Accept
Accept

THE REVIEW

A band I consider grand, albeit incredibly flashy, these Accept.

Some describe them as angry AC/DC, but, with all due respect to the Australian legends, I am convinced that Accept are completely different.
The greatest online critic and know-it-all (or at least self-proclaimed), Scaruffi, states: "Every new metal phenomenon lasts exactly one album: the first".
With reference to this German band, no statement could be more wrong: with the self-titled album released in 1979, Accept began a respectable career, improving in subsequent albums, such as "Restless And Wild" from 1982 or "Russian Roulette" from 1986, before gradually fading away.

These four rockers, even if influenced by the NWOBHM era and Classic Rock, have managed to build a style of their own: lethal guitar riffs, sharp solos, and the fantastic voice of Udo Dirkschneider, definitely one of the flashiest singers I've ever seen or heard. Some consider them the precursors of all those bands that have been labeled (why label anyway?!?) as Power Metal. Honestly, they struck me more for their sound than for the importance of their saga in the history of music or other similar pretensions by fake alternative/pseudo-experts, (and yes, I acknowledge, for the horrible militaristic style they followed in dressing!). For some, this first album may not be very original; the voice seems heard before, the choruses might be terrible, the drums deafening... but from the very start, these Germans show power and zeal, achieving, in my opinion, a perfect balance between rock and metal, impact and harmony, simplicity and depth. And excuse me if that's not saying a lot!

Moving on to a quick analysis of the songs "it kicks off" (you can tell I've studied at Eaton!) with "Lady Lou". After a brief intro of guitar and drums, one of those choruses starts, a leitmotif of the entire album. Then comes the punch, "Tired Of Me", another track full of horrendously catchy choruses, interspersed with solos by Wolf Hoffmann, another historic member of the crew, and the slow song (some might call it Scorpions-like, thankfully "Wind Of Change" hadn't been released yet), "Seawinds", perhaps the least successful track of the album, but Udo shows a splendid and versatile voice, while the Wolf anticipates, even if in slow motion, those melodies that would independently be repeated throughout the '80s by many other guitarists. And then it picks up at high pace with, in no particular order, "Take Him In My Heart", "Free Me Now" and my favorite song "Sounds Of War", with a fantastic intro and Udo's voice sounding distant, while the rhythm section is spectacular! This is followed by lament, despair over abandonment, solitude, to which, however, our guys, especially Udo (...and indeed, just look at him, ah ah ah!), are so accustomed that they are "Glad To Be Alone", a song where I point out again the rhythm section, simple, but effective, composed by Peter Baltes on bass and Stefan Kaufmann on drums. But, leaving behind the moments of misery, "That´s Rock´n'Roll", as the next song states. "Helldriver" is another excellent track, and of course, the lyrics are again super flashy and inspired by utter disengagement. Lastly, "Street Fighter" which terribly reminds me of the sound of the great Motorhead, with Udo's voice reminiscent of the great Lemmy and a masterful drum performance, with strange effects, almost like echoes, and confirmation from the Wolf's guitar with a couple of solos!

In short, a splendid album, unfortunately underrated, if not completely forgotten, by the general public: you can hear the style that will distinguish Accept in later works. In these, Udo, Wolf & Co. will outdo themselves, but that is another review.