Motorhead's Mikkey Dee Joins The Scorpions as Permanent Drummer

It would be a crime to try to replace Motorhead front man Lemmy Kilmister, so it was no surprise when the band ended after his death December 28th of last year (2015). That said, the remaining members have needed to find other ways to keep busy. For drummer Mikkey Dee, that now involves being the new permanent drummer for The Scorpions.

Dee started subbing in as drummer for the German metal band on their most recent tour when former drummer James Kottak (who had been in the band since 1996) had fallen into substance abuse problems and spent eight months in jail. Now after seeing how well things have worked out, Dee is taking over the skins for The Scorpions full time.

The Scorpions released a statement about Dee's arrival, saying:

“We would like to thank James for so many years of lasting participation in the band and personal friendship. We understand and respect his need for time as he makes his way through the final stages of his healing process. After our incredibly successful shows in the U.S., Europe and Asia, we are sure to have found a fantastic drummer with Mikkey Dee. He brings a fresh energy to the band, and we look forward to the exciting time together that lies ahead.”

I'm intrigued by the notion of Dee joining The Scorpions because they aren't the first band that would have come to my mind when thinking about what band he might join or form post-Motorhead. I know he has jammed with Ronnie James Dio in the past, but even that seemed a bit surprising. I would have thought he would have joined up with something a bit heavier and uptempo than The Scorpions. Regardless, I'm interested to see just what they end up doing together from here on out.