Album Reviews : Accept – Blood of the Nations

During the late 90’s Accept‘s future mirrored that of a broken down muscle car which had been abandoned on the side of the road in a rough neighbourhood.

While Udo Dirkschneider continued with his project U.D.O. months after the unofficial hiatus of Accept, many were left scratching there heads as to whether Accept would return and actually stay together for more than just a mere reunion tour. Now the time has finally come for this beast of a machine to be reworked and brought back to its mint condition finish.

Many bands in this situation tend to go backwards rather than forwards after such a long break, yet Accept have surprisingly stayed true to their conceptional sound, as the new album has resembling influences to that of their classic releases Balls to the Wall and Restless and Wild. After waiting what seems to be a lifetime, I can honestly say that  Blood of the Nations is one of the better sounding releases, if not the best release Accept have put together in recent years.

The addition of new vocalist, Mark Tornillo has made a profound impact on the band’s music. Not only does he mimic a somewhat Udo Dirkschneider esque sound with a hint of Bon Scott (AC/DC) thrown in for good measure. He also adds a new variety to band’s continued tradition of simple, yet dominating heavy metal. His vocals seem more versatile, moreso on the melodic entries of the album. Old school Accept fans will surely find solace in Tornillo’s vocals, as he offers up some hefty, iron clad vocals reminiscent of the band’s short statured, camouflage wearing counterpart.

Fat chunky riffs accompany the band’s quintessential 80’s wall of sound, as original guitarist, Herman Frank  is a comforting return to the band. The majority of songs are generally fast with there influence of AC/DC, respectively. There are moments of subtlety however, as mentioned before with the addition of Kill the Pain and Shadows of Death, with there subtle orchestral backdrop. Yet these minor numbers are outweighed by the sheer attack of the album’s heavier and dominating tracks Beat the Bastards, Teutonic Terror, Pandemic and Locked and Loaded, moreso with Andy Sneap at the helm of production duties. Sneap seems to be the missing piece of this long and unfinished jigsaw puzzle, as he constructs another heavy metal masterpiece with a dominating wall of sound and a cache of chanting chorus’ to boot.

I can honestly say that after waiting nearly 14 years for this album, that I’m not one bit disappointed. Even though Udo Dirkchneider is no longer part of the band, there is no denying that Accept’s future will be a prosperous one with new vocalist, Mark Tornillo. Following in the tradition of AC/DC, the band have rediscovered their niche market and stuck with it. Like the old saying goes, “If its not broken, don’t fix it”.  The album is truly a triumphant return for Accept.  8/10

Band: Accept
Album: Blood of the Nations
Year: 2010
Genre: Heavy metal
Origin: Germany
Label: Nuclear Blast/Riot! Entertainment

Tracklisting:

1. Beat the Bastards <- Reviewer’s Choice
2. Teutonic Terror <- Reviewer’s Choice
3. The Abyss
4. Blood of the Nations
5. Shades of Death
6. Locked and Loaded <- Reviewer’s Choice
7. Kill the Pain
8. Rollin Thunder
9. Pandemic <- Reviewer’s Choice
10. New World Comin
11. No Shelter
12. Bucket Full of Hate