U.D.O.
Rev-Raptor

In life, if there's one thing we need to keep moving forward, it's certainty. Those things that never change, that always remain the same, perhaps monotonous but damn effective.

In the music world for more than a decade now, it hasn’t been that way anymore. Whether it's the abandonment of old school sounds for "new" genres, let’s say, like Nu, Alternative, or Metalcore, or because of a demanding need for renewal, today we find ourselves with thousands of new bands every day ready to prove themselves, to achieve that much-desired fame. But once you have that fame, what do you do with it? In 50% of cases, you continue to assert your music without changing a jot, but in the other 50%, record label pressures, the need for renewal as mentioned before, leads to a devastating musical upheaval. Go ask bands like Avenged Sevenfold or a significant part of metalcore groups.

Certainties, I was saying. There’s one person who, throughout this discussion, has never subjected himself to a musical change in almost 50 years of career. That person goes by the name of Udo Dirkschneider, known to many for being the historic frontman of Accept first and leader of U.D.O. now. The U.D.O., especially, have assured classic heavy metal lovers what they desired most, which is the music they loved most without ever compromising, with a span of about two years, always well respected by the band. The features are all there: catchy and melodic choruses, Udo's vitriolic voice, both harsh and ungraceful at the same time, and a production put on the foreground. This formula, as simple as it is winning, has allowed U.D.O. to survive for more than twenty-five years, always satisfying their fans.

Arrived in 2011, Udo's band has nothing left to prove. So why continue? Why not retire? These questions have often been asked of our little German fellow, and the answer has never been delayed. "As long as I enjoy myself and my body allows it, I will continue to make albums and go on tour." Unyielding as few, in 2011 "Rev-Raptor" comes out, yet another album in which the listener already knows what to expect, yet is eager to put the CD in the player and listen to what U.D.O. has churned out.

The album is full of good tracks, among which stand out the great “I Give As Good As I Get”, and the faster and more marked "Leatherhead," "Dr. Death," and "Motor-Borg." Udo does not forget even the classic mid-tempos that contributed to Accept's success in the early 80s, a style we can hear in both "True Born Winners" and "Rock N' Roll Soldiers." Special mention for the cover, one of the ugliest I've ever seen, but also quite amusing, showing an irate Udo against the world, strangely in the form of a cyborg or something similar, brandishing a weapon from every imaginable part ready to fire. Strange, but still enjoyable.

If Accept in 2011 had just reformed with a new singer and were ready to regain the reputation they once had, with a well-executed first step after the release of “Blood Of The Nations,” Udo certainly wasn't sitting idle. Maybe this album turns out more inspired than its predecessors, especially "Dominator," because Udo felt like he was in "competition" against his old group, and although "Rev-Raptor" doesn’t make one shout for a miracle, not being a masterpiece of metal nor the best in U.D.O.'s vast discography, it is still widely appreciable.

The goblin from Wuppertal strikes again, and he does it in the best way, with that simplicity so dear to him which has proven to become his distinctive trait over the years, which may make purists cringe, but which can only please others. Udo, what else?