Accept
Blood of the Nations

Nowadays, we see practically every day the emergence of new bands playing genres that in the '80s, we would never have thought would catch on. Metalcore, Death, Black, Nu, Deathcore, Grindcore, Alternative, etc... Few are the bands that have continued to play heavy metal, that heavy metal coming directly from that magical era which was the first half of the '80s, with bands vying for the podium of best band. Iron Maiden, W.A.S.P., Motorhead, Running Wild, Grave Digger, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest... But even in the land of beer and sauerkraut, there was something. The band formed by a small German dwarf, Udo Dirkschneider, the Accept, who quickly climbed the charts and just as swiftly gained fame, thanks to those marvelous albums which in my opinion should be considered world heritage, ranging from "I'm A Rebel" to "Russian Roulette". In the mid-'90s, after Udo's return to Accept (due to a series of divergences), and after three albums that weren't hailed as a return to the old days but still enjoyable, our colonel leaves definitely. Accept, therefore, without their charismatic leader and band glue, decide to disband. However, no one would have ever said that, after 14 years, Accept would reunite, with a new singer in the lineup, Mark Tornillo from TT Quick. Doubts, anxiety, curiosity, critiques already prepared. These were the expectations for Accept's new album of unreleased tracks, which aroused more curiosity than Iron Maiden's "The Final Frontier," released four days earlier. "Blood of the Nations," this is the name of the album, a decidedly captivating title. The cover, let's not even talk about it, truly stunning, simple but impactful. A mark of victory, sign that Accept are back. After this introduction, we can begin.

The album opens with "Beat the Bastards," a crushing song, dictated by a granite riff, and I think that from a badass guitarist like Wolf Hoffmann, we couldn't have expected more. A marvelous solo, and a great chorus, where you can witness the power of Tornillo's voice, marked by very successful screams and a certain resemblance to AC/DC's singer, Brian Johnson. With "Teutonic Terror," anticipated by a video clip, comes one of the best hits of the album. Bossy bass, slow and fast pace, but well achieved, truly excellent. With "The Abyss," the foot is taken off the accelerator, though good drumming and a great bass keep the song at medium-high levels. The title track has an intro that gives chills and guarantees headbanging, with a truly fitting chorus and one of the best solos imagined by Hoffmann’s mind. "Shades of Death" perhaps represents the album's Achilles' heel. I'm not starting by saying it's a horror of a song; on the contrary, it's very catchy and maintained by an excellent rhythm section, but the duration is too long. If a minute had been taken off from the introduction and a minute towards the end, it might have been one of the best songs on the album. With "Lock and Loaded," reasoning returns, a fantastic drum introduces us to perhaps the fastest track of the album, with Tornillo in great shape, and a song in which it is IMPOSSIBLE to remain seated. "Kill The Pain" is a nice slow piece built excellently, with Mark proving to be a great singer even in more "gentle" pieces. "Rollin' Thunder" can be summed up in one word: Devastation! Riveting, explosive, impossible to describe it. "You can hear it, you can feel it, it's everywhere.... IT'S IN THE AIIIIIIR!" With "Pandemic" and "New World 'Comin," we have two good pieces, supported by a rhythm with which it will be impossible not to tap your feet to the beat. "No Shelter" is supported by decidedly successful choruses, excellent drumming, and the second-best solo of the album. "Bucket Full of Hate" begins with a dirge that will then implode in a direct punch-in-the-face song, one of the best achievements of the album. Definitely an excellent way to conclude the album, leaving the listener with a grin on their face and chills all over the body.

Unlike many other bands returning to their genre, Accept have never changed style, always being direct and consistent. Consistency is perhaps what has rewarded them in their illustrious career. Obviously, it wasn't easy to restart after 14 years without the figure of Udo, but Hoffmann and his mates managed to do it.

What can I say, great Accept, excellent return to the scene. One of the few bands that remain playing straightforward heavy metal, faced with a work like this, one can only take off their hat and be thankful that nowadays, old glories like them still exist.