Accept
Stalingrad
Nuclear Blast
2012
Two years after their comeback album “Blood of the Nations”, which also introduced us the band’s new vocalist Mark Tornillo (ex-TT Quick), Accept are back with “Stalingrad”. It’s always “weird” when it comes to review albums from bands that have marked out metal music generally. I was skeptical and a little bit cautious about this album… not in terms of music quality… but due to UDO’s absence. I’m a big UDO fan and I believe that he should have been with the band in the first place… but I must also admit that Mark has done a hell of a job.
“Stalingrad” is in the same vein with “Blood of Nation”… there’s a logical continuation between those two albums… but how couldn’t it be in the end? As Wolf said they’ve just done more of the same, but without it being the same… similar-style stuff with fresh new ideas… and that’s the good thing here. Accept know what they can do and know their boundaries… they can deliver powerful heavy metal music… the musical background does not change at all… it’s the new fresh ideas that embellish their music and make it appealing and beautiful at the end of the day. I’m still stunned by “Stalingrad”… frankly, I didn’t think that it could be that good… and it took me a while since I finally listened to it. It’s like the guys are having a second youth or something… they have so much energy and vigor… a thing that’s obvious when you are listening to the album.
The production is awesome… it’s that kind of production that makes you wanna play the album to the maximum volume and burn out your speakers… Andy Sneap (Megadeth, Exodus, Nevermore, Arch Enemy etc.) has once more done a great job. The album is not monotonous at all… as you can find up-tempo heavy tunes as well as mid-tempo ones that rock like hell! I always preferred the mid-tempo heavy melodic songs Accept have delivered throughout their career and hopefully there are plenty of them here. Surely, anyone can find many songs to favor here … but my personal ones are: “Stalingrad”, “Hellfire”, “Shadow Soldiers” (a true heavy metal hymn), “Twist of Faith”, & “Never Forget”. I think that this album is slightly better than the previous one… in any term… but not far away from it… it’s heavy metal… what else do you want it to be?!
I’m really satisfied by “Stalingrad” and I do not believe that there will be any heavy metaler that won’t fancy this album… so what else can we ask? Hmm… possibly to see UDO back… huh? Anyhow, this is heavy metal with balls… heavy metal that all those newcomers or wannabe heavy metal bands… should listen to and “inspire” or copy… so as to make it through the night…
“Stalingrad” is in the same vein with “Blood of Nation”… there’s a logical continuation between those two albums… but how couldn’t it be in the end? As Wolf said they’ve just done more of the same, but without it being the same… similar-style stuff with fresh new ideas… and that’s the good thing here. Accept know what they can do and know their boundaries… they can deliver powerful heavy metal music… the musical background does not change at all… it’s the new fresh ideas that embellish their music and make it appealing and beautiful at the end of the day. I’m still stunned by “Stalingrad”… frankly, I didn’t think that it could be that good… and it took me a while since I finally listened to it. It’s like the guys are having a second youth or something… they have so much energy and vigor… a thing that’s obvious when you are listening to the album.
The production is awesome… it’s that kind of production that makes you wanna play the album to the maximum volume and burn out your speakers… Andy Sneap (Megadeth, Exodus, Nevermore, Arch Enemy etc.) has once more done a great job. The album is not monotonous at all… as you can find up-tempo heavy tunes as well as mid-tempo ones that rock like hell! I always preferred the mid-tempo heavy melodic songs Accept have delivered throughout their career and hopefully there are plenty of them here. Surely, anyone can find many songs to favor here … but my personal ones are: “Stalingrad”, “Hellfire”, “Shadow Soldiers” (a true heavy metal hymn), “Twist of Faith”, & “Never Forget”. I think that this album is slightly better than the previous one… in any term… but not far away from it… it’s heavy metal… what else do you want it to be?!
I’m really satisfied by “Stalingrad” and I do not believe that there will be any heavy metaler that won’t fancy this album… so what else can we ask? Hmm… possibly to see UDO back… huh? Anyhow, this is heavy metal with balls… heavy metal that all those newcomers or wannabe heavy metal bands… should listen to and “inspire” or copy… so as to make it through the night…