Scorpions-Virgin Killer (1976)

The celebrated fourth album by the German band Scorpions was marked by controversy due to its provocative cover, but beyond this infamous artwork, this release would definitively open the door to coveted markets like Japan and Europe. Up to this point, Scorpions had moved between psychedelic hard rock and elements akin to krautrock, but in this new release, the band comprised of Klaus Meine, Ulrich Jon Roth, Rudolf Schenker, Francis Buchholz, and Rudy Lenners steered towards a visceral heavy rock sound, as demonstrated by a brilliant repertoire of heavy hard rock tracks such as "Catch Your Train", "Pictured Life", "Virgin Killer", "In Your Park", "Hell-Cat", and "Polar Nights". "Virgin Killer" was the first great classic heavy metal album by the Germans and at the same time their most successful work up to that point, and undoubtedly the one that would confirm them as one of the most promising bands in the hard rock scene of the 70s.