We're just days away from the European release of the new Scorpions album, Return to Forever — but impatient fans can get a taste of the record now, thanks to a streaming player recently unveiled by the band.

As previously reported, the new songs arose out of low-key sessions intended to — as guitarist Matthias Jabs put it — "record some song ideas for the fans, which we had worked on in the past but never put on an album, and then release them without much fanfare." It's a pleasant surprise for fans who'd braced themselves for the group's retirement, which was canceled because, as Jabs said in a separate interview, "we have too much fun to really quit."

Evidence of that fun is available at the band's Facebook page, where previews from each of Return to Forever's 12 tracks are streaming now. The player should prove particularly welcome for U.S. fans, who need to wait until early March before the album is widely available on these shores.

More Return to Forever fun is available on the group's Facebook timeline, where they're posting a series of daily video clips like the one you can watch below.

The band's 18th studio album, Forever follows 2011's re-recordings/covers project Comeblack, and serves as their first collection of new original material since 2010's Sting in the Tail.

The 10 Worst Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Snubs

More From Ultimate Classic Rock