Herman Ze German
Take It As It Comes

July 2010
Released: 2010, Dark Star Records
Rating: 2.0/5
Reviewer: Robert Williams

Herman Ze German AKA Herman Rarebell formerly the longtime drummer of Scorpions is back with TAKE IT AS IT COMES, following up his previous solo effort in 2007's aptly titled "I'm Back". The past several years have seen Herman reunite on-stage with Scorpions at the 2006 Wacken Open Air festival, where he joined fellow alumni Uli Jon Roth and Michael Schenker on a stroll through the band's illustrious back catalogue. This performance was also documented on the "Live At Wacken - A Night To Remember, A Journey Through Time" DVD. Herman recorded and performed with the Scorps on some of the band's most timeless and respected albums from a period ranging from 1977-1995.



To put things in proper perspective however, if Klaus Meine and Rudolf Schenker were John Lennon and Paul McCartney, if Uli Jon Roth was George Harrison...then Herman Rarebell is the token Ringo Starr. You want to like this album, you like Herman. You want to get behind the flashy, vampiric cover art and the comedic alter-ego of Herman Ze German. Well, there in lies your challenge. "Take It Easy" the albums title track is old fart-ish, preachy and lame. An over repetitive chorus featuring a shabby Klaus Meine ripoff absolutely acts as brillo pad Q-tips before further aurally assualting you with a saxophone solo. "Don't Lose Your Trust" is no where near as bad as the opener and in a way vocally recalls early AC/DC, which is a major improvement on the title track. "Your Love Is Hurting" is a sappy ballad that bores to the core, where as the soft alt rock of "Freak Show" further acts as a sedative. On an album chock full of bad ideas and stale copycat fodder, it wouldn't be complete without a remake of "Rock You Like A Hurricane". This remake begins with a heavy German accented sort of new wave monotone rapping combination. This is pretty awful.What were you thinking Herman? I do like "Drum Dance" a bit, it's instrumental, so go figure.



This album is useless. There is no rebellious thirteen year old on earth who would crank this on his i-Pod. This won't serve as the soundtrack for seventeen year old hard rockers making out in the backseat of a car. The thirty, forty and up crowd already have Scorpions, it's doubtful they would care too much for this fodder. There really is no clear demographic I can think of where this kind of stuff would fly, other than DJ's at the bar blasting this post last call to clear out the house. Sorry Herman, I really mean it. Better luck next time.