Meaty, Juicy Goodness
Accept is to heavy metal what Friendly’s is to fine dining. While it’s nice to enjoy a meal prepared with care and skill, sometimes you just want a fucking hamburger. Germany’s original headbangers have been presenting the same menu for nearly 35 years, and while it’s reasonable to push it aside in favor of more flavorful options, the comfortable and steady will always have customers. Their latest, Blind Rage, is another eleven songs of fist-pounding, flag-waving arena rock, delivered without irony or apology.
Blind Rage is Accept’s third release since its rebirth in 2010 with new vocalist, former T.T. Quick frontman Mark Tornillo, picking up right where Udo Dirkschneider left off in 1998. And this latest effort continues right where that left off. Opening track, “Stampede” (matching the snorting bull on the cover), teases with some devil’s triads before charging ahead. “Dying Breed” takes your opinion that Accept may, in fact, be a dying breed, and throws it back in your face. Yes, they’re singing about warriors and silver mountains, but so what? They’re delivering these lyrics with conviction and with pride.
They threaten to sneak in a couple ballads, like “Wanna Be Free” and “From the Ashes We Rise,” but it doesn’t take long for the rock to roll. Throughout all of the songs, Tornillo is able to combine shouting, screaming and singing with dignity. However, he can’t quite make the quieter moments (few as they are) work, and when he bounces back into his comfort zone, it’s a relief for both him and for the listener.
“Final Journey” ends Blind Rage with a pounding that’s as close to thrash as Accept gets, but there’s no reason to thing that the title is a hint of any future plans. Blind Rage will satisfy fans’ hunger for junk food, and they have no reason not to continue to serving the same dish for years to come.
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