Accept

Accept is a German Heavy Metal band formed in 1976, which played an important role in developing European Heavy Metal. Due to their fast and melodic style and the characteristic vocals of singer Udo, the group influenced almost all Power Metal and Thrash Metal bands and is one of the precursors of Speed Metal. Accept’s song lyrics address topics such as social problems, sex and fantasy.

The band gained prominence in the 1980s with the release of the albums “Restless and Wild”, “Balls to the Wall” and “Metal Heart”, which are among the best Heavy Metal albums of the decade. After ceasing activities in 1996, they reunited in 2009 and have released five albums since then.

History
At the end of the 1970s and the beginning of the 1980s, Germany began to emerge as one of the great birthplaces of rock and roll, and it was in this country and at this time that vocalist Udo Dirkschneider, after some brief musical experiences, formed Accept.

After the line-up was complete with Wolf Hoffmann and Jorg Fischer on guitars, Peter Baltes on bass and Frank Friedrich on drums, the band released their self-titled debut album in 1979. Although Udo’s voice was the album’s highlight, Peter Baltes sang on the tracks “Sounds Of War” and “Seawinds”. The following year, “I’m a Rebel” marked the entry of drummer Stefan Kaufmann, and it was only in “Breaker” in 1981 that the group began to have a truly professional structure, with a producer, manager and everything else.

Nationally known, Accept then decided to take a big step and released “Restless” and Wild” on a global scale. The media acclaimed the 1982 album, which is still recognized today as one of the most important in Heavy Metal. The opening track, “Fast As a Shark”, becomes one of the group’s biggest hits and of great importance in the Speed Metal scene.

Guitarist Jan Koemmet replaced Jorg Fischer, and the classic “Balls to the Wall” was released in 1983. The title track gets a popular music video and goes on major tours, becoming one of Accept’s biggest hits. Two years later, Metal Heart came out, which featured the same producer as Scorpions, and with Fischer’s return to the group. Almost simultaneously, the live EP Kaizoku-Ban’ was released, which featured tracks such as “Head Over Heels”, “Love Child”, and “Living For Tonight”.

In 1986, “Russian Roulette” marked the breakup of Accept. Due to artistic differences, Jorg Fischer and vocalist Udo left the group. The latter launched a solo career, and only three years later, the Germans’ new work arrived in stores. Eat the Heat featured David Reece on vocals and Jim Stacey on guitar. Despite the undeniable quality of the album, fans did not accept the new members very well. New disagreements between the members themselves and health problems with Stefan Kaufmann led to the closure of the group’s activities.

A live album with the old lineup, titled Staying a Life, was released in 1990 and featured all the big hits like “Neon Nights”, “Son Of A Bitch” and “Dogs On Leads”. Accept’s return, however, with Udo back on vocals, didn’t take long. In 1992, Objection Overruled arrived to win back the public, but this time as a quartet, as Wolf Hofmann remained the only guitarist. “Death Row” edited afterwards, was Stefan Kaufmann’s farewell to the group.

In 1996, the Germans released their last work. Predator had Michael Cartellone, who played with Ted Nugent, on drumsticks, and after this release, they decided to end the band’s activities again.

Udo Dirkschneider resumed his solo career with U. D. O., and the live duo The Final Chapter came out two years later. In 2001 and 2002, A Tribute To Accept and A Tribute To Accept II were released, respectively, in which renowned bands such as Primal Fear, Darkane, Therion and Dimmu Borgir made their versions of Accept’s classics.

In 2004, to the delight of the band’s fans, the Metal Blast From The Past CD and DVD arrived in stores. The material was recorded during the group’s world tour in the 1980s and includes great hits from their career, extras and a photo gallery.

Accept in Bulgaria in 2013
In 2005, after countless performances worldwide, the group announced they would take a break from the stage. The farewell concert took place in Kaverna, Bulgaria.

In 2009, the band got together again, now with Mark Tornillo on vocals, and in 2010, they released their twelfth studio album, “Blood of the Nations”. Contrary to expectations, the album succeeded on the music charts, ranking fourth on the Media Control Charts. That year, the band played for the second time at the Rock Hard Festival.

In 2012, the band rereleased another album with the current lineup. Released on April 6, “Stalingrad” was a commercial and artistic success for the band, well received by fans and the media, resulting in a world tour. Playing at several European festivals, the band ends their tour in Spain with their Stalingrad Tour.

Accept returns to the studios and records its fourteenth album, released on July 18, 2014, under the title “Blind Rage”. The album became the band’s first to reach the top of the charts in Germany, their home country.

On December 28, 2014, the departure of guitarist Herman Frank and drummer Stefan Schwarzmann was announced, who will focus on their Panzer project.

On April 26, 2015, the band performed at the Monsters Of Rock festival, at which they presented the album “Blind Rage” (2014).

Before starting the second part of the “Blind Rage” Tour, Accept announced the arrival of new musicians: guitarist Uwe Lulis, known for having been in Grave Digger and Rebellion for years, and drummer Christopher Williams, known for having been a studio musician for artists such as Desolation, Stephen Dale Petit and Cinder Box, among others.

On August 4, 2017, it released “The Rise of Chaos”, which received good reviews from the specialized press and a positive commercial reception in several world markets; for example, in Germany, it reached third position on the local music list.

Later, on November 27, 2018, bassist Peter Baltes announced his departure after more than forty years in the group, stating that he needed a change in his life and that he left Wolf Hoffmann as the only current founding member of the band. For the 70,000 Tons of Metal festival dates (January 31 to February 4, 2019), Danny Silvestri participated as a guest bassist until, on April 16, Martin Motnik -Uli Jon Roth’s bassist- was confirmed as his permanent replacement. It was later announced that Philip Shouse would join as third guitarist, making the band a sextet for the first time in their history.

In 2020, they started recording a new studio album, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, its release was postponed for several months. Finally, in January 2021, Too Mean to Die was published, which, like its predecessors, achieved good positions in the world music charts; in Germany, it reached second place in the local count.

Studio Albums

Accept (1979)
I’m a Rebel (1980)
Breaker (1981)
Restless and Wild (1982)
Balls to the Wall (1983)
Metal Heart (1985)
Russian Roulette (1986)
Eat the Heat (1989)
Objection Overruled (1993)
Death Row (1994)
Predator (1996)
Blood of the Nations (2010)
Stalingrad (2012)
Blind Rage (2014)
The Rise of Chaos (2017)
Too Mean to Die (2021)