Scorpions Welcome Back Drummer James Kottak After Rehab

Scorpions drummer James Kottak endured some rough times in 2014, including a stint in a Dubai jail and a trip to rehab, but it's all behind him now — and the band has welcomed him back with open arms.

"It was like a disaster," admitted singer Klaus Meine during a recent interview with TV Rock Live. "He did make a mistake – he crossed the red line, definitely. This was not rock 'n' roll and it was not funny."

Recognizing the need for a wakeup call, Meine recalled that the other Scorpions "said to James that he was pretty much out of the band. We told him, 'You have to go to rehab. You've got to take care of yourself and take it seriously. We've set the doors wide open, but it's really up to you.'"

But after that dose of tough love — and Kottak's dedication to getting himself back on track after publicly vowing "to come to grips with my alcoholism" and "[do] everything on a daily basis to beat this relentless disease" — the band closed ranks around the drummer when the time came to enter the studio for its new Return to Forever album and start preparing for an upcoming tour.

"He recorded the album in Stockholm at the end of last year, and we played two shows with him," said Meine. "It was fantastic – it's great he's back in the family."

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