Accept – Blood Of The Nations (2010)

The German Heavy Metal monsters are finally back with their first studio album in 14 years and with a new vocalists that while not as good as respected as Udo, he holds his own at the helm of such a legendary band. Accept has managed to combine some of their old day’s magic with a fresh sound that sounds better than anybody else in the Heavy Metal scene.

For the first time in years we can notice that Wolf Hoffmann and Peter Baltes managed to get their shit together and craft an epic album worthy of the Accept moniker. And by recruiting Mark Tornillo as the vocalist they managed to get a vocalist that we are sure nobody, except the hardcore Udo fanboys, will be complaining about since his performance is better than expected.

Starting with the powerful “Beat The Bastards”, the Hoffman/Frank riff machine kicks things up in full swing and ready to blow people’s minds. But the album’s first single and one of the best songs by the band since “Metal Heart” is the all-powerful Teutonic anthem of destruction “Teutonic Terror”. This song is so catchy that you will not be able to get it out of your head, especially the brilliant chorus section.

Most songs feature a very similar structure in this album, starting off with powerful riffing, having a massive chorus section, and an all-around catchy/epic atmosphere. This formula works wonders when it comes to creating Heavy Metal songs. However, the band does add some extra twists and sometimes shapes songs differently, like “The Abyss” a song that starts with the formula, but then it switches to a power-ballad section and comes back brilliantly.

Between the epic Heavy Metal anthems, we have a power ballad in “Kill The Pain” that further showcases the band’s new vocalist versatility and provides a nice break in this hard-hitting album. Every single song features a wide variety of powerful riffs and consistent structures that will bring most Heavy Metal fans to its knees. The band’s versatility is one the albums high points since they can go from full-on songs like “Rollin’ Thunder” to slower paced (but equally effective) songs like “New World Comin’”.

Overall, we think that Accept has managed to return to the highest levels of Heavy Metal with a very powerful release that features a classic sound with some modern elements, like some keyboards/synths used atmosphere creation here and there, but never getting too noticeable and do not take anything away from the power of the music. The band’s new vocalist has done a great job in filling in Udo’s shoes, and surely the fans of the band will welcome him with their arms wide open.

Release: September 14th, 2010

Country: Germany