If it was the bands intention to create an album that would do justice to a loud statement going something like "We're back and we're gonna kick your ass" they surely succeeded, fact is that
Accept's comeback album contains a tremendous hard-hitting impact that takes no prisoners.
After being apart for some years, 1993 was apparently the right time to reunite some of classic Metal's biggest names, Udo Dirksneider,
Wolf Hoffmann, Peter Baltes and Stefan Kaufmann.
I think they did a tremendous job, it's always difficult coming around the second time to make an album, there exists a fine balance between keeping the roots and sounding refreshing, this release is a shining example of how it can be done.
The title track opens the show in the traditional fast and hard pounding
Accept manner, added huge chorus parts, wildly played solos and piercing vocals, well now we are at least warned.
Next up is one of my personal favourites in
I Don't Wanna Be Like You, that has something to do with its ultra groovy foundation coming from tight bass lines and powerful drum fills. The lyric is also amazingly cool and the huge break coming with the line
The ordinary way of life ain't for me, I do what I want and I wanna be free is immensely memorable.
The lyrics are generally very interesting and balanced between different topics like solidarity, justice and just having a good time in opposition to the likes of loneliness, terror and betrayal.
Protectors Of Terror is one of the tracks that have grown the most with time, a mid-tempo rocker that shows many details with a closer listening. An apocalyptic mood is painted with a raw and bombastic brush.
Two of the most important
Accept forces are Udo's brilliant vocals and
Wolf's spectacular guitar work and Objection Overruled is filled to the breaking point.
Slaves To Metal is a fine example with its fantastic guitar riffing and Udo's incredible forceful vocal performance.
All Or Nothing goes into the category of "Best Metal Hymns", that chorus line is just so damn catchy. In general the song has an astonishing positive energy that is extremely infectious on your mood, the soaring guitar solo spot gives it a whole new dimension, this is what I would call a perfect composition.
A hard rocking direction is explored with the heavy and groovy
Bulletproof spiced with yet another technical guitar solo passage, the structure could have been more exciting but it holds things tightly together.
In between all the madness we find a pleasant and wonderful ballad in
Amamos La Vida. This song represents one of the biggest reasons why I hold
Wolf as one of the best guitarist of all time, his ability to mix acoustic themes, driving hooks, catchy licks and utterly melodic solos in such a fantastic manner is simply pure brilliance.
The rather extreme
Sick, Dirty And Mean lays down an aggressive and hard-hitting style incorporating some very powerful drumming, one of their hardest songs but intelligently put together.
Donation can to a certain degree be compared with AC/DC, a cool melodic rocker with huge background chorus support and a down to earth solo.
Adding another type of song to the list is the instrumental
Just By My Own, being an experimental guitar leading creation that never looses the harmonious thin tread.
This One's For You ends the album with an up-tempo onslaught of double bass drumming, striking vocals, intense bass passages and some very energised soloing ending with a cool melodic twist.
After these 11 songs I haven't really found anything wrong with this album, every song just seems to fit natural into the picture. The performance is nothing less than excellent, the guitar is the main creative instrument but that doesn't deprive the drumming and bass playing for being smart and very solid.
The production is raw and kept fairly simple, matching the musical hardness very well.
A collection of some of their most diverse and best songs, positively speaking this album is indeed sick, dirty and mean.
Written by
Tommy Saturday, November 6, 2004
Show all reviews by TommyRatingsTommy: 9/10Members: No members have rated this album yet.
This article has been shown 7231 times. Go to the
complete list.
