Scorpions survived the grunge era of the 1990s, according to Rudolf Schenker’s interview with Metal Hammer a year ago, by performing in places where they were still welcomed. However, by the end of the decade, the band had received criticism for one of their albums. Scorpions’ style shifted in 1999 with the release of ‘Eye II Eye.’ This album, which aimed for a more pop-influenced sound, elicited mixed comments, particularly from their established following. That’s why, in a 2015 interview with My Global Mind, Scorpions leader Klaus Meine mentioned this album when discussing the band’s “bad albums.” Reflecting on late-nineties music trends, the singer stated: “I think in the late 1990s, which was a decade dominated by alternative and grunge music, and all that music revolution that happened.
” It was a time when you had to struggle to survive as a classic rock band for all the bands that had emerged from a successful career out of the eighties. “I believe we recorded ‘Eye to Eye’ in the second half of the 1990s and towards the end of the 1990s, an album where we experimented a lot.” He also discussed the album’s impact on the band: “It wasn’t well received by our fans, but it could have been the best mistake we ever made.” We discovered how critical it is to return to the Scorpions’ DNA. When we returned a few years later with ‘Unbreakable,’ I believe we were on the correct route. Classic and Hard Rock made a strong comeback.” Scorpions wrote ‘Eye II Eye’ while they were at a loss for what to do as the music scene of the moment shifted. Guitarist Matthias Jabs acknowledged this in a 2017 interview with AZCentral.com, referring to the record as a ‘nice mistake’ like his bandmate.
He claims that ‘Eye II Eye’ was the band’s attempt to adapt to ’90s music: “Just by listening to the music, you can tell.” I mean, not quite. If I can call it that, there was an outside influence that was not in the Scorpions’ DNA. It wasn’t our fault. It was us, plus everything else that was going on. Nobody was sure. Nobody knew where they were going. “However, everyone was trying to talk to us. [Laughs]” Despite the album’s poor reviews, it charted at number 6 in Germany and number 24 in Hungary in 1999. Despite this, Scorpions returned to their old style with their second album, ‘Moment of Glory,’ released the following year, in response to fan criticism. In 2000, the fifteenth studio album debuted at number three on Germany’s Offizielle Top 100 and topped the AFP charts in Portugal. It was also certified gold in Canada and Germany, and platinum in Portugal.
