Accept Album: “Blood of the Nations”

German heavy metal legends Accept have dedicated their new album Blood Of The Nations to members of all the armed forces who fight to protect our freedoms, but that picture on the cover could well be blood from the ears of those of us who have listened to it! Accept are back, and man are they back in a big way, delivering a full on sonic assault the likes of which heavy metal has not witnessed for many, many years, and which the genre has sorely missed. This is surely their best album at least since Russian Roulette in 1986, and possibly the best album of their career thus far.

Blood Of The Nations really is a blast from start to finish with well thought out musical arrangements and Wolf's solos are particularly impressive over Herman's power riffing (I love the guitar tone of these guys!), plus Schwarzmann gives us a smashing exhibition of drumming. Then there's buzz saw like lead vocals, gang vocals, heavy but clear bass and it's all mixed to perfection by Andy Sneap. Highlights for me include:

Track 2 Teutonic Terror - Classic retro metal yet sounding fresh at the same time, some classic metal lyrical phrases and ultra cool bass work in the intro (terrific film clip too!)

Track 3 The Abyss - heavy riffs, some real high pitched screaming and a great contrasting melodic refrain that works perfectly with the lyrical theme.

Track 5 Shades Of Death - Power riffing to make Metallica fans cream their pants (note: Metallica credit Accept as a major influence on them).

Track 7 Time Machine - Classic Accept base line with the perfect blend of beat, power & melody. Would be a shame to get this album without this bonus track, it's a killer.

Track 8 Kill The Pain - An excellent slower and quite melodic song with Wolf's majestic solos all through it, sounding very much like a German version of the blues.

Track 10 Pandemic - As you would expect, it's about metal in the blood, spreading "like a metal disease", with a great riff and beat.

Track 11 New World Coming - A melodic, mid paced rocker with riffs that sound a lot like the classic Accept songs from their peak in the early to mid 1980's that all us fans love.

There are also the faster, frenetic songs that kick you right in the face in the typically Accept way and make you realize why these guys are widely credited as being a pioneer of speed metal. Blood Of The Nations has all you could want in an Accept album, with the only weak point (perhaps) being that track 12 No Shelter is probably not as strong as the other songs. But then instead of finishing with a ballad as is often the trend these days, Accept finish with a blast of aggression and attitude in track 13 Bucket Full Of Hate.

There will no doubt be those who say that it's not the same without Udo, and that is true. But unlike the failed experiment in 1988 with David Reece on vocals, Tornillo is perfectly suited to Accept's style of music. He is able to wail like a banshee with a buzz saw for a voice just as well as (if not better than?) Udo, plus he brings a new dimension to the band with his ability to sing the more commercial and melodic moments just as well as he can scream.

Clearly the guys are invigorated and excited about what they have done and with what the future holds for them, and so they should be. This album is a massive slab of pure heavy metal. This is music to wilt your wife's flowers, scare your children and kill the old folks who live next door. This is what heavy metal is all about.

In today's world it is extremely difficult to come across a decent classic heavy metal album, let alone a good one. I remember drooling over Ronnie James Dio's Heaven and Hell album "The Devil You Know" in 2009 because it was the best classic metal album I have heard in a decade at that point, and such a diamond in the rough. After that, I didn't expect to run into anything of similar quality for a long time, but...

Wow. Accept's "Blood of the Nations" will probably go down as one of the biggest "What the hell is that?" albums, because it hits you right in the face with amazing heavy metal music from track one to the last track, without letting go for a second. A classic band coming back these days with this kind of incredible material is truly a jewel that many of us will treasure for a very long time.

The melodies, the amazing guitar work (both heavy riffs and insane solos), the aggressive vocals, the clean drumming, no distortion in the production...the talent here is so thick, you can cut it with a knife. I never expected to hear anything of this high quality from any classic band, but boy, was I wrong! This record is addictive and will have you coming back to it again and again. I honestly can't spot any weak points on it and have been listening to it since getting it almost nonstop.

I HIGHLY recommend this album to anyone who enjoys such artists as Dio, Iron Maiden, Hammerfall, Firewind, Primal Fear, Black Sabbath, and other similar great bands.

