by Steve Huey

On the heels of Metallica's similarly conceived S&M comes the Scorpions' Moment of Glory, a presentation of past favorites (plus three new songs) with full orchestral backing courtesy of the Berlin Philharmonic. The rock instrumentation blends in best on the ballads, but some of the up-tempo rockers can also be pretty exciting, if a little bombastic. That said, the Scorpions' music isn't always complex enough to suggest interesting ways of augmenting the original arrangements -- but since this is more a specialty item for diehards in the first place, that won't likely matter in the end. Some fans may be disappointed that Klaus Meine gives way to guest vocalists on a couple of tunes, but overall, this is a variation on the Scorpions' signature sound that loyalists will probably enjoy quite a bit.