This album was Accept’s best with Udo since ‘Balls To The Wall,’ with the band clearly revitalized.
Written by: Dangerzone
ARTIST: Accept
ALBUM: Objection Overruled
LABEL: RCA/BMG
SERIAL: 74321 12466 2
YEAR: 1993
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Germany
LINEUP: Udo Dirkschneider – vocals * Wolf Hoffmann – guitar * Peter Baltes – bass * Stefan Kaufmann – drums
TRACK LISTING: 01 Objection Overruled * 02 I Don’t Wanna Be Like You * 03 Protectors Of Terror * 04 Slaves To Metal * 05 All Or Nothing * 06 Bulletproof * 07 Amamos La Vida * 08 Sick, Dirty And Mean * 09 Donation * 10 Just By My Own * 11 This One’s For You
WEBLINKS: Site Link
Background
There would be few people out there that would dispute that 1993 was a miserable year for heavy metal, with the media and press having turned against it in an astounding manner since the onset of grunge and alternative a few years earlier. For Accept to reform amidst this backlash against metal was a brave move at the time, but also sorely needed. Udo’s solo career had stalled after 1991’s ‘Timebomb’ and he had also suffered a ‘body breakdown’ having been ‘overworked’ from his responsibilities.
Of course Accept’s 1989 release with David Reece ‘Eat The Heat’ had been dismissed rather unfairly, so a reunion was always likely. Of course the media scoffed at Accept’s return, after all how did a classic heavy metal band fit into the musical landscape they were feting in 1993? I recall an interview with Udo in Metal Hammer by one Pippa Lang, who wrote that Accept were irrelevant in 1993 and dated compared to the likes of Ministry (who had been around since 1983) and degraded Udo in the interview, mocking the very existence of songs like ‘Slaves To Metal’.
Nevertheless the reunion was embraced in Europe, always far more embracing of metal than the fashion obsessed sycophants of England and the U.S. This album was Accept’s best with Udo since ‘Balls To The Wall,’ with the band clearly revitalized, although this seemed to fade relatively quickly.
The Songs
The title track opens with the bombastic title track, the thrash rumblings tailored after ‘Fast As A Shark and an impressive statement to begin with. At this point the changing musical scene had no impact on Accept and this could easily be 1984. The opening bars of ‘I Don’t Wanna Be Like You’ revisit ‘Balls To The Wall’ almost to the point of a clone, but there’s nothing wrong with that given the context of the comeback factor.
The heavy riffs of ‘Protectors Of Terror’ are further indication of the bands intent and the anthem ‘Slaves To Metal’ is the kind of anthem that was needed for metal fans who felt abandoned in 1993. Just the word ‘metal’ in the title alone meant more than anything, so shameful and taboo had the genre become to the one time metal press. The upbeat ‘All Or Nothing’ is another blatant anthem, but seems more like Udo’s solo material than true Accept. It doesn’t have the Accept feel in the guitar work.
‘Bulletproof’ could almost be AC/DC and I’m not convinced the jangly guitar work helps the track. Coupled with the acoustic ballad ‘Amamos La Vida’ the album appears to be on the downward spiral, but it’s saved by the speed metal infused ‘Sick, Dirty And Mean’ which is the Accept most wanted to hear. This is where they have always excelled and Udo it must be said is the star of the show on this song and the entire album.
A moment of hilarity ensues with ‘Donation’ where Udo preys upon an innocent young girl seeking money for charity. Of course Udo gives her a ‘donation’ and the lyrics here almost shame AC/DC themselves, as does the music which is styled towards the Aussies also. I wouldn’t mind hearing Mark Tornillo give this one a go. ‘Just By My Own’ is an instrumental showcase for Hoffmann and is hardly explosive, opting for clarity over a fretboard frenzy.
The thrash of ‘This One’s For You’ is reminiscent of the ‘Restless And Wild’ album, the riffs recalling that memorable album, with the albums heaviest moments occurring during the guitar solo. It’s like being transported back to 1982, which is where many probably wished they were in 1993.
In Summary
True to form ‘Metal Hammer’ gave the album one out of five with a review which once again expressed how out of touch Accept were with reality. It’s funny how the people who wrote this stuff were the ones who loved them a few years earlier when they were of use to them. Naturally the album was a huge hit in Germany and Europe in general, although in the U.S. it went unnoticed, something that afflicted most bands who didn’t convert to grunge.
1994’s ‘Death Row’ was a rapid follow up, but it wasn’t among Accept’s best, with the band having been corrupted into utilizing a darker and sonically unimpressive sound which lacked Accept’s usual melodic graft. It’s the one Accept album I’ve never been able to sit through, such is the dullness. In retrospect ‘Objection Overruled’ was easily the best of the three 90’s albums and rates alongside ‘Blood Of The Nations’ as the bands finest work in the last 20 years. I often wonder what the one time hacks would make of the situation now, if they still care that is.
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Entire Album (Select Tracks)
