German heavy metal outfit Scorpions will call it a day after almost 50 years together.

The veterans confirmed in a statement on their website that they will release their 17th and final studio album, 'Sting In The Tail', on March 19 and embark on a farewell tour before splitting for good.

"We agree we have reached the end of the road," they explained.

The band was formed by guitarist Rudolf Schenker in Hanover in 1965 and are best known in the UK for their 1991 number two single 'Wind Of Change'.

The full statement reads:

It was always our pleasure, our purpose in life, our passion and we were fortunate enough to make music for you - whether it was live on stage or in the studio, creating new songs.

While we were working on our album these past few months, we could literally feel how powerful and creative our work was – and how much fun we were still having, in the process. But there was also something else: We want to end the Scorpion’s extraordinary career on a high note. We are extremely grateful for the fact that we still have the same passion for music we’ve always had since the beginning. This is why, especially now, we agree we have reached the end of the road. We finish our career with an album we consider to be one of the best we have ever recorded and with a tour that will start in our home country Germany and take us to five different continents over the next few years.

We want you, our fans, to be the first to know about this. Thank you for your never-ending support throughout the years!

We uploaded the very first snippets from our new album for you.

And now… let’s get the party started and get ready for a “Sting in the Tail”!

See you on the world tour,
Yours, Scorpions

(by Scott Colothan)