U.D.O.

U.D.O. – Touchdown Review

U.D.O. – Touchdown Review

“As a guy who grew up with the sounds of Accept blaring in the background, I know how important it is to keep a restless and wild metal heart and not be afraid to get one’s balls to the wall when necessary. Legendary frontman Udo Dirkschneider decamped following Accept’s Predator outing, bringing an end to a cherished era in Germanic metal. The man has certainly kept himself busy since then, focusing on his U.D.O. solo project and going on to release 17 albums of Accept-adjacent metal.” Stacking the box.

U.D.O. / Musikkorps der Bundeswehr – We Are One Review

U.D.O. / Musikkorps der Bundeswehr – We Are One Review

“If you made a short list of metal luminaries who you’d want to record a massive concept album with a 60 piece orchestra, I have a sneaking suspicion Udo Dirkschneider wouldn’t make the cut. To be blunt, I doubt the raspy-voiced Teutonic terror would make the long list either, yet here we are. You see, the man who once fronted Accept has somehow impressed the Concert Band for the German Armed Forces (Musikkorps der Bundeswehr) into service for a collaboration titled We Are One.” Hot Tuba.

U.D.O. – Steelfactory Review

U.D.O. – Steelfactory Review

“Udo Dirkschneider, the original singer of Accept, is the living embodiment of 80s Germanic metal. Along with Chris Boltendahl and ,b>Gravedigger[1. Who also have an album inbound soon.], he’s kept that dated sound alive long past its expiration date, releasing album after album of Accept-esque anthems with his eponymous band U.D.O., always light on sophistication but heavy on raspy screeching and classic metal tropes. Steelfactory is the 15th such platter of Teutonic splatter and shows nary an ounce of progression or innovation, sticking to that Accept B-side ethos that’s served the man so well since 1980.” Everflowing Germanic steel.

Cryonic Temple – Deliverance Review

Cryonic Temple – Deliverance Review

“As a fan of power metal for almost as long as I’ve been a metalhead in general, there are a few things about it that set my teeth on edge. Pitchy, squealy tenors a la Stratovarius, for instance, or shameless poppiness, like Amaranthe. It’s in the latter camp that we find the once-respectable Swedish band Cryonic Temple. Having arisen from the early 2000s power metal boom, Cryonic Temple managed to carve out their own niche, but apparently lost steam in the back-half of that decade.” Seal the temple!

Grave Digger – Healed by Metal Review

Grave Digger – Healed by Metal Review

“It’s a brand new year – a fresh beginning for all of our personal stories and a clean, blank slate for metal music. Now is the time to take risks, to be daring, to innovate. Just kidding, it’s actually time for the 17th goddamn album of monochromatic meat n’ taters metal from the unstoppable Germanic horde called Grave Digger.” Well, that de-escalated quickly.

U.D.O. – Decadent Review

U.D.O. – Decadent Review

“Except for AC/DC, few acts are as unchanging, predictable and satisfying as U.D.O. Since departing from Accept in 1996, Udo Dirkschneider has been a one man Germanic metal sweat shop, mass producing albums with startling regularity and consistency. While his style never strays far from what Accept did in their prime, the unsinkable lawn gnome of metal has made it his mission to keep the 80s sound alive.” Giving you exactly the same metal since the early 80s, Udo is prepared to give just a little more. He’s a giver…of metal.

U.D.O. – Steelhammer Review

U.D.O. – Steelhammer Review

U.D.O. (i.e. Udo Dirkschneider), the voice of Accept is back with his umpteenth album full of typically old school, Germanic heavy metal. As with all his previous platters, Steelhammer is Accept-ish in design, with nods to Teutonic power metal like Grave Digger. Sometimes speedy, sometimes mid-tempo, the man and his band traffic in meat and potato metal riffs with his now classic raspy snarl dropped on top thereof. While you have to admire his consistency, it doesn’t always lead to memorable albums, though you can usually count on a handful of above-average ragers. 2011s Rev-Raptor was a rather fun and engaging outing, and Steelhammer follows right along in the same cheesy, but familiar mode.” It’s Udo and his band U.D.O. and that means more Germanic metal with silliness, hooks and Accept-isms. If you liked any of his other 200 albums, you’ll probably like this too.

U.D.O – Rev-Raptor Review

U.D.O – Rev-Raptor Review

U.D.O. is back! The diminutive Teutonic terror who’s gravelly cackle defined the sound of Accept for decades has resurfaced with yet another solo album (his thirteenth!). This time out however, he does so in the very large shadow cast by his former unit’s 2010 release Blood of Nations. That opus was a classic metal monster and ended up near the top of my best of 2010 list. Since Rev-Raptor will inevitably be seen by many as Udo Dirkschneider’s return salvo, the obvious question becomes, how does it measure up? Well, in all fairness, Mr. Udo has released far more records under the U.D.O. moniker than he ever released with Accept. That said, he’s still famous as the “voice” of Accept so the comparison is to be expected. In short, no, this isn’t on par with Blood of Nations, but its still a solid traditional metal album with some entertaining numbers that will make you bang your head the old fashioned way. If you’ve heard any of the prior U.D.O. albums, you know what to expect here since there’s been scarce variation across his long and storied discography. Its raucous 80’s style classic metal, much like classic Accept, with few frills but plenty of balls (to the wall) and the man’s trademark screech. If that sounds good to you, read on (AMG has already left the building and set it on fire).