Accept

Accept are legends, we all know that, and in their absence (10 plus years, the last studio album was "Predator" in 1996) from making new music and touring (aside from a few reunion shows in 2005 in Europe), they were surely missed. But once you see them live one can really have a better appreciation for their importance and place in the history of Heavy Metal. Accept are to Heavy Metal, what AC/DC is to Hard Rock.

In 2010, the classic "Balls To The Walls" lineup have reunited with Wolf Hoffmann and Herman Frank on guitar, bassist Peter Baltes, Stefan Schwarzmann on drums, and Mark Tornillo (from the band TT Quick) replacing the unique voice of Udo Dirkschneider (who chose to continue with his long running band U.D.O.).

Tonight’s big concern...whether or not Mark could fill Udo’s shoes, of course. Judging by the first single, ‘The Abyss’, released to the internet and radio earlier this year, from Accept’s forthcoming album "Blood Of The Nations", much of the speculation was laid to rest. And now it was time for the ultimate test, can Mark pull it off live? Well…all I have to say is WOW! Just from the opening two numbers ‘Metal Heart’ and ‘Midnight Mover’ I was confident Mark was perfect for the job. But as the band dug deeper into the back catalogue with crushers like ‘Living For Tonite’, ‘Restless and Wild’, and especially ‘Son Of A Bitch’, when Tornillo hit those certain special notes a chill ran down my spine and a smile lit up my face. Scary how close his tone is to Udo’s and he even gives an extra something.

Wolf, Herman, Pete, and Stefan were just a crushing rhythm section, tight as all hell hitting like a hammer as if they have been consistently performing live for many years. Wolf’s leads were spot on, his classic tone well in tact delivering those mind melting solos just as he recorded them. I always appreciated Wolf’s work but after hearing him live it’s a whole different level of respect now.

The setlist was perfectly picked for this 2 hour & 10minute show. From hits like ‘Balls To The Walls’, ‘Princess Of The Dawn’, ‘London Leatherboys’, the spirited ‘I’m A Rebel’, to the speed metal fury of ‘Fast As A Shark’, I would have not changed a thing. They stuck to their most popular albums for the song selection including five from "Breaker", six from "Restless and Wild", four from "Balls To The Walls" and "Metal Heart", skipping the 1979 debut, and less popular albums "Russian Roulette", "Eat The Heat", "Death Row", and "Predator", with ‘Bulletproof’ coming from "Objection Overruled".

Two songs from the new album "Blood Of The Nations", ‘The Abyss’ and ‘Teutonic Terror’ (which they also shot a video for), fit seamlessly into the rest of the set. Overall…I’m sooo happy (and so was the crowd) Accept are back! Do I miss Udo, yes, but damn is Mark a fine replacement. Come back soon, guys!

Setlist
Metal Heart
Midnight Mover
Living For Tonite
Restless and Wild
Son of a Bitch
Losers and Winners
London Leatherboys
The Abyss
Run If You Can
Teutonic Terror
Breaker
Bulletproof
Neon Nights
Flash Rockin' Man
Up To The Limit
Demon's Night
Turn Me On
Starlight
Burning
Princess Of The Dawn
I'm A Rebel
Fast As A Shark
Balls To The Wall