Label: AFM Records
Release year: 2017
Genre: Heavy Metal
Udo Dirkschneider needs no special introduction. He’s the former frontman of German metal giants Accept, who some time ago came up with the idea of playing a live set made up entirely of Accept classics. Naturally, those he co-created during his time with that truly huge and legendary German band from the city of Solingen.
To that end, Udo (temporarily) changed the name of his band U.D.O. to Dirkschneider, and the tour was a big success. Thanks to that success, the first (double CD) live document, recorded in Memmingen, Germany in April 2016, already came out last year. And since the demand for Dirkschneider shows is nowhere near over, Dirkschneider kept confirming new gigs and new tours. Fans wanted a visual record too, not just an audio one. So in late autumn last year, the Dirkschneider band’s new tour took them to the Czech city of Brno, where they used the show for filming. The result is out as a DVD, a Blu-ray and, of course, a double CD (the audio format). Interestingly, AFM Records timed the official release for the very same day that Udo’s former partners in Accept dropped their new studio album on Nuclear Blast.
The double audio set from Memmingen already justified everything that stands behind the name Udo Dirkschneider. It’s a live gem proving that the great veteran and true metal dinosaur hasn’t lost his voice at all. Even in his golden years, the old guy’s fiery growl keeps all its recognizable traits, and the most important one of all: the big, piercing power of that authentic high-flying screech, which earned Udo a special place on the metal map long ago.
In both visual and audio terms, this new live document, which also brings the much-wanted DVD and Blu-ray version, is a top-quality product, carefully captured from multiple angles, including a extra camera mounted on a “giraffe” (a camera crane) that kept gliding back and forth in front of the stage throughout the Brno show. The red-hot crowd of several thousand adds its own flavor in Brno’s completely sold-out basketball arena, where the band met with incredibly loud support and euphoria. This live document also shows Udo Dirkschneider in outstanding form, as well as his bandmates, delivering the very best, exactly what fans not only expect from the band but demand. Compared to the Memmingen recording, you can feel that the hall in Brno is bigger, wider and taller. The audio has a bit more “echo”. Otherwise, all things considered, Dirkschneider once again satisfy with all the restrained quality of their stage interpretation of Accept classics, many of which Accept themselves haven’t played live in ages.
There’s no shortage of authenticity in everything that went down in Brno, and this document proves it. The concert energy and atmosphere are superbly captured and transferred to both audio and visual media. It’s worth adding that Dirkschneider played an identical set in Brno to the one recorded in Memmingen, so a visual version on Blu-ray/DVD was a must.
“Live – Back To The Roots – Accepted!” is, then, nothing less and nothing more than a new flinty record of Udo Dirkschneider’s hugely successful decision to bring the Dirkschneider lineup to life. Needless to say, he had worked out in advance, down to the last detail, that he’d earn more playing Accept classics on his own than in the company of his Accept colleagues. Accept fans will snap this document up, and in the meantime Dirkschneider have already confirmed new dates across North America and Europe, where they’ll play closest to Slovenia on 27.10.2017 at the Szene club in Vienna. Until then, you can happily indulge in the unforgettable, elemental beats, just as the history of Teutonic metal writes them, recorded here with all their untamed ferocity and a really sincere touch on this excellent new studio document. So go on, get those noggins nicely shredded!
To find out how RockLine experienced and saw the show on its visit to Brno, Czech Republic, on 09.12.2017, check out the in-depth, extended concert report HERE!
author: Aleš Podbrežnik
rating: 9.5 / 10
Track list:
CD1
01. Intro
02. Starlight
03. Living For Tonite
04. Flash Rockin‘ Man
05. London Leatherboys
06. Midnight Mover
07. Breaker
08. Head Over Heels
09. Neon Night
10. Princess Of The Dawn
11. Winter Dreams
12. Restless And Wild
13. Son Of A Bitch
14. Up To The Limit
CD2
15. Wrong Is Right
16. Midnight Highway
17. Screaming For A Love-Bite
18. Monsterman
19. T.V. War
20. Losers And Winners
21. Metal Heart
22. I’m A Rebel
23. Fast As A Shark
24. Balls To The Wall
25. Burning
26. Outro
27. My Way (Bonus)
DVD/Blu-ray:
01. Intro
02. Starlight
03. Living For Tonite
04. Flash Rockin’ Man
05. London Leatherboys
06. Midnight Mover
07. Breaker
08. Head Over Heels
09. Neon Night
10. Princess Of The Dawn
11. Winter Dreams
12. Restless And Wild
13. Son Of A Bitch
14. Up To The Limit
15. Wrong Is Right
16. Midnight Highway
17. Screaming For A Love-Bite
18. Monsterman
19. T.V. War
20. Losers And Winners
21. Metal Heart
22. I’m A Rebel
23. Fast As A Shark
24. Balls To The Wall
25. Burning
26. Outro
Lineup:
Udo Dirkschneider – vocals
Andrey Smirnov – guitar, backing vocals
Kasperi Heikkinen – guitar, backing vocals
Fitty Weinhold – bass guitar, backing vocals
Sven Dirkschneider – drums
