Former Motörhead drummer Mikkey Dee, who was with that band since 1992 until their dissolution after the death of Lemmy Kilmsiter, is now a full fledged member of Scorpions. James Kottak has left Scorpions on a positive note.

A message from Scorpions states: “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 US, 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.”

Says Mikkey Dee (pictured above with Motörhead): “I guess most of you have heard the news. I am now a permanent member of Scorpions.

“I feel truly honoured and fortunate to be able to carry on playing drums on this level. I grew up listening to Scorpions and have always loved the band. We have been friends for a long time so traveling and performing this year with Klaus, Rudolf, Matthias and Pawel has been loads of fun and the crew is very professional. The Scorpions fans has been most welcoming and its been great to meet all the crazy wonderful Motörhead bangers along the way.

“I had some close to 25 amazing years with my friends and brothers Lemmy and Phil (Campbell) in Motörhead and that will always be the back bone in my future drumming. Lemmy always had great respect for Scorpions for being a real rock band and I am sure he is proud up there that I moved on and for playing with this class act.

“Here’s to many more years of Rock n roll. Cheers!”

Scorpions and Mikkey Dee paid tribute to Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister at Citibank Hall in São Paulo, Brazil during their 50th anniversary tour with a cover of the classic “Overkill”. Check it our below:

Celebrating their 50th anniversary in 2015, the Scorpions are one of the most successful rock bands to come out of Continental Europe. On September 30th, their never-before-released, jaw dropping and emotional final concert of the Sting In The Tale world tour will be released as the concert film Live In Munich 2012 via Eagle Rock Entertainment.

With over 100 million records sold, Scorpions are one of the first rock bands to blast through the barriers and play all over the world, especially in the Far East, Eastern Europe and Russia. They initially struggled to reach a wider audience in their home country of Germany, despite huge success in many other parts of the world. THIS is what makes this concert film Live In Munich 2012 – a homecoming event at the Olympiahalle in Munich on December 17th, 2012 – so emotional and meaningful.

Scorpions rock like no other, and this live DVD shows just how. Live In Munich 2012 is a high octane performance, captured before a wildly enthusiastic crowd, and serves as further proof of the power and electricity the Scorpions bring to the stage!

Showcased in this concert event, the band deliver fiery renditions of their classic anthems: “Wind Of Change”, “Rock You Like A Hurricane”, “Send Me An Angel”, “Still Loving You”, “The Zoo”, “Big City Nights”, “Is There Anybody There?”, “No One Like You”, “Sting In The Tail”, and many more - all captured in High Definition.

Live In Munich 2012 is a fascinating look at one of rock music’s most engaging, potent and successful acts, which makes this an essential purchase for any Scorpions fan!

Pre-order via the Amazon widgets below.