Looking back to 1983, it was a year of outstanding hard rock/metal releases, Accept included. ‘Balls To The Wall’ was a serious contender for the ‘Album of the Year’ award.
Written by: Dave T
ARTIST: Accept
ALBUM: Balls To The Wall
LABEL: RCA
SERIAL: PL 70186
YEAR: 1983
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Germany
LINEUP: Udo Dirkschneider – vocals * Wolf Hoffmann – guitar * Herman Frank – guitar * Peter Baltes – bass * Stefan Kaufmann – drums
TRACK LISTING: 01 Balls To The Wall * 02 London Leatherboys * 03 Fight It Back * 04 Head Over Heels * 05 Losing More Than You’ve Ever Had * 06 Love Child * 07 Turn Me On * 08 Losers And Winners * 09 Guardian Of the Night * 10 Winterdreams
RATING: 95/100
WEBLINKS: Official Site
Background
The follow up to the blistering ‘Restless And Wild’ found Accept being strengthened by the help of then-manager and future Mrs. Hoffmann Gaby Hauke (under the ‘Deaffy’ moniker), who contributed with lyrics, and an improved production in an effort to conquer new markets, especially the U.S.
There’s also an attempt at being controversial via the album cover (who’s not Udo himself as legend has it, but some other fit guy instead) and lyrics that deal with sexual innuendos and human rights, politics and rebellion as well.
The Songs
A more glossy production that enhances the drums and guitars sound, strong choruses as a constant and a superb performance by Udo are the first outcomes.
Even though Wolf Hoffmann was always wearing Flying V’s on videos and live around this time, his guitar solos have that distinctive Strat-like tone that suits every song remarkably and I also suspect he recorded all the guitars here.
‘Ball To The Wall’ is the band’s most recognizable song and a timeless metal anthem. The beginning riff is carved into the collective unconscious of every seasoned headbanger. The verse’s power chords and Udo’s singing on the very first lines are menacing and cynical as a snake preparing to bite and soar into an unforgettable chorus in which the singer’s piercing highs fight against the gang response in a sort of epic QandA.
The guitar solo is sharp as a knife, backed by a Gregorian-like chant that leads to a haunting middle eight (which includes the breath-taking sound of a ball being crushed as well as the immortal line ‘Let’s plug a bomb in everyone’s ass’) and resolves into a deafening ending chorus.
On a side note, the song was christened after a phrase in Kerrang‘s article on Accept. The controversially titled ‘London Leatherboys’ is actually about a biker gang. This is more traditional hard rock with a strong chorus and became a hit single for the band.
‘Fight It Back’ on the other hand, is a more frantic euro-metal tune with some Rainbow-inspired riffing. Udo’s shriek around two minutes into the song even matches his legendary one in ‘Fast As a Shark’.
Dismal bass notes and guitar harmonics kickstart ‘Head Over Heels’ which revolves around an insistent prominent chorus.
‘Losing More Than You’ve Ever Had’ is the most American-sounding of the batch, with its mid 80’s melodic riff and melodies, a chugging instrumental bridge and bits of electronic drums.
Another controversial song for 1983 and especially in the U.S. was second single ‘Love Child’ – due to its gay innuendo-related lyrics, which is again a melodic ditty, slightly heavier than the previous one and dominated by Udo’s vocal delivery.
‘Turn Me On’ is a pounding song and the chorus is again remarkable.
A ‘2 Minutes To Midnight’-relative-riff, fiery vocals and another great interaction between the main vocal line and gang responses are ‘Losers And Winners’ main features.
After a short acoustic introduction, ‘Guardian Of The Night’ unfolds a riff reminiscent of Judas Priest while the like-clockwork chorus is pure German metal.
Closer ‘Winterdreams’ is a ballad and its delightful atmosphere recalls that of Angel‘s ‘The Winter Song’.
In Summary
The album attained gold certification in the U.S., where it was released in early 1984. The band successfully toured supporting Kiss and Ozzy Osbourne.
Looking back to 1983, it was a year of outstanding hard rock/metal releases, Accept included. ‘Balls To The Wall’ was a serious contender for the ‘Album of the Year’ award.
And it has aged remarkably well. Early to mid 80’s Accept is the real deal for metal fans. Whether you choose the raw energy of 1982’s superb ‘Restless And Wild’ or this more polished and equally brilliant ‘Balls To The Wall’ is purely a matter of taste.
Even 1985’s more commercially oriented ‘Metal Heart’ would be a wise choice. All three come highly recommended.
Accept on Video
Click to go to YTM album page.