As a long time Accept fan I was somewhat skeptical, until I heard the album. I think this is their best since Balls to the Wall, and possibly the best ever. I won't go into a long tedious review, instead let me just say IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS ALBUM THEN YOU ARE A P*SSY!!!

When they made this a pick of the week, I sat up and took notice, especially then of the hugely positive reviews.

So I put it on my Christmas list, and Santa was listening (well, now he's deaf, I guess!).

The new fellow is kinda like Arnel Pineda: he echoes the original singer well enough to make things work comfortably, but has enough of his own sound to avoid a copycat designation.

I'll give it 5 stars-it's not like the greatest metal album of all time, but ya gotta give it to these guys for coming back after a long time, with a different singer from the iconic Udo Dirkschneider, and cranking out some face-melting tunes. Up to the standard of "Restless and Wild"/"Balls to the Wall"? (Or for that matter "I'm a Rebel"/"Breaker"?). Mmmm, maybe not quite, though I'm just on the first listen. But certainly worthy of mention in the same breath.

Finally, how can you resist a record released on the "Nuclear Blast" label?!?

Never did I ever think Accept had a five star disc EVER! In their entire career, there were always bands better than they were in America. The lyrics were always 2nd rate and the music was catchy, bit a bit hit and miss. A 2nd tier Priest. I always liked the band and the pint sized Udo, even though his voice was an acquired taste.

Here, all these years later, we have a CD that is 90% HIT! A couple tracks stray a little from the core sound, with the ballad like 'Time Machine', while not terrible, it kind of dips the middle of the disc down. Then 'Kill the Pain' really drags you down. Not the best ballad. Accept were never a good ballad band... and 'Shades of Death' is good, but a quirky keyboard kind of ruins it a little.

But the Good / GREAT:

Teutonic Terror - Excellent, Excellent track. The best on here IMO so far.

The Abyss - Vintage Accept style and chorus, light to Heavy with a great Crunch Riff. Great Vocal performance. Fits like a glove. A slower part toward the end reminds me very much of a MSG style. Schenker influence??

Blood of the Nations - Really good riff and core track. Vintage Accept, but fresh sounding.

Locked and Loaded - Nice, double bass pounding Accept / T.T. Quick style. Really driving and good Vocal with that old Accept chanting style.

Rolling Thunder - Has that 'Too High To Get it Right' vibe. Could have been on Metal Heart. Good driving sound and decent hook. Fresh.

Pandemic - Sounds very 'Restless and Wild' style. Straight 80's chords and average lyrics, but good.

New World Comin' - Has that ballady 'Princess of the Dawn' style, but works well. Just a weak chorus.

Bucket Full Of Hate - A good track to close it off. Excellent old school Accept riffs and Chanting Vocal again.

I will say that I am very glad in their Vocalist choice. I was an old T.T. Quick fan from way back and was surprised to hear Mark Tormillo got the spot. But on second thought, its very logical. He has that bar tested, vocal that is needed. You don't want (and could probably never find) an Udo II, but you do want that rough edge and the POWER that makes some of these tracks what they are. Face it, the lyrics themselves were NEVER very good in this band. Don't know if it was a language thing, but its the POWER of the vocalist that gets them through. The Execution. And I must say, I really like the rougher sound. And he can hit the high notes in that David Wayne (ex Metal Church) style that seals the deal. Just enough difference, and I swear the older stuff might sound better with this vocal style. he can HOLD those high notes.

But what REALLY makes this disc, is the complete DOMINANCE of Wolf Hoffman and the incredible solo's on here. That brings this 4 disc to a 5. I mean the man is on FIRE! Almost dominant in a Michael Schenker style way. The solo's shine and really add energy to these songs. Yes, the Production of Andy Sneap is great and In your face (as usual), but the actual Guitar work is fantastic on this disc. I swear, the man is completely rejuvenated and it shows 100%. THAT is what makes this disc so damn good. I never thought of the Wolf as such a good guitarist, but those opinions have changed. Wolf gets an A+. Great performance throughout.

That's what makes this a 5 for me. I appreciate the honesty in the music (not so much the lyrics), 90% of the tracks are excellent, like the liner notes on the digi pack of the CD and am floored by the guitar work. Sure, there are a few less than perfect tracks(that's why i almost gave a 4), but they made the right choice in a singer and I know this will get a lot of plays from me. PICK IT UP!