Accept
Predator

THE REVIEW

The first half of the 90s for Accept perhaps represents their period of decline. Orphaned by the soul of the band in 1986, Udo Dirkschneider, the German group released the much-debated "Eat The Heat" the following year with singer David Reece, a sort of crossover between Halford’s vocals and David Lee Roth. Although the album contained some excellent tracks and only recently has been reevaluated as a classic of Accept, it didn't sell at the time, and fans disappointed by Udo's departure began to disparage Hoffman's band and company. The band would reunite only 6 years later, also thanks to the release of the live album "Staying a Live," a concert held in Japan during the "Metal Heart" tour, which brought all the members of the group back together for a reunion. In 1993, "Objection Overruled" saw the light, an excellent album that showed the typical sound of Accept, rough and direct, had not been forgotten. A year later it would be the turn of "Death Row," and this is where the problems would begin. Discussions between Hoffman and Udo resurfaced, and all this led to an album that was indeed good, but lacking the aggression that had characterized Accept for the first half of the 80s.

In January of '96, "Predator" saw the light, an album that would prove to be better than the previous one, but would have the flaw of having the characteristic listed above. Immediate songs like "Hard Attack," "Lay It Down," or "Take Out The Time" would make one scream miracle, but it is also true that in this album, Peter Baltes, who was the bassist at the time, sang a good part of the songs. What’s wrong with that? Baltes's voice, while good, was well suited in pieces like "Crossroads," singing together with Udo, but in others like "It Ain't Over Yet," it touches on total boredom, and the same goes for "Primitive." His presence is therefore a very annoying filler, which would create not a few problems for the listener during playback. Additionally, interesting mid-tempo tracks like "Making Me Scream" or "Diggin' In The Dirt" alternate with bland and irritating pieces like the title track, which, being the song that gives the title to the album, is supposed to be one of the best... Well, not in this case.

At the end of the tour, which saw very few dates, Accept disbanded for the second time. Too many internal quarrels, too many differences in thought. The German combo would reunite only in 2005 with the original "Balls To The Wall" lineup, but without releasing any albums or anything else. So, what remains of "Predator"?

An album that could have been, but was not, a wasted opportunity. It’s hard to judge a band like Accept which, even without ever having great popularity in the music scene, managed to release iconic albums in the heavy genre. I don’t feel like dismissing "Predator," as the ideas for good tracks were there, but they were not fully developed. But I consider this album the first misstep of the German band. Obviously, it is recommended only for fans; for those who are just beginning to listen to this band, surely this is not the best album.