I've always loved Accept. Regular readers will know I saw them in L.A. on their Blood of the Nations tour last year. In fact, between various special editions, I own that CD four times. And now, their new CD, Stalingrad, is out. Of course, I pre-ordered the special edition with a bonus DVD. I had hoped it would include footage of the show I was at (which was filmed and streamed to the web, so I've always had hope for a live DVD). This is their second CD with TT Quick singer Mark Tornillo, Udo having refused to take part in a reunion because he's still busy sounding like second rate Accept in his band, U.D.O. It's his loss, the new songs are better than anything Accept did post Objection Overruled and live, the band is really on fire.
The new songs are just what you'd expect, classic heavy metal from start to finish. The special edition CD has an extra bonus track, and I'm sure I'll end up buying a Japanese edition for an other track. There's also a bonus DVD, with five live track across two shows and two clips, "Teutonic Terror" and "Pandemic." I had actually bought a box set of Blood of the Nations expecting those two clips, so I was glad to finally get them. The live tracks include only one "old" Accept song, my favorite, "Princess of the Dawn." I think this is a brave move, especially as the only DVD they did "back in the day" is a horrible affair with no full live tracks and too much voice over, but I guess it shows how committed they are to this new line up. The live "Princess" has Peter played a big bass solo, which is nice to see again, it was a highlight of seeing them live. The other live songs are "Pandemic," "No Shelter," "Teutonic Terror" and "The Abyss."
Overall, this is another strong step in the come back of Accept, and I suspect they will continue to go from strength to strength. I am sure they're not going to play the O2 any time soon, but I think their ongoing career as a serious and dedicated metal band is beyond doubt, and I'm very glad about that.
Friday, April 27, 2012 at 12:01AM