Accept returned with a proverbial vengeance in 2010 with ‘Blood Of The Nations’ and new vocalist Mark Tornillo. However it seems that they’ve taken a backwards step with 2012’s plodding ‘Stalingrad’ and now ‘Blind Rage’.
Written by: Dangerzone
ARTIST: Accept
ALBUM: Blind Rage
LABEL: Nuclear Blast
SERIAL: NB-3195-2
YEAR: 2014
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Germany
LINEUP: Mark Tornillo – vocals * Wolf Hoffmann – guitars * Herman Frank – guitars * Peter Baltes – bass * Stefan Schwarzmann – drums
TRACK LISTING: 01 Stampede * 02 Dying Breed * 03 Dark Side Of My Heart * 04 Fall Of The Empire * 05 Trail Of Tears * 06 Wanna Be Free * 07 200 Years * 08 Bloodbath Mastermind * 09 From The Ashes We Rise * 10 The Curse * 11 Final Journey
RATING: 60/100
WEBLINKS: Site Link
Background
Accept returned with a proverbial vengeance in 2010 with ‘Blood Of The Nations’ and new vocalist Mark Tornillo. However it seems that they’ve taken a backwards step with 2012’s plodding ‘Stalingrad’ and now ‘Blind Rage’.
Looking back it was ‘Stalingrad’s two fast tracks which swayed my thinking but I haven’t listened to it since 2012, come to think of it.
Hopes were high for ‘Blind Rage’ to capture the form of this lineups initial outing and after hearing lead single ‘Stampede’ I really thought they might do it, based on the songs heaviness and classic Accept sensibilities.
With the full album now out it all appears to have been a sad smokescreen, with this version of the band seemingly unable to conjure up the magic of the comeback.
The Songs
As mentioned ‘Stampede’ is the best song here by miles, with a classic chorus and riff which could be taken from 1982. It’s exactly how you expect Accept to sound, moving at pace and Tornillo belting out the vocals in the best Udo traditions.
‘Dying Breed’ is next, a galloping track where Tornillo and the band lament being one of the last true metal bands in the world, paying homage to the metal legends of our time. The riffs aren’t bad, but it reminds me of a modern day Saxon track, caught between the past and present, with the lyrics something Biff Byford might have written.
The opening riff of ‘Dark Side Of My Heart’ is a throwback to the ‘Metal Heart’ era, showing the melodic side which characterized that particular timeframe. It’s definitely palatable and proves the band haven’t forgotten their more AOR’ish side.
I could do without ‘Fall Of The Empire’ and the Euro metal overtones, which really are tedious and revisit the post-communist ramblings of ‘Stalingrad’. It goes nowhere and can be skipped easily.
Another obligatory ‘fast’ song is ‘Trail Of Tears’ which doesn’t have the resolve of ‘Stampede’ and is half-baked speed metal which these guys could write in their sleep.
The sweeping power ballad ‘Wanna Be Free’ is another misfire, the band trying the epic route, but it’s so bland both musically and melodically. I can’t put it any other way.
There’s nothing of note happening on the routine metal of ‘200 Years’ although ‘Bloodbath Mastermind’ has a few riffs of note, but it sounds like a retread of ‘Stampede’ overall.
The chorus of ‘From The Ashes We Rise’ sounds like one I’ve heard five times on this album already and it’s followed by another sub-par power ballad ‘The Curse’.
The album closes with the faster ‘Final Journey’ but sadly it sounds tired and without the crunch I expect from Accept. It really sounds like they’ve run out of ideas.
In Summary
Something about this album just doesn’t quite hit the mark for me. It’s not genuinely heavy and the bands trademark vocals harmonies and signature sounds fall flat.
I could point it out all day but ‘Stampede’ is the only song which captures what I expect Accept to sound like. Maybe the pressure to equal ‘Blood Of The Nations’ has affected the band, because the drop-off in quality is alarming to say the least.
Accept on Video
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