Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Dirkschneider
Label: AFM Records
Release: 2016
Runtime: 129:45
Rating: 4.5/5
There’s no turning back for Accept’s former frontman Udo Dirkschneider. Last year the man decided to temporarily rename U.D.O. as Dirkschneider and hit the road on a tour where he’d play strictly Accept classics, and only from the era when he was the one singing for them. Across two discs and 24 tracks in total, we’re heading straight back to Accept’s golden age. This was supposed to be the kind of tour after which Udo said he’d never play Accept songs live again. I’m sure that after U.D.O.’s reaffirmation he’ll be eating plenty of his own words. But let’s wait and see what the future brings. The European tour of Dirkschneider with a pure-blooded Accept catalog ran through the spring of 2016. Udo Dirkschneider and his crew sold out thirty-one of the forty-five European shows. This live document comes from one of them, on 02.04.2016, when Dirkschneider played the Kamminwerk hall in Memmingen, Germany.
With his band U.D.O., Udo has put out a bunch of live albums over the years, and every single one of them is excellent. He always mixed the live set between U.D.O. material and Accept classics. And that has always been a winning formula, one that, with every live release, only strengthened his reputation and standing in the metal world.
After this recording it’ll be instantly clear to you that Udo is not just the original voice of Accept, but the primary, elemental one. There’s no other option. Udo is Accept. All those Accept classics that Dirkschneider tear through Memmingen with ruthless vehemence sound far more confident vocally with Udo on the mic than with current Accept singer Mark Tornillo. Tornillo is certainly a worthy replacement for Udo, but Udo is Udo. Where Tornillo struggles with the high registers on the older Accept classics, Udo still sings them without any trouble whatsoever. And that’s despite his age. Light as a feather. When he lets out a roar he’s so convincing that any further debate on the subject is pointless. Your skin crawls, shivers rush down your spine. So now we have to ask: why doesn’t Udo sing with Accept if his voice is still in such phenomenal shape at his age? Because he feels very comfortable and safe with U.D.O. And because the old guy is shrewd. He knows he can earn more on his own by playing Accept songs than by joining or returning to Accept to do it. Even though the Dirkschneider story is set to wrap up this year after the autumn European tour, Udo can revive it whenever he likes in the future. Anytime. For another tour or two. Maybe in a few years.
In the process he has of course stirred up real confusion, because the quality of this release is so good that it actually has you drooling while you listen and leads you to »blasphemous« wishes and thoughts along the lines of: »Udo, come back to Accept!« The man hasn’t lost a single speck of the vocal charisma that gives him a special place in the world of metal. What’s more, the more years go by, the more mature Udo’s voice gets. Like good old wine. Across this live document he doesn’t buckle for even a moment (in terms of performance). Lest it all sound too perfect: Udo is vulnerable too. A few vocal slip-ups sneak onto the release, which is only logical given the vocal contortions that his screechy, guttural and incredibly piercing performance embodies. One such example is the execution of Winterdreams, where he runs out of breath toward the end. It’s nice that these slip-ups were kept. They embody the realization that this document went through little or no studio »beautifying« in post-production. It’s raw and 100% authentically laid down. Straight from the hall onto the recording medium!
There’s no need to waste words on the backing crew. They’re a hair-splitting approximation of the originals. Sure, there are deviations in the soloing (Hoffmann’s »hand« remains unique and elusive), but otherwise it’s incredible how precise Dirkschneider are in executing the Accept material. All the harmonic passages played on both guitars, a detonating rhythm section of filigree precision, over which crushing guitar riffs of primal Teutonic metal origin run wild. Udo recently rejuvenated his U.D.O. lineup quite a bit. He kept longtime bassist Fitty Weinhold, while on guitars he brought in Finn Kasperi Heikkinen and Russian Andrey Smirnov (who plays most of the solos), and sitting behind the drums is none other than Udo’s son Sven Dirkschneider. Udo and the gang sound hungry and, through their execution, like an extremely well-oiled, bloodthirsty machine, they don’t let up by an inch. They bite relentlessly, as if they wanted to deliver the best show of their career. The album actually works, quite unintentionally, as a kind of slap in the face for today’s Accept, who since reactivating in 2008 and releasing three albums (a fourth is in the works) still haven’t put out a live document.
What else is so good about this release? The setlist, of course. It’s made up of Accept classics. Besides the obligatory ones that belong in the iron repertoire of every Accept show, there are also songs Accept haven’t included in their live set for a long time: Flash Rockin’ Man, Head Over Heels, Winterdreams, Wrong is Right, T.V. War, Son Of A Bitch, Starlight, Midnight Highway and Burning.
If you haven’t caught Dirkschneider on stage yet, this fall is your last chance. Given the huge success that came completely unexpectedly for Udo and the crew, Dirkschneider have extended their stay by one more tour. On this one too they’ll play exactly what »Live – Back to the Roots« embodies. Accept material, unleashed in the best possible way. By the one and only Udo Dirkschneider.
Dirkschneider – Midnight Highway (“live”, 02.04.2016, Kamminwerk, Memmingen, Germany):
Lineup
Udo Dirkschneider – vocals
Andrey Smirnov – guitar, backing vocals
Kasperi Heikkinen – guitar, backing vocals
Fitty Weinhold – bass guitar, backing vocals
Sven Dirkschneider – drums
Track list
CD 1.:
1. Intro
2. Starlight
3. Living For Tonite
4. Flash Rockin’ Man
5. London Leatherboys
6. Midnight Mover
7. Breaker
8. Head Over Heels
9. Neon Night
10. Princess Of The Dawn
11. Winterdreams
12. Restless And Wild
13. Son Of A Bitch
CD 2.:
1. Up To The Limit
2. Wrong Is Right
3. Midnight Highway
4. Screaming For A Love-Bite
5. Monsterman
6. T.V. War
7. Losers And Winners
8. Metal Heart
9. I m A Rebel
10. Fast As A Shark
11. Balls To The Wall
12. Burning
13. Outro
