ACCEPT

Continuing their post-reunion journey into the twenty first century's second decade, legendary German metallers Accept are back with a new studio offering in the form of 'Stalingrad'. It will probably be perennially debated amongst Accept purists as to the band's worth without original frontman Udo Dirkschneider in their latest incarnation, and Udo himself has openly speculated such in an interview with Metal Discovery three years ago, expressing his dislike of American vocalist Mark Tornillo and branding them "an Accept cover band", also suggesting "when they want to start making music again then maybe it’s wrong to do it under the name Accept." However, Accept have been accepted without Udo by most following their impressive 2010 comeback album 'Blood of the Nations' and the equally impressive 'Stalingrad' is set to consolidate their justification for using the Accept name. Andy Sneap has returned as producer so the sound is of the expected high standard, most impressive being the guitar sonics of both Wolf Hoffmann and Herman Frank. Resonant and chunky chords, palm-muted and not, carry the right amount of weight in the mix but provide the core impetus of tracks as the predominantly up-tempo song structures (with the exception of sporadic mid-tempo numbers such as 'Shadow Soldiers' and 'Twist of Fate') bulldoze forth from start to finish. The smooth-toned guitar leads also sound quite wonderful, embellished as songs are with well-placed and well-executed licks and solos. Vocally, the album also shines. I guess the Tornillo/Dirkschneider debate will be a forever divisive one but this is the new era of Accept and Tornillo can certainly hold his own with enough tonal variety and disparate character in his voice so he sounds both apposite singing within the context of Accept but also with his own identity. Overall, 'Stalingrad' is a very, very good album...not mindblowing by any means but, nonetheless, a fine serving of retro-flavoured Teutonic metal.

LABEL:

FORMAT:

Nuclear Blast

Album

STALINGRAD

Review by Mark Holmes

RUNNING TIME:

51:34

RELEASE DATE:

6th April 2012

TRACK LISTING

1) Hung Drawn and Quartered
2) Stalingrad
3) Hellfire
4) Flash To Bang Time
5) Shadow Soldiers
6) Revolution
7) Against the World
8) Twist of Fate
9) The Quick and the Dead
10) The Galley

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:

Germany

"...a fine serving of retro-flavoured Teutonic metal."