Blood Of The Nations

After the last Accept reunion tour back in 2005, lead vocalist Udo Dirkschneider made it very clear that it was a one off tour and that was it. Bad experiences during the writing for albums like Death Row and Predator convinced him that he could not write anymore with guitarist Wolf Hoffmann and bassist Peter Baltes to continue on with the band. Udo has enjoyed great success with his own band U.D.O. which along with former Accept alumnus Stefan Kaufmann, has been flying the Accept flag for far longer than he was ever in Accept and keeping the band's legacy alive by including many Accept classics in their live set. A couple of years back, Wolf Hoffmann once again extended the olive branch to Udo only to hear that he was not interested. Wolf Hoffmann and Peter Baltes had gotten together once in a while to jam on some old Accept tunes but during one particular jam in May of 2009, a mutual friend suggested ex-TT Quick vocalist Mark Tornillo as a fill-in to do some vocals for them. It was also convenient that he lived close by. After playing a few songs, the chemistry was instant and it was realized right then and there that Mark Tornillo was exactly what they were looking for in a new vocalist to front the band. No mulling through literally hundreds of tapes that would've resulted if they publicly announced that they were holding auditions, Mark literally fell right into their lap. Many were sceptical including Udo Dirkschneider as he was selfishly adamant that an Accept without him would not work. Perhaps the failed attempt at replacing him with David Reece back in the late 80's (a record company decision) still haunts the band today. Guitarist Herman Frank and drummer Stefan Schwarzmann quickly rejoined the fold and add in veteran producer Andy Sneap (Nevermore, Megadeth) into the mix, who just happens to be a huge Accept fan, and all the ingredients seemed to be there for a triumphant return.

Initial song writing sessions yielded some disjointed attempts prompting Andy Sneap to get Wolf and Peter to go back and listen to albums like Breaker, Restless and Wild, Balls To The Wall and Metal Heart to try to recapture the essence of what Accept is all about. The result is a great comeback album that fans have largely embraced with open arms. The classic muscular riffing from albums like Restless and Wild as well as Balls To The Wall has returned as has the speediness of Breaker and the more atmospheric overtones of Metal Heart. Razor sharp riffing and a killer bass guitar sound certainly make Blood of the Nations one of the best sounding Accept albums ever made. The album opener Beat the Bastards kicks things off with speedy, fat riffs, hammering double bass and classic Restless and Wild vocals. Other album highlights include Teutonic Terror complete with a more chugging heavy Predator feel. Mammoth riffs, thundering bass, big gang choruses and the soon to be classic line "Give 'em the axe!" make this one a concert favorite for sure. The title track Blood of the Nations makes use of chugging heavy riffs once again and another big gang style chorus. Locked and Loaded amps up the speed to a Fast as a Shark-like tempo with another soon to be classic tune. Pandemic explores more mid tempo Saxon-like riffing with this metal anthem. Shades of Death deviates a little with its chugging heavy yet orchestrated sound with the power ballad Kill the Pain being a nice change of pace as well as showing off the strong emotional vocals of Mark Tornillo. He has just the right amount of rasp to fit into the Accept sound and as well, sounds a bit like a younger Paul Di'anno on a few tracks. Personally, coming from a long-time Accept fan, he's the perfect fit.

Even though this album is chocked full of great thick and muscular guitar riffs and a killer overall sound, I found a few tracks to be a little lacking in the chorus sections. Even though I've had this album for months now, I can't seem to shake the fact that as good as this album is, its a little too calculated and "by the numbers". Attempts at infusing classic Accept nuances are obvious and are found throughout the album. Some almost seem like they were added as an afterthought i.e. insert gang shout here......so to speak. I also can't help but feel riff-wise that the band is just rehashing riffs from Breaker, Restless and Wild and Balls to the Wall. There's nothing really new here. If you're a fan, don't let this detract you from picking this up. I was pleasantly surprised at just how great this album sounds and just how comfortable Mark Tornillo fits into the band. This album has been getting very high scores and album of the year status from many websites but for me, I think the excitement of a new album for long-time Accept fans has biased them a little bit. Nothing wrong with that but in the grand scheme of things, they have released better albums than this. However, seeing that this is the first in the re-birth of the band and it has far succeeded most expectations, I can see why many are absolutely loving this album.