German rockers the Scorpions chose to split for good after their manager suggested they'd never be able to top their new album.
Guitarist Rudolf Schenker tells AOL the band was in the middle of a listening party for Sting in the Tail when their longtime manager came up with the idea for the bandmates to go their separate ways.
He says, "He had the idea to finish the band on a high note, with this record. At first, we thought he was joking but then we noticed he was completely being serious. And it turns out, he was right.
"We have been around for a long time, and we've done so many great things together. We came out of Germany when no one thought a band from there could rock hard. We've always believed in the band and had fun doing it.
"Sting in the Tail sounds like a classic Scorpions album, so we decided to leave after we get done touring it since it's such a powerful record."
The Wind of Change hitmakers announced the split on their website last week (ends22Jan10).
They are embarking on a two-year farewell tour before hanging up their leather jackets after 40 years.
Schenker formed the band in Hanover, Germany and was joined by his younger brother Michael and singer Klaus Meine in 1969. The band has sold more than 75 million albums worldwide.