In a brand new interview with
Talking Metal, former
MOTÖRHEAD and current
SCORPIONS drummer
Mikkey Dee discussed his battle with COVID-19. He said (transcribed by
BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "That [happened] one year exactly ago — it was in March '20. I have to say me and my wife, we were very sick — influenza sick. But I've been even sicker. I think I had influenza one time before in my life. I was in Australia; that was with
MOTÖRHEAD a little while ago. And I was really, really sick at that time as well. And this time, yes, we got knocked out for a couple of weeks, and after that, I recovered. The more I was playing ice hockey and being outside and being busy, the better I felt the next day, basically. So I just went hard out to exercise lungs, and my body was back in shape in a couple of weeks, what I felt. And I'm full of antibodies."
Asked if he experienced any lingering symptoms of COVID-19 in the months after his diagnosis, he said: "No. We call it 'corona brain,' I guess, as a joke, if you forget stuff. But I feel fine, and I'm ready to go back out there and play. I can't wait to get back on the road."
SCORPIONS' new album is tentatively due later in the year. The disc was recorded in part at
Peppermint Park Studios in Hannover, Germany and will mark the German hard rock legends' first release since 2017's
"Born To Touch Your Feelings - Best Of Rock Ballads", which was an anthology of
SCORPIONS' new and classic material.
SCORPIONS originally intended to record the new album in Los Angeles with producer
Greg Fidelman, whose previous credits include
SLIPKNOT and
METALLICA. However, because of the pandemic, most of the work so far has been done remotely, with
Fidelman taking part via
Zoom.
Fidelman began his career as the guitarist and songwriter for
RHINO BUCKET before launching his career as a producer, engineer and mixer, finding an early mentor in
Rick Rubin.
SCORPIONS' last full-length collection of new recordings was
"Return To Forever", partially comprising songs the band had in the vault from the '80s. It was the final recorded appearance of
SCORPIONS' longtime drummer
James Kottak, who was dismissed from the band in September 2016.