. For the first time in a great while, they deserve it.