Label: AFM Records
Release date: 11/18/2022
Compilation length: 150.30 min
Genre: Heavy Metal
Rating: 9.0/10
U.D.O. are celebrating 35 years in the game with the lavish double-CD compilation “The Legacy”. On the road between “Animal House” (1987) and “Game Over” (2021, RockLine review), U.D.O. have put out 17 studio albums, all of them adorned with the musical substance of the crystal-clear Teutonic school of heavy metal. It doesn’t get more classic or primordial than this. The recipe is original. Especially considering that the unshakable bandleader and one and only Udo Dirkschneider co-founded the band Band X with Michael Wagener back in 1968, which slowly morphed into Accept. And those guys, with their pioneering, unforgettable hooks and phrases, wrote a giant chunk of heavy metal history. It’s not hard to say that Udo’s voice is one of the elemental vocals that actually define metal. What’s fascinating about this compilation is hearing how the voice of a man who will soon turn 71 hasn’t changed one inch over all these years. That instantly recognizable screech, aimed at extreme heights – a real nightmare for the weak of soul and heart, since it can make your ears bleed – stays evergreen and forever carved into the façade of the foundations on which heavy metal grew and developed.
The songs on both discs are arranged chronologically. The first CD opens with tracks from the newest, “Game Over” (2021), and closes with the album “Dominator” (2009). The second opens with songs from “Mastercutor” (2007) and closes with “Animal House” (1987). Many musical names have come and gone through all the incarnations of the band, and it’s worth pointing out that between October 2018 and December 2022 U.D.O. also featured Slovenian bass hero Tilen Hudrap. Only one thing stays the same. Udo Dirkschneider. In terms of development, the songwriting and composing formula has changed very little over all the years of the band’s existence. Actually, not at all. A raw, piercing riff, the unmistakable vocal fury of the one and only Dirkschneider, mid-eight passages seasoned with elemental solos, and the thing we love most. Energy. The development of demolishing heavy metal voltage running on high-octane burn, with no equal.
But Udo Dirkschneider doesn’t only know the top gear. When he steps up with his natural voice, he remains just as uniquely recognizable. That’s clearly audible in one of the most beautiful ballads he has made in his career, which you’ll find on this compilation – I Give As Good As I Get (from the album “Rev-Raptor”, 2011). Otherwise, the compilation is made up of perfect heavy metal slaps in the face, subcutaneously seductive anthems, in short a combination of pomp and assault-level punch that causes an instant adrenaline rush and more – adrenaline addiction! And it can’t disappoint, nor does it know how. Gallop. All-encompassing. Non-stop.
The first CD is especially interesting because it includes four tracks that, until this compilation came out, were available only in select markets. All four are great and, in a way, more than a fitting pick for the compilation, even if you have to realize that a whole bunch of candidates deserving a spot on it got left out. The bonus tracks take nothing away from the compilation. If anything, they add to it. The more interesting of them is What A Hell Of The Night, which was born around the time of the album Steelfactory (2018, RockLine review). It’s a brilliantly successful mix of classic rock and roll rhythm dressed in the stainless steel of that distinctive U.D.O. phrasing. Until this compilation came out, it was available only on the Japanese market. The second, Wilder Life, belongs to the recording period of the album “Game Over”, again previously available only in Japan. Then there are two slightly older ones. Falling Angels – one of three Japanese-market bonuses from the album “Dekadent” (2015) – and Dust And Rust from the album “Steelhammer” (2013). A trick, then, that’s bound to boost demand for the compilation!
The compilation’s value also lies in the fact that the band’s older albums are harder to get hold of these days, while with the compilation you quickly get to the core tracks that define the band’s discography rather nicely, as well as Udo Dirkschneider’s unique vocal character and charisma. Album reissues do happen, but they’re generally limited in quantity and, despite the high prices, get snapped up pretty fast.
In short, welcome to the magical world of 35 years of U.D.O. The story doesn’t stop here. The recent extensive tour in support of the album “Game Over” confirmed that, among other things. It’s only a matter of time before the band officially announces its new lineup and says it’s working on the next album.
Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Track list:
CD 1
1. Fear Detector
2. Metal Never Dies
3. Wilder Life (bonus track)
4. Pandemonium
5. One Heart One Soul
6. Make The Move
7. What a Hell of a Night (bonus track)
8. Pain
9. Decadent
10. Falling Angels (bonus track)
11. Metal Machine
12. Steelhammer
13. Dust and Rust (bonus track)
14. I Give as Good as I Get
15. Rock’n’roll Soldiers
16. Dominator
CD 2
1. Mastercutor
2. Vendetta
3. 24/7
4. Blind Eyes
5. Man and Machine
6. Like a Lion
7. Shout It Out
8. Holy
9. Freelance Man
10. Independence Day
11. Metal Eater
12. Future Land
13. Blitz of Lightning
14. We’re History
15. Break the Rules
16. Go Back to Hell
17. They Want War
