Accept

Blood of the Nations

Written by: EW on 21/10/2010 22:02:42

Given how every band that sold at least 10 records in their original incarnation has reformed in recent times the (re-)re-birth of German legends Accept should come as no surprise, but for this writer at least, it comes loaded with infinite amounts of potential joy and heartache. That the bands early 80's albums "Restless and Wild" and "Balls to the Wall" are nothing short of veritable stone cold 10/10 classics is simply fact but having neglected to watch them in a previous reformation at Wacken some years ago I have been desperate for my live fix of Accept, a relief which came earlier this year, but now is the real test - a brand new LP.

Of course this is not the full Accept everyone knows and loves as old-time screecher Udo Dirkschneider is seemingly having too much fun with his solo band to want to rejoin the fold and thus vocal duties are now covered by the relatively unknown Mark Tornillo. Filling huge (or should it be small in the case of Udo?) shoes Mark has done a sterling job on "Blood of the Nations", complementing the historic style and legacy of Accept with his gruff Brian Johnson-like throat, yet going far beyond merely aping his predecessor. At any moment chosen his work would be seen to fit the metal bombast of tracks like "Rollin' Thunder" or the powerful opening pair of "Beat the Bastards" and "Teutonic Terror" as well as softer numbers like "Kill the Pain". Infact, if you were unaware of a previous singer you'd rightly believe this is the way Accept have always been such is the agreement betweens his efforts and those of Wolf Hoffman and crew.

Besides the vocalist issue caution has been naturally aimed towards how a band so intrinsically 80's in nature (at least during their peak) would fare in the modern world; the result is virtually as good as anyone could have hoped. Where do you want me to start? "Pandemic", the title track "Blood of the Nations" and "The Abyss" (save for a descent into crooning Bon Jovi territory which I could really do without) rock as hard as "Balls to the Wall", "Demon's Night" or any one of the countless classics on the aforementioned albums with the only key difference being the beefier production outweighing that of yore. Personal opinion will determine which era's production is best (give me the 80's every time) but as Tornillo's sings in "Pandemic" ("It's a pandemic, It's a metal disease") the only thoughts are of how consistently good "Blood of the Nations" is proving itself to be as it appears father time has done little to satiate the band’s willingness to pull out simple, fist-pumping metal the way it’s supposed to be.

To compare the overall songwriting quality of Accept circa 2010 against their peak is a fruitless task; NOONE, not Iron Maiden, not Saxon, not Twisted Sister, penned tunes that quite touch the German's earlier work. But for a band supposedly out of the game for long enough for entire new generations to have formed, "Blood of the Nations" is as simple and brilliant a punch in the face as all us Accept fans could have dreamed. Forget the turgid identikit heavy metal that continues to pour out of Germany, the masters are back spreading their own schooled version of Teutonic Terror and you’d be ready to listen and learn.

8

Download: Pandemic, The Abyss, Rollin’ Thunder
For the fans of: HEAVY FUCKIN’ METAL
Listen: Myspace

Release date 20.08.2010
Nuclear Blast Records

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