Restless & Wild was
Accept's fourth album, follow-up to the magnificent
Breaker, which more or less defined their style. These two albums are very closely related, being released with only one year in between.
Drowning in many interesting and influential releases, such as Number Of The Beast (
Iron Maiden), Screaming For
Vengeance (
Judas Priest) Black Metal (
Venom) and Back In Black (
Ac/Dc), the album didn't quite get
Accept the big breakthrough at the time of it's release. Nevertheless, it stands today as a testament to their power, originality and unique talents for creating an intense atmosphere.
Fast As A Shark is a classic song, if there ever was one! The angry and super-fast double bass riffing of this metallic evergreen is just jaw dropping and heavy as can be! An endless inspiration to the Speed Metal genre, which was being established at this time. Fast As A Shark pairs this furious profile with a very memorable and melodic refrain, making up for a killer cut!
The titletrack has, in my opinion, one of the coolest riffs in Metal, so ultra heavy and still so easy to get sucked into, simple yet so effective. The vocal performance is a chapter of it's own, with
Udo Dirkschneider going from understated soft singing to screamed out craziness in the blink of an eye. His physical vocal range may be limited, but the range of emotions and atmospheres he is able to deliver is astonishing. Udo is one of those singers that can change the mood in a song, just going a tad up or down the vocal scale. It doesn't take more, and it is one of
Accept's huge forces!
I really love the lyrics to this track, without being able to pinpoint exactly why. To me the whole song has something to do with expressing a lot of feelings and concerns of youth such as expectations for the future and rebellion.
Of course, overall Udo is a huge force in creating the trademark
Accept sound. His voice is rasp, raw and piercing!
Ahead Of The Pack is an example of the power of simplicity. The song is a rocking, yet catchy beast, with a kick ass attitude. A song with the ability to spark an inner strength.
Shake Your Heads is the perfect party anthem, a catchy anthem to Heavy Metal, and the impact it can have on your life. A very effective rocker, that makes make you feel like doing just what the title commands you to!
Neon Nights is something special, an epic and multi-dimensional song painting a mystical and somber atmosphere. The melodic and spellbinding chorus ties the song together perfectly. Covering so many moods in one song is amazing, and Neon Nights stands today as one of
Accept's crowning achievements.
Don't Go Stealing My Soul Away is the only song here that seems a tad too simple. It is certainly not a bad song; it is just a tad below the jaw-dropping quality of the rest of the material on display.
Princess Of The Dawn will always have a special place in my heart, the mesmerizing rhythm and ethereal atmosphere have a completely bewitching effect. There is something trance-like to this track; a static structure creates a special atmosphere.
Wolf Hoffmann has incorporated many untraditional influences into his unique style. On this track he fuses Heavy Metal guitar playing with pieces of acoustic playing, which sounds somehow Spanish influenced. This adds yet another unique dimension to the song, and once again shows the creativity of the band. A turn off is, that the album stops so abruptly, as the song is suddenly cut off in the middle of the chorus.
Wolf Hoffmann deserves a special mention for his work, doing all guitars on the album. While not fully developed into the guitar hero he would become, he still has a diverse and inventive style, and is one of my all-time favorite guitarists. He dares to think a little outside the box, while still maintaining the classic Heavy Metal feeling, always adding that extra something to the songs. His solos are always ballsy yet melodic and expressive.
Accept helped pioneer the classic Heavy Metal style and Restless & Wild has classic and masterpiece written all over it. Without a doubt a pure ten!
Written by
Nina Tuesday, February 7, 2006
Show all reviews by NinaRatingsNina: 10/10Members: 9/10 - Average of 1 ratings.
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Rating: 9/10
Restless & Wild is an absolute metal classic.
Accept's most important record and in my op... · Read more · |
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